New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1857-02-24
WESTERN RAILROADS-DISAS TIERS.

Editorial Corsspouaenee Of The N Y. Tribune
PRINCETON, H., Feb. Is, 1867.
presume no adequate idea even yet have bees
obared a, the East Of the arrangement Of eommuDi.
cations and destruction of property on Western Rail-
roads especially in this State, caused BY the late
rotm ard freshet So far a. have heard, the Illinois
Central Is the only Railroad not materially damaged
and obstructed, which douh not y owing 70 the fact
that the Central Road was actually built while those
west of il were generally thrown together a. with
pitchfork The tracks Of mott Of them are elevated
scarcely foot above the usual prairie level subject
ing tn. to heavy ds, especially In the cstsi while
l doubt whether they will average one snow-p'ow TO
every two Roads west Of the Central. Eastern Rail
road men complain of the miserable ostht and equiv
mept Of most Of these Roads, saying that money 70
disbursed in exorbitsnt dividends, intended to gfvc
fictitious value TO stocks which are urgently needed
on the equipment Of the Roads. The station-houses
are very deficient, both in number and sccomu0da-
tons Very often the sloughs or watercourss, espe-
ciay such as are dry for good part of each yeA are
crossed by mere timber trestle work, died n with
earth on either side Tbis does ~ ling anything win
de-, but heavy breakipg.up freshet washes out tho
loose earth undermines the TIMBER, and destroys the
bridge ard the Roads are lucky il they 30 down with
out aw waiting the pressure Of train
The tracks are ordinarily made Of black pfaire
nrk. which, when saturated becomes prairie mud
of the most ur character Some OF THE hAs
he.n thrown up when full Of roet and Ice, and dis
solves into thin jelly at the hst heavy thew Let
train now pass over the track and the ties pressed
down into the sof - any conceivable depth, ana
the road s temporarily ruined. Let the whole reese
the ne It day or day after and the ruin becomes axed,
not 10 be repaired until the track sha have
fret thawed, then dried to sohdity. proper
track should be elevated from two TO three feet shove
the s neral level; should be built Of the subson or
heavy loan, rather than the surface muck should DC
fenced at distance Of two or three rods aIoug the
sides of each excavation, 20 % to arest the dnoipg
snow before it can have reached and buried the 1sch.
Then they should be well equipped and manned, ~
they are not at present. thcusood men q woEk ~
Saturday could have cleared the track Of earth end
mud freshly deposited upon II, which, being allowed
TO remain and freeze there, will have cost many
thousand days work before 1t is removed
The Rock Island Road IL again in operation from the
Mississippi to Pond Greek, whence Is impossible for
Thirty miles 10 La Sale. Thence to Chicago Il Is un.
derstood to be open. The Burlington Road Is now
open from the Mississippi 10 Mendoza, whence Il sin-
psssable to Aurora. The Bureau bridge t92 feet high
and very lopg) crossed, but Il very tickhsh hsv.
ing been forced some feet down-,tream BY The Zoe.
food. believe the bridge over the Fox at Aurora 3
entirely gone with several Others. The loss 10 esch Of
these Rosds must be estimated by hundreds Of thou
sands of dollars.
Mail come down the Burlington Road yesterday,
aaer FIVE days hiatus. Passengers were through
three days ago. but they he'd no Mail Agents 70 ex-
pedite their progress. &c.