, 1865-08-29
TnRoCG1l RAILROAD ROUTES.

development OF railway Science We believe,
Tor fnstance, that The. farthest limit Of speed
has been reached ind reccdcd from. .Expe-
r1enced Fallrond men have discovered 1that IL
w1l not pay to run express trains rs fast as
they lave been run, mud the time tables have
been heightened bccause there were no com
ocnsatory benefits to the positive evils Of ex-
cessive speed. When We swing clear of the
Garth, and trust ourselves 10 ba1loous, we may
journey faster, hut this generation, at least,
Mill needs content themselves with twenty y-f1ve
| or thirty miles an hour, much as the travel
ling public may fuIne about "slow coaches.''
The improvements to be looked for lie ia
the enhancement Of comfort and safety to be
secured to otr present railway appliances.
We shall have better cars, better and safer
tricks, md competition will stimulate inyco-
ton to secure adjuncts as yet undreamcd Of
perhaps, but which will tell On these points
md these alone How passengers and freight
c1n be carried with eaEe and profit to both the
companies and the public; how the separate
lines of rnilwsy can best work out each its
own highest destiny in relation 10 tho railroad
system Of the country; how each 1nay take
coveted position Of link in some great
through route, arc the chief problems that will
occupy our railroad companies.
There nrc now between the lakes and the sea-
board several distinct complete 1aflroad routes
-mndc up Of connecting lines, beside parts Of
lines completed by water routes. The tcu-
dency Is to consolidate the separate railway
inks Of the formcr, giving complete continuity
Of control 10 lines Of immense length. The
period Is not far distant when the change in
names viii declare the completion ofthcsc
coveted schemes Of the railway age, practi-
cally The extension westward ofthe great COM
pciing lines ofthc seabord States. Afew days
since 1t was noticed that the New York
Central Railroad Company had absorbed
an Ohio rnIlrond line and made its
route continuous from New York to West
ern trade centre The Eix foot gauge Of its
State rival has found its way over other lines
in similar reach for power, The tendency
is to through routes without breaks, and the
natural ones SO filed as to oaer the least pos
eible delay. We do not look for the chief
and crowning advantage Of through routes 10
fail 10 the passengers. "Throngh without
Change Of cars rssads better on the bills than
In experience. The travelling public will be
the gamers by the change to fresh, clean
train at such intervals as railway economics
shall fix upon, days run in the same carriage
under the best auspices being quite enough
to make fresh start with its successor m
advantage more than compromising for the
trouble Of transfer
II is 10 freight TINT the chief bencfit of
through routes will fa1l. Change Of cars Is
Lere delay and expcnsc without mitigation.
Once on board and secured, the fewer hand
lings it receives between shipper and con-
siguce the better. The advantage to
freight alone is a compensation of large value
Tor a1l efforts that have 10 do with the com
plction of The general railroad system and its
consolidation into through routes. We ore
not the advocates Of consolidation that
strnngles competition It would be mislor-
tune to any trade center 10 ind a1l the radical
and once competing lines In the grasp Of some
powerful company: Experience has shown
that the temptation is rarely resisted
10 realize the full evil of
monopoly. We should regrc. on public
grounds, sucll consolidation, were so consid-
cradle IN undertaking possible as uniting the
control Of the great lines that connect the
West with the sea board. But each and ev.
cry step realized toward through routes
Strengthening, shortening and improving the
great avenues Of commerce, is so much accom-.
pli-hcd In The mission of the railroads in re-
lation to the development aud prosperity Of
the country,