The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1858-07-03

! ptoyec. On comparing the safety O
railroad travelling on the roads Of New
York with those of Great Britain, it is
found that for the last four years there
were greater ffunaber of passenger;
killed, and less number injured upon
the roads of New ork, III proportion to
the number carried, than upon those OF
Great Britain In New-York one pas
scngcr was killed out of every !, 1862, 16J
who travelled ; one either injured or
killed out Of every 341,l25. One pas
scnger was killed for every A., l64, +26
miles travelled /; aud one was either
injured or killed for every 12,7l7, 142
miles travelled. Excluding all the acct
dents growing out of the imprudencc
and fault Of the passengers themselves,
it appears that one was killed out of
every G,3lO,S2S who travelled, and one
was either injured or killed out of every
665,300. Excluding the accidents
caused by their own carclessncss or I'M
prudence, there was but one passenger
killed for every 235,S22, 1872 miles
travelled, and but one either injured or
killed for every 24,S23,322 miles ira
volcd' a vast number more lives would
have been lost if the same number of
passengers had been conveyed the same
number of miles in one-horsc wagons, or
in the old-fashioncd four-horso coaches.
w. RAILROADS IN THE UNITED STATES.
" # In the conception and construc-
ton of our system of railroads, there
was no well arranged plan as to the con-
ccptlon and mutual dependence Of the
various parts, or the proper relations of
the main line to the branches. The
result is that the system is imperfect as
a unit, though admirable in many of its
parts. Sufficient foresight was not cx-
crciscd to avoid useless expenditure of
money. We have many roads built only
in rivalry of others-some parallel,
others having the same tcrmini. The
same expenditure, properly directed,
would have given us Il complete system,
with fewer miles constructed, but of
more durable character. The want of
plan is in consequence of our system
having been built by States not separated
by typographical divisions, and by pri-
waite companies having view more to
immediate profit than to the future sue
cess ofand connection with the system.
One Of the greatest resulting evils is the
constant break Of gauge, which makes
necessary the frequent transhipmcnt of
both passengers and freight, thereby
increasing cost and delay. The gauges
in common use comprise from four feet
eight and halfinchcs, the chnncc width
of the first " tram wagon" which the
first tlamroads " were made to IL, to
four feet ten, five and six lect-all
empirical gauges, aud each having re-
spcctiyc merits, which were advocated
by their introduccrs. Whatever may
have been these claims, it is unfortunate
that one was not universally agreed
upon and there is no risk in asserting
that even at this late day the saving in
time to passengers, and injury to freight
during five years, would be more than
an equivalent for the cost of all the
necessary changes III the rolling stock,
and supcrstructurc consequent on the
adoption Of Il common gauge.
Our railroads have been so much in
dcbtcd to iortuitous circumstances for
their position and relation to each other,
that the principal claim to IL system that
VIC can advance, is based on the necessi-
ties of young and growing country,
controlled, of course, by the Topographic
cal divisions Of the country.
TO make clear exhibit of the con-
struction of railroads in the u. States at
different periods, we give a table show
ing the aggregate number of miles con-
structed in each State, at the periods of
1910, 1850, and 1857.
Number Of Niles Of Rmlrom constructed in
each SIote a: the periods Of 1910, 1860,
aud 1857.