The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1871-01-06

rect returnsupon capital invested, as when
we put our money into any other business.
Is 1t because transportation by steam over
iron rails does not pay? lift does not, We
must wait for new inventions and new I'M.
provements that will make II an assured
success, or else go back to the stage coach
and Canal.bOat. ... ..-.I
Referring To the report OF the State En-
gineer and Surveyor Of tho State Of New
York Tor 1868, We find tllAt the gross
amount earned by tho railroads OF that
State Tor the year previous was $40,377,.
100, and that the expenses Of operating
and maintaining them. including
every item of expense but the sums paid
for interest and dividends amounted to
$S5, 1S1,s $50 or 79,SS per cent. Of the
earnings. 'aF ar.I'.
The Commissioner Of Railroads Of
Ohio, In his report for 1869, gives the total
earnings Of that State ut $50, 1876, 0O3, and
the expense sci, 00l sol or 5000 per cent,
thus giving as the combined results Of
these states that TOR every seventy-onc
cents expended dollar was received, or
in other words, without reckoning inter-
est on cost, the roads Of those states were
run at profit Of 40 per cent. on the capt.
tai invested in operating them and keep.
ing them In repair.
It Is worth attention, too, that while
the amount Of capital invested In Ohio, In
construction and equipment was $780,
455, zee the whole earnings, without any
deduction, would only afford II per cent.
interest on their cost. ....I..
While It Is no doubt true, that by the
progress Of invention and improvement
we may somewhat reduce the percentage
OF railroads, 1t is evident that tho great
cause OF their unprotitablencss has been,
that but few lines can command sulli.
GENTLY large traffic to pay the interest on
their cost, even IL the business Is done at
40 per cent. profit; thus showing that
any means which will tend 10 reduce
their first cost will be a step In the right
direction. f-N '+. -. .'I'l' NH l.i7
In this connection, it is proper to re.
mark that the efforts which some railroad
corporations have made to economist can.
ital by means Of the use Of inferior iron,
rlnsoInd tics, the want Of proper ballast
and drainage, and the general impect con.
structlon which characterize too many OF
our American railroads have proven TO be
failures n matter of course. We find also,
that while on well ordered railrOad no
difficulty is found in passing twenty or
thirty trains dAily, that IN the State
Of New York the average number
was only III, or but One.half their capa.
city. Aud when we consider that this
average Is mostly made by the great
trunk lines, it viii be admitted that the
average Of the majority of the roads Is |
much below this; and that taking the
roads Of the whole country VIC wilt find
TINT large proportion are not able to
secure traffic enough TO more than four to
six troins per day. ...Ia.
Thus while instances may occur, when |
some Of the leading roads pass rs many
trains rs Is practicable, the fact still re.
mains, that a very large proportion Of our
railroads arc not run to more than one.
fourth TO one.gixth their capacity.
The question then arises, can they az |
ford TO build structures on such scale,
md Of such magnitude that the capacity
for business Is four TO six times tho |
amount actually doney Is such prac.
tiCe compatible with sound business
principles or with the manner In which |
other business Is carried on? In an
industrial enterprise, would company
consider themselves warranted In con-
structing buildings of four times the nc.
cessary capacity und thus carry q large
amount OF unnecessary or dear capital
which would decrease the dividends; or
in case where portion oftho capital was
borrowed, tend to impoverish the compa-
ny? Would It not be better for them to |
build on that scale that common expert
ence has taught them sufficient for their
needs! ........
Why these considerations should have
been lost sight Of in railroad building it
would be hard to tell, save that under our
present system oil construction no oppOr.
tunity Is offered to further eoonomfze in |
cost, and til remains for us to show in this ar.
ticlc how far the problem Of less expensive
construction would be solved by the intro.
duction Of narrower gauge thNnat present
in common use. Roads Of this character
have long been in use in the mineral re.
gions Of tho country, but it Is not until
lately that their capacities for general
traffic have been understood or invcstiga.
ted. Their economy Of construction and |
cheapness of operating are so striking
that Of late the attention of thinking en-.
ginecrs has been drawn to them TO see II |
they were not built on better principle |
than those Of the ordinary gauge, and the |
result OF their Investigations has been to |
demonstrate their superiority.
In the first great item Of cost, the NOV.
ing Of masses Of earth and rock, we find |
reduced amount Is required Tor narrow
gauge, not only because the entertainments |
and cuttings arc Of less width,
but VIC can introduce curves Of
shorter radius, mud thus better
adapt the line TO the inequalities OF
surface, passing around, instead Of cutting
through the hills thus securing easy gra-
dients WITHOUT expensive works, and at
the same time eiIecting saving in the
cost Of tho right oil way, by lessening and
avoiding the damage TO private property.
by reason Of the reduced gauge, a light
or iron rail could be used, an Important
consideration when iron Is IRON $50 to
$S5 per ton, so that reduction Of weight
from seventy to thirty pounds per yard
would amount to five thousand dollars
per mile. This saving of first cost would
extend TO q greater or less extent TO every
item that now swells the expense Of con.
struction, such as cross.ties, ballasting,
bridging, culverts and masonry. The
cost Of the equipment tho engines, cars
md machinery would be less IN d marked
degree, as We would be enabled to use
locomotives costing from fonr to sew.
en- thousand dollars, instead Of those
costing from twelve to fifteen thou.
and dollars And when we consider tho
shifts that arc resortcd 10 10 obtain the