The Portage County Democrat. [volume] (Ravenna, Ohio) 1854-1868, 1859-08-24
Broad anage Is. Marrow auage.

4
It will be remembered that we stated. some
time since. that the managing interest in the
Ohio aud Mississippi Road we're contemplat
ing the propriety of change from the BROAD
six foot gusge 10 that of 4:l0 or feet, SO
soon as increased earnings would justify the
necessary expenditure. It appears. however,.
that all engineers are not agreed as TO the re
lative economies of the different grades. r. |
B. Mason, distinguished Civil Engineer. now
occupied in Illinois, has written an article in
the American Railway Review, entitled, Ne
CEssITY AND IMPORTANCE OF RAILWAY Re |
FORM, in which be proposes the solution of the |
following proposition: That the mechanical
arrangement termed a rGit,cdy including its
rolling stock. is not in accordance tcith cor
rect mechanical principles and that much Of
the oil schich has att ndsd the operations of
Railways, has arisen from The hasty adoption
Of an imperfect system.
MT Mason proceeds in an Introductory ar
ticle. to say:
Before attempting to point out wherein the
errors have been committed. some exnlanation
seems called for, Of the causes WHICH have led
/ to the oversight. It will be thirty wears. next
October, since the Liverpool and Manchester
/ Railway was opened for public use Soon af
ter that period, the track and rolling stock as
sumed form, virtually the same with that
Inow adopted with variations principally in
weight and proportion. 1t is remarkable that
during this long period, although the mechan
ical skill of the whole world has been put in
Irequisition. no essential change in its general
arrangement has been attempted And it is
Iequally deserving of notice, that although
railway companies have constantly been labor
ing under the losses growing out of the self
destructive tendencies Of the system, no ade-
quate remedy has been introduced
: Immediately after the first introduction oil
r railways, the astonishing effect produced by
y them, and the extraordinary facilities they
gave to travel and transportation. created q
general desire to enjoy these benefits. AT
: the same time, wide field was opened foi
i speculation. producing a perfect mania to in
vest in railways, and causing rapid extension
: OF various lines. both in Europe and the Unit
: ed States. The desire of making money
. swallowed up peyerv other confederation; it was
n nobodys interest to consider whether the re
n suit of the experiment between Liverpool anf
Manchester, warranted the adoption Of tina
particular kind of track and machinery to op
crate on it. The world was dazzled with the
splendid effects there exhibited, and q belle
). prevailed that no better opportunities coIlt
be found for Investments. Hence, railway
! after railway was built, fac siniile of its pre-
o decessor One attempt, however. was made
r TO diminish the inherent de fects of the system
The searching mind of Brunei foresaw tht
evils attending q high centre of gravity. HI
u perceived ifs tendency to increase that irregu
: iarity of motion, which is so trying to railwa avs
o and endeavored. in the construction of tn,
o Great Western Railway, from London to Bris
tol to obviate this difficulty. by the adoption
: ofa seven feet guage. He spared 40 expense
D for light grades and cnrves, approximating t.
e straight lines, hence the high average speed b
e was able to establish But this system wa
far too costly, involving the necessity of grea
increase of dead weight. and consequently wa
y rot generally adopted. The narrow guae
,s and high centre of gravity has, with very fe'
q exceptions, continued TO the present day; fo
such has been the peculiar form of the ma
chinery required to fulfill the conditions of tbi
ID unfortunate system, that no improvement
W have been brought into use, that have dimin
sr ished materially. the enormous wear and teal
:, or the disastrous consequences inseparabl
. from it, when train is accidentally throw
70 from the track. 1t is, therefore, by ne mean
l. surprising that many railways have disappoini
,e ed their projectors. and have become ia
I more expensive medium for travel and tranl
tportation. than was at first anticipated.
+ The amount of capital employed on th
narrow gnage. has been immense. Its expen
,e Editure has tseen stimulated by the facility {
!. obtaining loans to build railways, and the
- have not only been badly constructed, but a
n- SO regardless of first cost. OF the $500
a miles of railway in the United States it
% probable that the average net profits do nc
~ exceed two per cent. on the capital invested
:. and SO large proportion of the numerou
II railways. which have been built hardly pa
y running expenses, that mary of them must b
le ultimately abandoned, unless means can
n. discovered to operate them more eheaply.-
That better system is attainable. am we
y convinced. although great obstacles are in th
" way of IFS introduction.
70 Mr.. Moson does not, in the above. distinctl
+. declare in favor of the six feet guage, but
. evidently laying the basis for an argument i
: favor of broader guage than that upon whic
!. nineteen-twentieths of all the Railway train
y of the country are running: