The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1866-02-26


'The mineral trade from South Wales, especially
in steam coal, was largely diminished by the
sudden cessation OF the demand for blockade
runners.n
British experience, hrst, that the narrow gauge
is preferable 10 the broad gauge, not oclY on the
score of commercial convenience, but for its
Spenior econEmy I'm 10 making sSS an ana ~ woTtI ontIrei
uniform gauge over the whole railway system OF
the country; and third, that there should, OF
course, be no break of gauge.
In State like Pennsylvania, crossed and inter-
spersed by chains OF hills and mountains, where
the passes are few and marrow, there can be no
doubt that the only permissible gusge should
be the uniform narrow. gauge of four feet
eight and half inches, originally fixed
and adopted by the State upon the Colum-
bia Road, which regulated that OF the Pennsyl-
vania Railroad, the Philadelphia and Erie,
Northern Central, Catawissa, Philadelphia and
Reading, Lebanon Valley, North Pennsylvania,
Philadelphia, Wilmington, and Baltimore, Ger
mantown and Norrlstown, and the West Chester
Roads, all leading to and connected with the city
oil Philadelphia, now covering l30 square miles
of Territory, with a population of more than
SC0,C00 souls.
The State of New York in 1924 had nearly
completed their canal from Lake Erie to the
Hudson, which, with the Northerii Canal, con-
Meeting Lake Champlaln with the came river,
had formed their system of State internal lm-
provement. In October, 1926 the Erie Canal
was finished, and on the 4th OF November, the
first canal boat arrived at New York from Buf
talo. In 1886, ten years afterwards, the enlarge
ment OF the canal with double locks was CON-
menced. In 1926 a company was incorporated
to construct O railway from Schenectady to
Albany, and other companies were chartered
from 1888 to 1886 to form connecting roads,
which in 1851 we're consolidated and formed the
New York Central Railroad Company.
In 1924 the first canal commissioners in this
State were appointed, who recommended canal
from Philadelphia to Pittsburg with tunnel of
four miles through the Allegheny Mountains.
In 1925 new board OF canal commissioners,
consisting OF five persons, was appointed, and
the law authorizing the first board was
repealed. BY this second act the routes to
be examined to the north and west
and both the Western routes extended to Lake
Erie, so as to connect its waters with those of
tue Delaware. Out Of this grew our system of
State Internal Improvement by canal and slack
water. 1t was soon found necessary to substl-
tute railroad for a canal between the Schuyl
kill and the Susquehanna, and the Portage road
for the Allegheny tunnel
Our mistake was in supposing that because
New York had constructed a continuous canal,
through nearly level country, during period
when the price of labor was low that we could
effect the same object at a similar expense in
State crossed by ranges OF mountains, and with
currency gradually expanding, and of course
increasing the cost of labor and materials. So
imperfect was the communication between
Philadelphia and Plttsburg, that, IN 1846, the
Pennsylvania Railroad was Incorporated to
burg, SO as to ftrm, wlth the Harrisburg and
Columbia Roads, continuous railway between
these two points.
To the stock of this road what is now the citv
of Philadelphia subscribed five millions of dol
lars, the county of Allegheny one million, and
the citizens of Philadelphia (business men and
operatives depending upon their daily labor for
support) subscribed the balance thai was then
deemed necessary 10 make the road. IL was, in
fact q Philadelphia enterprise, deemed abso-
mtely necessary Tor its business connections
with the interior and the West, and it was un'
de1taken at period when we were Just begin
ming to recover from one of those financial col
lapses TO which we have been periodically sub
jected.
BY the purchase of the main line of the public
works from the State in 1850, this company be-
came the owners OF the entire route from Phila-
delphja to Pittsburg, and were enabled to build
and complete double track. irst-class road,
connecting the waters of the Ohio with those of
the Delaware.
The tracks on the Columbia Railroad were
moved further apart, so as to admit wider cars,
for ii was the original fault of this road, and of
the Reading road, that the two tracks were
brought too close together. The Harrisburg
Road was improved; and the Portage Road and
all inclined planes and stationary engines we're
dispensed with.
It connects with Cincinnati by the Steuben-
vile route, crossing the OHIO by one of the
most extensive and magnificent iron bridges in
the world; and by other roads with Cleveland,
Chicago, ST. Louis, and the great West. Thus
great cities OF the State, Plttsburg and Phila-
delphia, and thence by the connecting railway
now building, the Philadelphia and Trenton,
and Jersey roads to New York, without any
transshipment whatever.
During the late Rebellion the Pennsylvania
Railroad became the great route for the trans
portation of troops and munitions to and from
the West and Southwest, and upon three days
notice, could have furnished at Philadelphia,
Baltimore, or Pittsburg, accommodations and
cars for the transportation of an army of &C, 900
men from one point to the other in twenty-four
hours, with all their equipments and munitions
OF war.
l believe this to be correct, for ia 1862 land
their capacity Is now greatly increased) it was
al ceItained by the agent of the Camden and
Amboy Company, that they could transport
from philadelphia to New York in twenty-four
hours, by their roads and canal, an army of
100000 men, with all their equipments and mu
nitions of war. They we're never called upon to
transport more than 5000 men in one day, and
this was done in from five to seven hours with
out inJerrupting their ordinary travel.
Besides the transportation of the heavy guns
manufactured at Fort Pitt Works, they carried
the big 20-inch gun, twenty-five feet long, weigh
ing ll6,4 400 pounds, and throwing solid shot of
1000 pounds on cars specially constructed for
the purpose by the Pennsylvania Railroad Com
pany, over their road 10 Harrisburg GAS miles),
and thence by the Lebanon Valley, East Penn
sylyania, Lehlgh Valley, and New Jersey Cen
tral Roads to Elizabethport, New Jersey, total
distance of 4l9 miles, without change or trans
shipment, or break OF gauge.
For the Main Line the company gave the State
81, 5O0,0 600, which was increased in 1861 by the
commutation for the tonnage tax and they ia
creased the annual payments to $460 000 which
would extinguish the whole debt in 1890. The
amonnt still due the State is $6700,00O, secured
by bonds which are lien upon the Main Line.
The city of Philadelphia holds 103, ,S42 shares,
equal at par to $5 l67, 900, being $l67, 600 more
than her original investment, besides having
received S2,5O0,000 in cash. or its equivalent,