New Orleans daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1851-1866, 1859-04-20
WEDNESDAY MORNING. APRIL
HIN @rltans 4ailg Grtsttnt.
STREET RAILROADS.

9th @rltans 9ailp Grtsttnt.
STREET RAILROADS.
In the inception Of street railroad enterprises un
founded prejudice or interested motive on the part
Of few was the foe to be combatted and overcome
by the projectors by the advocates OF every mea.
sure Of rerormatory progress however theoretically
demonstrabIe it's usefulness and proprety might be.
Thus was when the introduction OF other railroads,
Of steamboats,, Of omnibuses, OF gas Of telegraphs'
was attempted but they practically overrued all op-
position as street railways have done elsewhere and
as they will do here, allowing that the querulous COM
plainings Of few oneidead antiquities who cannot
render reason when it is demanded are entitled to
the dignity of being styled I" an opposition" As
they have done elsewhere so will they here demon
strate that they for the greatest benefit OF the
greatest number, and are alike advantageous 70 tne
interests of the great public and OF their proprleors
In considering the subject the advantages which sng-
gest themselves and have been advanced by others,
are many and Of self.evident character.
| Roadway space is economical. for one car will do
the transportation that requires three omnbuses for
its accomplishment, and In half the time. The car is
easily avoided by the pedestrian than the lum'
bering omnibus surgng from side to side at the will
of refractory team careless or reckless driver
1t is confined to its track and the passer has not to
be the alert to dodge it, but is safe anywhere off
the track. The is low, and can be stepped into
by the child or invalid with scarce an exertion 1t
glides rapidly and noiseessy along without the
rattling uproar Of the omnibus over rough stones.
The strips of iron laid along the street present OBJ
struction to ordinary vehicles being so nearly on
level with the surface as to scarcely create jar in
passing.
The amount of transportation to be done by an un-
constructed railway cannot be calculated on the basis
of what an omnibus line traversng the same street
may be doing, is abundantly shown by the history
of various roads. For example, on the Philadelphia
and Darby horse railway five cars were found neces-
sary to accommodate the permanent travel originally
performed by one omnibus Hundreds of thousands
ride in cars in the course of the year. who would walk
in preference to taking the more expensive or less
agreeable omnibus In other cities it is shown that
real estate along the lines of street railroads is so en-
hanced in value by their construction that handsome
structures take the place Of small, mean tenements
and that property which would otherwise remain un-
sold nnimproved for years is brought into market
or occupied Thus property is legitimately made to
yield an increased revenue, while proportionate taxa
ton decreased in consequence of railway companies
keeping in repair the streets they traverse and
lieving the city government of the expense.
The value of street railways as investments for
capital cannot be questioned for though the profits
may be reasonably calculated, the argument is rem
dered unnecessary by facts which are of record.
We have before us or have lately seen the GER
titled Statistics of many roads in Northern cities
and though the allowances for wear and tear depre
citation, expenses of running of street and road re-
pars of renewal of equipments payments Of interest
A.. ~
sixty to seventy-fve per cent of the gross earnings,
the net balance sufces for dividends averaging about
eleven or twelve per cent. per annum, and this too
when the capital stocks Of several of the companies
were sweled to an enormous figure by the purchase
of imaginary omnibus rights, and various expendi
lures amounting in the total to nearly treble the
tual cost for which roads can be built now when th
: method of construction is thoroughly understood
and when the cost of manufacturing equipments and
various material has been decreased by the estab
lishment of regular factories for making them Seye
raj of the Northern passenger roads operated by
lessees who pay to the companies owning them rents
equivalent to from seven to nine per cent on the un
necessarily large capital invested by the constructors
keep them in repair and keep up the equipment and
yet do profitable business!
The level surface of the streets of New Orleans dc
away with the necessity for the heavy expenditures
for grading and bridging, which burden railroad
enterprises in other cites-Boston for example-and
round estimate deduced from the statistics Of roads
elsewhere and controlled by the consideration of cir
cumstances which must enter into such calculation
would seem to fix the outside figures of cost for tht
construction and entire equipment covering the horst
or mule outfit as we'll rolling stock and everything
else, of street railroad in New Orleans, six miles
long or upwards, at $4,000 to $2s 900 per mile
sum covering the outlay for real estate and necessary
buildings erected thereon, unless, indeed, the latte
item were sweed by unnecessary extravaganza. Es
. Inmates may vary, but quite willing to rest ou
reputation upon the above figures, for We cannot SCI
/ how an enlightened Directory could wisely expent
more than that amount in constructing the city rail
= road on which the work is to be SO soon commenced
We purpose, in an early issue, to enter more par
tcularly into the matter OF street railroad construc
ton than we have done heretofore in the much W
have written touching the subject.
9. EXCAVATIONS IN ITALY.-The excavations nov
going on at the Metropolis Of the ancient city Q
Preneste near the modern town of Pulestrina @ mile
southeast of Rome have been productive of the mos
interesting results. The property belongs to Primo
Barberni and the researches carried by his order
il have already brought to light an admirably wrough
gold necklace, in fine preservation several bronz
vases richly ornamented, and other works in meta
amongst which are some interesting mirrors with Ell
graved reverses Utensils Of various kinds have ais
been discovered, made of colored glass; aabaster vor
and even wood Bronzes and terra.cotta vases an
Sc utensils arms and cups, interesting for the nscri
Ill tions they bear, have likewise been recently dish
tered at the Metropolis of the ancient Eruscan cit
he of Capena, about 80 miles from Rome, north of t
he Tiber.
: Aar Telegraphic, etc., on the eighth pag.
SO
ID MuRDERED.-John B. Wolff, formerly editor of
= temperance sheet, called the Life Boat, in Mt. Plea
Ut ant, Ohio was shot, short time since, while drivn
a stage in Kansas He had been requested by the eli
" zens to answer political speaker, which he did
" such way to excite the ire of his opponent WI
:. revenged himself as above stated.