New-York daily tribune., 1858-08-25


rates OF speed grsi,s, price., Climate, 81, ~e xs
20 cck to their genera msrsgemest for the .b,ve
eres. ecoromy Of Europssr rosds. Lo,is 10 Easlxni
Are 10 tsr cent lighter than on the American railways,
averaging i6 pssser gersa rsin Psr mile, sssrs.7 20
in Nsv.York An average Eoglish pisergerrsin
/. Is tuns-97l in New-Yoik Toe rate Of speed ea
Trel.h roass 5 % per cent fss.er than 90 Aus-'cn
in F,sroe L is slower thsn in England, and sas Saas
SIZE bssyier.
Tie greater ecoromy Ct reps'rs on Ecgish aod
fgerch railways is p.Jty explained oy the i'cs that
they hsve mere sn,,al and bs.:ef drained esrth-
work than Is used ol American rosts. Lac i1rnston
leve is wider the slopes hser suf generally srssssd
down, ard the ditchiDs balssiiog, and Gapsgs moro
ttororeh than with us Toe Eogish rail is msts
SITTER than ours, being generally i've inches deep
where tie American standard Is 81 icchss Tae joints
of Ergish rails have generally support indepen-
dent os the lie. TIE sl.epers on glsh lines are
larger o. more uniform size, and are chemically pre-
served to lsst IL years
There are about 20 miles of tunnels IN Gees Ba:siu
and the cos OF tunnels hiss been about 900 for every
nile Of rsilway in the kingdom. o. the 5000 milssof
Amercsn road there are IL ! niles OF tunnels.
ybe few level crossing. and character OF tbs country
have required many more bridges of avery expensive
character than eAist with us. These include some Of
the grardes works OF ar in the world aud dono. make
the working expenses any hss.
Engineers charge from to 10 Per cent on the cost Of
their works This item is some 5000 q mls. Ouy
IS 10 per cen, of British track siegei ~ per cen.
is single in Massachusetts.
Stations average q miles spNt in Great Britain.
Msny Of them are costly and magnificent works Of an
There are sometimes to stations IN the ssme t"wn'
| Tie authors hence infer the
| FINANCIAL NECESSITY or IMPROVEMENT. f'
Defective permanent way ictluences all those items
of working expenses which average over ~ cents per
n le run, ON the railroads OF the Northern Unl.ed
| States For imperfect road entails Increased ex-
pepses for its repairs, we'll as for the repairs
ei gites ana cars and directly increases the consunp
ton VI fuel oil to m,et the increased resstancs@
The improvements required for our roads should not
mcesse their cost by more than soVoo per mile sas
| interest on ttls say $500 al the highest value OF
morey would be the charge sganst the prooaole
saving leaving clear saving OF over ii cents per
nile Iup equal to per cent ON the csPtM stock OF
road OF ordinary cost and business and having tsco
Of $50 OO0 per mule, oLehali IN stock ard onenau III
Construction acc cunts Al never be closed until our
roads aye buh. To attempt Il only Involves destruc-
ton acc cunt of fearful magnitude. Under our present
system We are perpe,uslly rebuilding our rosds, not
realizing the life of our works, and thereby run
Ting capital to waste. better system will strike at
the OF this error by correctns not nursing sne
defects Of our permanent way. animal
FORMATION OF EARTHwoRK.
English spd French engineers insist on q thorough
constr uction OF embankments by which are generally
included the following conditions:
The surface intended TO be covered by banks is
shaved clean of tmfnot cny to remove It for soddicg
the slopes but 10 obtain fair bottom, free from vegs-
| table matter ON which to 81 art the work.
| All stones stumps, brush, or other obstructons,
which, by their disturbance OF tue integrity OF the
bank, or BY their decay, might sinking or slips,
are thoroughly cleared.
The culyerts. being in, are allowed ample tius for
the cement to set lmost cuverts on Eoshsh inee ao
| laid in cementl before the filling commences.
Banks Of very bad SOILS like clay or losm are some
times raised in lifts layers three four feet each
each LAYER being we'll rammsd settled, - 70 be
concsve on the top This is an expensive mode Inc
best plan for the lea. TO carry out tne bank in
txo r.-ener ridges, forming together the full
Intended width and to fiji in the Intermediate space BY
subsequent tipping This, too, is largely pracnced for
bad eOil. i'
Correct allowance is nsde for the settling Of
the material of the bank, AMI time 10 given
for this settling to oscar before the ballast
il brought on or TIE rails slsepers laid,
The shIlIkage of earth work sometimes disturbs
he grsde At the rate of several feet rise or fA per
mil.-in nominal grades IL % feet on the New-ferk
and Erie Il 0sd distance Of 800 feet wss foand TO
rse al the rate CT 7j per mile, this distance betng
approached and succeeded by the regular grade Of 80
fse 10 another place, for the distance of 2cO feet,
be ire Was found to be at the rate 9f 10. iset per
ME with level Of 100 feet length, BON above and
beow-the average grsdo over the wnole milo eeng
60 feet These cases are similar to whs. hare
railwsy calth work is not properly settled before
| being bought into use. The shinksRe OF earth
woJk il stated TO be the cube of the depth, hero,
the necessity Of due provision 10 lofty banks
Tie Ell bsIkmeIis are generally carried OUT At hfst,
10 the full intended width and not exposed to spe By
the subsequent addition OF loose material, which does
not unite with the original slops. Where additions
become necessary for other tracks, the aide OF tbs
bark is stepped to give hold or tho mstersl added
The slopes are carefully trimmed to uniform sur-
face ard TO the req1iste angle Of inclination. Tney
aiterwaId protected, as has been stated either by
grsssrg down or by setting out sods.
Where level crossings are employed, II is usual TO
pave between the lines of rails, and to distance
on either side TO prevent the sinkog Of the track,
abrasion of the ror AID strsning Of the fastennss,
from the passsge OF heavy teams. still more I'M
portspt Is that the crossing thus kept e)m-
paTstively clean.
In all cases during the formation Of embsnkments,
the greatest s tsken ID exclude nater, until the
surfaces are fGisLed aud the drains completed FOR the
protection of the Work.
Until recently, Eogl.sh and French locomotives
burned ceke exclusively. Blu. now both 10 Engisnd,
France and Belgium, coke is being gradually sban-
doned ar raw btumnous coal substituted in iu pscs
a. fuel for locomotives. In Great Bri,ao, there Is
comparatively little anthracite, and its use has not besn
attempted on railroads After a full dscussien OF the
subject, Illustrated by copous statishcs the authors
arrive at the conclusion that buDous coal furnishes
the most economical and efficient fuel for locomotives
in the United States. is impose blsto oondsnse their
statements on this point and for more complete aiof