Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1871-04-01

The development of Massachusetts within
he last thirty years, in population and business,
has been in great part due to her railroad sys-
TEN, and, of course, in part to the railroads of
the whole country, which have done so much TO
make the remote districts of the west habitable
bybringing their produce to the sea board, and
carrying TO them the fruits of our manufactures
and commerce. While the state, as a whole,
has gained in wealth and number of people,
and most of its cities and towns on railroad
lines have prospered greatly, some of them,
which were once relatively important have be-
come inconsiderable places in comparison with
Others, which, forty years ago, were in every re-
spect behind them. The agricultural towns
away from railroads have declined in wealth
and population instead of advancing, The rail-
road towns have grown at their expense. Prop
erty in many of them can hardly find pur-
chaser at any price.
The railroad system OF this state, if it is to be
governed by the rules and limitations that
have heretofore prevailed, can hardly be expect
ed to attain much greater expansion. No more
trunk lines are likely to be built. and branches,
however valuable as feeders to the main lines, do
no. often pay profit on the cost Of construc,
ZION. There are many places too in the state
which cannot be reached by railroads, as they
have been constructed hitherto, without an ex.
pense out Of all proportion TO the business which
they can do. A system is now proposed which
promises TO supplement our present railroads.
and to enable them to reach all parts of the
state, so that the advantages they bring with
them can be distributed far more equally oyer
the whole state.
Some six years ago there was, in the noun
tains of Wales, little tlam road a few miles
long with gauge triHe less than two feet 1t
had curves of 1872 feet radius and grades seventy
feet to the mile. The engineer, believing that
the results of modern experience indicated that
the direction of progress is towards a decrease
in the width of gauge, undertook to make an
extreme test by putting locomotive on this
line. The rail used weighed thirty pounds to
the yard, and the engines weighed seven tons.
The experiment was very successful. Trains
over one thousand feet long are run regularly
on this road at a speed of from fifteen to twenty
miles an hour as safely as on any road in En-
gland, and at cost much below that of ordina.
~ roads under otherwise more favorable circum-
stances. In one year it transported twice as
many tons of freight as the Connecticut River
road, and more passengers than the Worcester
and Nashua road carried last year.
Other roads varying from a gauge of two and
a half to three aud half feet have been built
and successfully operated in various European
countries and in South America. Their adyan-
tages are, in the original cost of construction
there is a saving in the amount of land occu-
pied, in the amount Of material to be moved in
grading, in the length and dimensions of sleep
ers, in the weight. of iron in the track, in the
cost of engines and cars, and in the cost Of
avoiding or sunnounting obstacles, by the use
curves aud grades impracticable on ordinary
roads AS the engines and cars are lighter, the
operating expenses and the wear of the rolling
stock and track are less than on the roads of the
ordinary gauge.
A committee Of the legislature has been con-
sidering the subject Of narrow gauge railroads,
and has made a report strongly recommending
their introduction into our railroad system.
They think gaugeof three feet is the most de-
sirable for branch roads They believe that,
where difficult country is to be traversed,
branch railroads of the narrow gauge can be
built aud equipped for one-third OF what they
would cost with the common gauge, and in the
levelidistricts for about one.half The cost of
carrying ton of goods may be reckoned at
less than one-halft the cost on Uncommon gauoe
roads.
Their report is accompanied by bill author
izing the construction of branch roads with A
gauge of three feet by existing railroad corpora
flons and by associations under certain restric.
tons. The only difficulty, that of transferring
the freight to the main lines without unloading
can be measureably overcome by expedients
suggested in the report. Tue new system seems
10 promise an indefinite extension of the benefits
of railroad communication 10 districts thai
have apparently been hopelessly beyond theil
reach.