Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1871-08-25

of the South Carolina Railroad for the year
l81O) yields perfectly satisfactory results,
paying per cent. interest on the capital in
vested. If, however, we suppose the road to
be built on the common gauge, requiring u
capital of &c. l40 900 this gross traffic ofSS80,.
O00 would pay less than 2 per cont interest
on the capital invested; for, in such case,
there must be siedaeted from the groas earn
ings ~ per cent for expenses, leaving but
S264, 900 for the net earnings
Is there any doubt which Of these two pro.
jccts would receive the preference in auy
money market For it must not be forgot.
ten that the capital necessary to complete
this road has to be procurcd outside our own
resources; and when look ut these figures,
and contemplate the chances of obtaining,
upon such showing Of traffic as we can make,
$1,000, Goo for the one plan, or 80 100000
for the other, confess to feeling that our
choice is between the narrow gauge railroad
and no road at ALL
BREAK OF CONNECTIONS.
As we look back upon the information Which
we have collected, and gather up the results
of our inquiry the question before us seems
to take u new shape, and we arc tempted to
ask, "if all this be true, why should VIC think
of building wide gauge; what possible rea-
son can be given in its favor ?'' And but
one answer can be found, which is this /:
"Thcrc is, in fact, no reason for building roads
wider than three feet, for such speed as is re.
quircd for the traffic of tho South, except,
that all the other existing lines are of anoth-
er and wider gauge, aud at every break Of
gauge freight and passengers must change
cars"
This is real and seighty Objection to the
introduction into our systom of new gauge,
nnd it must not be pushed out of the way
without examination. Certainly, sm not
disposed to do 50, for it has long hiudcrcd my
own MIND in advancing to conclusion US to,
not tic merits Of the system, but the policy
Of its introduction. When was prepared to
recommend it 1or branches, | could not feel
satisfied to approve il fox main lines, connect.
cd at both termini with general railroad sys-
ten of different gauge That the objection
may lose none of its proper force to your
-mi".i., 3ute tho mcst forciblc statement
of 1t that remeulber to have seen. The
~..iJaGlJeaf of Bogl:sh roads:
"1he evils resulting from tho break of
gauge. are By no means unimportant Tho
Inconvenience to passengers is great, but the
difficulties, us respects the goods traffic, are
still greater. The removal involves loss, pill
ferage, detension, besides money tax, csti.
mated at from Is. Cd. to 2s. Ga. per ton 1t
is found at Gloucester that it occupies about
one hour to remove the contents OF wagon,
full Of miscellaneous merchandise, from ono
gauge to another, with all the force Of por.
ters that can be brought to act upon it. An
ordinary train, laden with promisouous goods,
NAV lonsn commodities cuoh nc br;ote
slate lime, or limestone and chalk, flags, clay,
manure, salt, coal OF coke, timber and deals,
dye woods, iron, iron ore, lead and metals,
birthstone, bones and hoois, bark, hides and
seal skins. oil cake, potatoes, onions and 9th.
or vegetables, cheese, chairs and furniture,
les, provisions, cotton, wool, oils, wines, spir-
fish aud eggs, ripe fruits, &c, &c. In the
Clipped at the edges, tho checscs cracked,
spoiled, the chairs, furniture and oil cakes,
cast iron pots, CRATES and ovens, all moro or
less broken, tho Goals turned into slack, the
deficient and the fish too late for market
NuciSus IL tucfo ilHu DcOu any luIclIuD-
ton Of gauge, tho whole train would, in all
probability, have been at its destiny long bo-
fore tho transfer of the lust article without
damage or delay. Though this description
is somewhat over drawn, there is still much
truth in it. 1t will readily be imagined that
the live stock frequently manifest decided OBJ
jections to the change of train, and VIC are
informed that pigs exhibit their usual pcculi
aritles of disposition on these occasions, that
cattle sometimes resist with great energy, and
that two hours have been spent in ctfecting
the removal Of one of them"
We agree with the writer that his descrip.
ton is a little, or good deal, oycr.drawn,
but let it stand, without further rolnark, save
on one point, that of tho money cost of chan
gng frcigh,s This is excessively over sta.
ted, even for the time when tho passage was
written, twenty years ago. Experience has
demonstrated the cost of transferring freight
in Great Britain to be about 2 pence per ton.
That the cos. of handling at the break of lines
on the Canada frontier has been found to be,
from mapy years experience 6 cents per ton.
Considering this, then, as only u question of
additional cost, It will evidently bear hardest
upon tho through freight, which has to DO
changed at each cud of our line, at cost of
5 cents per ton, or a ohargco of 10 cents per
ton total. The average cost Of trauspor,a.
ton of freight may be taken at II cents per
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