Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1871-09-26
Narrow Guage Railways.

Genoral R0secran's writes to the
n. \. World from San Rafael, Cal
his opinion of the narrow gague rail-
way system, as follows:
Dat Of hard earnings of the people
comes 10 cost Of hauling to market
what laelr labors produce. lie who
helps TO cheaper this hauling by
oheapening the machine by which it
is done lightens by so much their bur-
dens. But the railroad is the great
hauling machine for the products of
labor, and the narrcw-gagne will
cheaper its cost at least thirty per
cent, and will cheaper the cost of
hauling theraon about the same, say
thirty per ceat. on the present ex-
pense.
The economic value Of these two
effects in our country will in part APP
pear from the following: II V. Poor,
in his Manual of the Railroads OF the
United States" for 1869, complied
from official sources, speaking of the
cost Of our railroads to the close Of
1867 amounting to 80, 24l miles, says
"Ihe aggregate for the whole may
be stated in round numbers az 81. 600.
goo, 600" A saving Of 80 per cent.
on this sum would have amounted to
$3.50, 900 900, the annual interest on
which at 6 per cont, or S29 500 900,
would DO a very low estimate for
what the present railway gagues are
taking unnecessarily from the profits
of labor Bat to this annual burden
imposed by the unnecessary cost of
our roads caused by the breadth Of
their gague must be added excessive
cost of hauling thereon. On page 81
Of the manual just quoted the author
says "The ratio of gross earnings
to loss for the whole country may
be taken at 81 per cent"
Hence the railroads of tho United
States charge the people annually for
hauling Il per cent. on 5 900, 600, 600,
that is, $3.50, 600, 600.
Assuming what is susceptible of
demonstration that this hauling could
be done for at least 30 per cent on
the narrow gague, it follows that this
gague will save the public annually on
The cost Of hauling ... - slo0 800 goo
Add to this saving OF interest on first cost
as aboYe..............-..,.. Is 100000
Makes the total annual saving 600 900
Hence the industrial products of
the country, including travel. are
burdened by an annual tax OF $780,
Co., 900 more than it would cost to
do the same work by the narrow
gague.
But ifthis prodigious burden might
have been saved by the use Of the
narrow gague from the first, $780,
500, 900 Of it can be saved annually
by its use in the future viii any
statesman dare to say that taking
the annual burden Of one hundred
millions from the business and indus
try Of our country is a small matter ?
IF that were the only good to result
from the work to which the promo
tiers Of the narrow gaguo are contrib
uting, it would be enough to warrant
saying they were rendering q great
service to the people But that is
only the beginning Of the good they
are doing. Let US see how.
"Poor's Manual shows that SHOULD
tho States composing the present
Union come to have a railway milo
age averaging what Ohio already
has" 1t would give US 165, 800 miles,
Can any one doubt we shall have
that when we come to reckon the
territories left out of his count that
will have them, and all the new rail-
ways yet To be built in the old States
and the new2 What then will be the
resulting saving in the use OF the
narrow gague2 Evidently as 80, PA
miles is to 1929, 600, 900 saving there
on, so would be 165, 800 miles to the
saving annually thereon, equal to
s547 $40, 515-upwards of FIVE hun.
dred and forty-seven millions five
hundred and forty thousand dollars
year
Marvellous and startling as this
may appear it is neither doubtful,
nor is tho time distant, of its realiza-
ton.
But even this annual saving to the
future industry of the country Of
S547, 100000, by the thorough adop-
ton of the narrow gaguo is but a
part of the benefits to be secured
thereby to tho people.
Thousands of localities wi be
reached by rail under the narrow
gague system which could never hope
for one under the present system.
Suppose that this should result in
bringing 10000 miles Of railroad line
where otherwise there would be
none?
A careful calculation, borne out by
the results Of experience, will show
that the effect of running line of
railway through any good agriculture
al region will increase the valua Of
the land within o strip Of ten miles
wide on each side of this road on an
average at least $40 per acre. This
would add for 10000 miles Of road
So 00,000,000 TO the value of the
real estate Of tho country.
OF the eivilizing and unifying pow
er of railroads, or their power to
stimulate and sustain productive in
dustry and innumerable pecuniary,
political, and other benefits which in
crease and multiply as the flow Of
these iron rivers extends and cheap,
ems and multiplies the means of inter-
changing products and ideas, it would
make this letter too long to speak.
But | am sure you viii say that
what have stated fully warrants my
saying that every promoter Of the
adoption of the narrow gague rail-
road in this country is a public bene-
factor.
RTsTNG.-We hear that hops were
ran up to 40 cents around Logans,
vile, Sank county, Wis, this week
But few lots are now held by grow
ers ia the State and 80 cents is asked