The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1870-12-08
SsRKow CUAGE.
A Brief History of the New Principle in
- SO Railway, iCOnstructfor. ~ -
om the Bueaio ESpress.l

- S. s.e Railway Construction. : = =
ia = = From the Buffalo Express,l
We mentioned last week that par
/ ty OF gentlemen interested In one of
our proposedlecal railroads was about
to proceed to Canada to make iuqui-
tries as to the actual working of the
lnarrowrguage system in the province
of Ontario. The occasion was deem
ed special Y opporfHne, SirdG Charles
| Fox, the eminent London lengineer
Iald5a great practical pioneer of that
principle. being then hourly expected
/ IN Forontona That gentleman had
| not, howeYerg arrived, having been
kdetained, we understand, in Ottawa in
con suifatioE with the Government re-
Ispecting somel6ther Contemplated new
! 1incs. ~ The visitors, however, fell in
to the. hands OF ,othert competent pro-
fessional men, who 4iloVed quite able
iland willing to give them aallfsthe,in-
formation dofe which iathey were lin
lseancha They had likeEise theaadvan-
| stage of seeing the principle in active
| sopeFation over q eompietcd portion
Eof one of the new roads now in con-
struction there on the tnarroW:guage
plansa 70 thisfwe shall hereafter al
dude. isisSlI 2 b8d sIofsd Iavsa znii I
qoItsis, perhaps scarcely necessaIy to
say that this narro w,guage principle,
though quite uutried here, andl not
yet practically well-knoWnS in Cana
da, is No noyeltysin other parts of the
world. g4afdstheoretieally, least, it
should be well in Ontario,
for the local legislative chamber there
proved the battlefield during large
portion of one entire session, wherein
rival engineers fought many obstinate
engagelnents-bT The great main lines
steadily. resisted what they stigma
tied as a disastrous and iIHpractica-
bic iilnovatiohj and lagabrle0sly de-
l1ieted the certain losses which would
attend any hardy investors, lin, it,
They fought desperately against any
change in the pfevsiling uniformity
of gaage, and Tor some time seemed
I likely to6ceme out tTiumphant.a But
common sense, ;staunehly supported
by the Well-tried experience of COM
petent engineers, finally carried the
day. Several charters were granted,
authorizing the construction of mar
rowrguage roads, and some of these
are, now being proceeded with. :.
4 It said that the, new principle was
first promulgated, some telryears ago,
4by a. Norwegian engineer, named
Pihl, who offconrse encountered all
that opposition which seems, invari-
ably. TO meet any great innovation,
& however merit ofious. But Mr.. Phil
. had bettefl1uck than many others OF
his, class, for within7a brief period he
saw his system universally adopted in
his native land and in Sweden. He
enjoyed, besides. astlidinplf that the
guageErefeFfhefs afeshet likely to par
ticipate in elsewhere, for fheeFen wit
messed its substitution, on, the old
roads built on the old plan. 1t re-
quired but a short trial to show that
the narroW-guage system was special
ly adapted for new countries, where
enormous capitaid has not been amass-
ed, and Where great perfected lines,
such as may be seen in Europe and
this country, can be 1advahtageously
s1iSpensea with Some of the Aus
tralisn COLONIES immediatelR adopted
it, the, enterprisipg Legislature of
Queensland being. the first of that
group to sanction it. We believe,
too, thata New Zealand company has
recently been formed, and sin part of
India it is in profitable operation on
branch. lines. Had it been confined to
those counties, however, it might
probably have been many years before
it woniibahagos secured the attention
which it now enjoys and SO eminent
,lY merits, In due course it crept in-
to Wales, where It was allowed but a
short tiihei to work quietly, but most
pro ofitabl y ere it excited general at
ftentiep, 0 Il NJ .such proximity TO. the
most !. tthiekly populated counties of
England, capital and enterprise soon
set a steady watch on an agency
threatening to be so revolutionary of
all prevailing railroad systems. All
the mos. eminent engineers examined
and criticised it, with the, general .re-
suit that those. who. went to scott re-
manned to praise. ~ LAfi Government
Commission, leomposeds of able and
impartial experts, were appointed to
Investigate and report. = And the Lon
don. Times completed tie curiosity
and interest BY publishing detailed
accounts of the5working and general
management oflthe. little d Festiniog
Railway. It justly declared itsa COM
plete and extraordinary success and
since flienr the principle has been ma ma
king rapid ihesdway both aiif' England
and her colonies. , The fguage oof this
road u.s. iexceptionallY nayroWs even
for the new systems, being, in width.
only twenty inches Between the
fails.9Id fao1f HobTsQ e b2Vl995i +