Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1862-07-01
En-lirh RniIroads.

Though TO America and Robert Fulton belOP
| the honor OF first applying steam navigation
England the first railroad was CONSTRUCTED. O
which locomotive engines were used. THIS wa
on the Liverpool and Manchester line, opene,
only thirty-two years ago, in the presence Of tI
| Duke cf Wellington, Sil Robert Peel, aud Otha
prominent men OF the nation, an occasion mad
memorable by the death of the distinguished
statesman, Mr.. Huskirson.
| For many years the project had been agitated
and der:dtd. L. was said that the great railroad
system would create a monopoly injurious to the
public weltsre-.hat laborers would be thrown
out Of employment-that houses would be in
constant danger from the sparks Of the engine
| that farmers would suffer, for neither hens
would lay nor cows Craze, and game fall dead to
| the ground, il they attempted to fly over the
| poisonous breath e1haled from the locomotive" +"
Mr. George Stephenson incurred personal dan
ger In making the necessary surveys, and high
an low, on f-rent prstexts strenuOusy OPP
posed the IN ghiy aud powerful innovation.
All that has passed away, 10 a few years
reckoned by the reVolutiors of the earth, though
measured by events it seems the lapse of gen
eratiGnR. With the success of the FIRST line,
road after road was planned and constructed,
and a railway mania sprarg up, in which Mr.
Hudson aud others took such an active part, till
the iron horse puts his way through every part
OF England.
Up to 1861 the amount expended in Great
Britain for railroads has been, in round numbers,
s ,5IG 0OO COO nearly half as much as the nS-
tionsl debt aud at the last session OF Parliament
bills were introduced for the construction of I7j
new roads The total receipts of these roads
during the last year we're $4,000 900, of which
tbs average WORKING expenditure was AZ per
cent, very much less than in America.
The whole length Of railway is 500 miles Of
single line, an average Of 173 miles year since
the fist road was put in operation. There are
seventy niles Of railway tunnels, some three
miles each and $4,000 bridges, besides maay
viaduc:s More than 5 3.6iO,0O0 tuns of iron
h8ys been 2 ed IN making those roads, much OF
which must be annually replaced. To sspport
the rails, 30OO0,0O0 timber seepsrs ars re-
quired, which must be renewed at the rate Of
2,4000O0 a year, TO make which 35 900 trees
must be cut down, occupying 60Q0 acres.
1hese roads employ 8 sol locomotives, an aver
age of one to every two miles, some costing as
much as ) $4,000. These ip q coltjngOus line
you'd extend al miles. 0le Of the largest en-
gines can draw assepger train of 100 tons at
az average speed Of sixty miles an hour. There
are also used on the British railways 1906 pas
senger cars AID lS0,51i baggage cars The
cost Of these c4IS was not less than IL 100000
Over 10000 men are 'mploYed on the dii}eTent
fOAGB lli5IS ale Three clsS e5S OF passengers on
the English roads, Of whom last year 20,6 ,8jl |
were ii st class; 1904 were second class aud
73,1lj30l3 were third class making tstal |
Of l6ii ,435 6F5. Al)re than 10 900 trains are |
run daily, giving nearly 100000 year. Tho |
returns show that on an average each individual |
In the kingdom made last year six journeys |
The amount OF freight conveyed was $4,000. |
600 tons. Over 100000 journeys wers made |
by horses, and 81, 900 by dogs, and IL 000o0e |
cat,le, sheep ana pigs wpre conveyed. G5 gTsai |
is the ttt .ct of railways in creating travel tha |
the number Of journeys has Increased at the rate /
of l0,00Q a year, and, whereas in 1851 only |
40 600 persons entered aud left London daily by |
now there are 10000.
Tie English railways are much more expcn- |
sive than ours, the cost being on an averags |
suout SI2J no9 NILE. This is owing TO theiI /
more subs tantial character ana the higher price |
of land. The greater part haye double track
they always cross carriage road above or below
t,ls grade 90 as 10 avoid collision, the slopes o
the hanks are careflliy gFassel so SIS to avQid |
the dust and frequently shade trees are planted
slorg the line; and no expense is spared if
t4nnpi or Yis3uct is necessary. Most of the |
railways noY enter London by spbtenanean
passages, thereby avoiding all inter ference with
their thickly crowded thoroughlares
Z Wolderfli indeed AaVe been the changes |
wrought by railways in the last third ct cen |
tury. Socially and financially they have revO-
latioEis d the civilized world. We can never |
cease 10 be amazod at ting T4pilitY of their in
PRODUCTION, the extent OF thet operations, their
Zee. or human progress, and their prospective |
importance.