The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1868-08-14
THE WHITE MOUNTAINS.
A "Trip Over the Mount Washington
Railroad.

A correspondent OF the Boston Transcript,
writing from the White Mountains, describes
trip over The Mount ashingtou Railway
This road is built under charter granted in
1858 to the Mount Warrington Steam Railway
Company giving them the exclusive right for
twenty years to run steam railway to the
SUBMITS of Mounts Washington and Lafayette,
with the privilege OF locating anywhere except
upon the eastern or northeastern side. a road
leading TO the base OF the mountain was COM
menced in April, 1866 and in haY of the
same year work upon the railway began.
The road starts at point seven miles from
Brabrook's-the depot beng 2700 feet above the
level Of the sea-and is to be, when complete,
2 1916 miles in length, rising il that distance
5000 feet TO the Tlp-Top House, which is 63O6
feet above the sea level. The average graie OF
the track is 1900 feet 10 the mile, but IN places
this grade is increased to 100 feet or one foot
in three. If you want to know how steep that
is, put a pile OF books one foot high upon the
table; then take yardstick and put one end
upon the table and allow the other end to rest
on the edge of your pile, and you have the grade
of the railroad at some OF the steepest parts.
Now place your railway, or imagine it placed,
upon a trestle-work thirty feet high, as at
Jacobs Ladder, and expect men to work about
upon it, lifting heavy rails and timber, &c, and
you can see that the progress made must be in
such parts very sloW-and so indeed it was; the
men, fearful OF sliding back in spite OF sharp
spikes in their shoes, and obliged TO move about
with extreme caution lest they should be dashed
on the rocks below, were only able 10 build
twenty-five feet a day, whereas they ace now
easily laying seventy-hye feet day.
"The rails are three in number-the two
outer ones being mere fat strips laid upon lon
gltudlnal sills which rest upon cross-ties the
central and important one being q cOg-rail or
ratchet, made OF wrought iron, with very
strong cogs or pins against which the teeth of
the diving wheel OF the engine work in ascend
ing and descending the road. These rails cost
the company three dollars per foot in Boston,
and four dollars delivered at the depot at the
base OF the mountain,
"The locomotive is very peculiar in its con-
etrUptlOn. WOUlQ w
drawings, to give an IDEA OF its shape. Photo
graphs have, however, been taken of the engine
and car, and can undoubtedly be bought in
Boston. ] can only tell you that it weighs four
tons, and is OF about thlrty-hye horse power.
The boiler is upright, aud hung in such manner
as to be at a level on all grades. The driving
wheel is an eighteenneh cog wheel running in
the cog rail already described. The tender and
the car are provided WIN similar wheel, each
sufficient iu itself to hold the entire tram, so
that unless all three wheels should break a5
once, which is an utter impOssibilty, there can
be no danger OF lis running back without the
consent OF the engineer aud brakesman. Tue
engine is supplied with two powerful brakes
one operated by steam aud the other by hand;
and strong WrOught-lrOu dog working into the
Cogs of the drving-Wheel, in the ascent, pre-
! vents any 'back-sudng' whilst in descending
! the speed is regulated by shutting Off the steam
and easing the engine down at fixed rate, by
! means OF compressed air. There is upon the
! car a powerful hand brake, tended by man
! who does not leave IT for moment, aud who
! always has it under such control thaL one turn
| OF the crank Will stop the entire tram. Finally,
! the engine and cars are kept down upon the
! track by means of friction rollers running
under the central Rail, which, for that purpose,
| Is made to project about two inches ON each
! side beyond the beam upon which it is laid.
! think you must see that with all thes. appli-
| anCes ana precautions a serious accident to the
! train is almost an impossibity, ana that the
most timid rersOn may ride upon the road
| without any lear.
After eXaminng the track and train TO nay
satisfaction, mounted upon the car; the steam
was turned on, ana tbe engine started, pushing
before it the car withi's load, The position OF
! the car above the engine is necessary, in order
th al the train may al Says be under the control
OF her powerful brakes, and that the Car may
not be lett behind through the breaking of a
coupling or other .ccdent. With a steady
mOtlOu-uo iauug or rocking, but merely a
slight trembling like that OF steamer under
the stroke of its engines-step by step, one peg
at time, we moved up the mountain, at the
rate OF about two m les au hour straight to-
wards the Tip-Top House. Our first stop was
made AT the height Of two thousand feet, at a
house occupied by The Workmen on the road,
aud called the 'Waumbek Junction. this being
The point where the bridle-path from Stlling's,
ON the roai from Gorham 10 Jetierson, comes
out OH the railroad. Here we took in water at
| lhe Wel'known Cold Spring. and then went
" " Ile second station, ut the foot Of JReop'a