The Ouachita telegraph. [volume] (Monroe, La.) 1865-1889, 1871-07-29

tracks, throuphOut, so as to devote one l
set to the passenger and the othef set
to the freight traffic instead of increas-
ing the gauge. Let the Legislature OF
other States therefore adopt the report
of the Massachusetts committee, so
that when the mileage OF the ,'iiee
foot gauge shall, as it surely Will, eN-
ceed that of the present trunk lines,
the latter may be converted to the COM
mon standard.
TIE IMPORTANCE OF UNIFORMITY OF
BREADTH,
it will therefore be seen, cannot be over
estimated. Although the AnSlo-ln-
dian government commissioners favor
a three foot six inch gauge and 4 thlr-
| ty-siN pound rail rs best for all new
railways in India, they think that
many lines have Il much narrower
gauge and lighter rails. Even admit
ting such doubtful reasoning rs to va
rying gauges to be applicable to the
case of India, it certainly does not au-
nit of application to this country,
where our mileage of projected lines Is
at least five times greater than in that
country. 1t is much to be regretted
that some general understanding has
not vet been arrived at in all our States
The Massachusetts committee favor Il
three foot gauge, and lines are project
ell or building in Ohio, Tennessee,
Georgia., and other States of various
widths, up to three feet six inches
Thus we shall soon have u greater Nlri-
: ETY. than ever. 1t might be well to|
hold Il convention of all railway men
who are agitating the question, or who
favor the narrow gauge, in this city at
, an early day, to come to some under
standing on the subject of gauge.
f CoMpARATIVE ECONOMY OF TIE
r THREE FOOT AND FOUR FOOT EIGHT
1 AND A HALF INCH GAUGES IN THIS
e COUNTY,.
g In nearly all parts of the United
+ States there has been u great neglect of
= our common roads, and the chief pro-
e ducts of the soil and the return mer-
&. chandise have to be transported many
e miles over the worst conceivable roads.
Il During the winter and the autumn and
IS spring rains such roads are very often
} impossible. But owing to the very
e formidable cost of n four foot eight and
e Il half inch railway it is out of the
is question to afford to the larger proper
T. ton of our agriculturists easy COM
of munication with railway facilities. IT.
m however, u line that will cost SO, ,oOC
IN or So 900 Il mile cannot be constructed
lie it may be possible to raise funds, by
Id county and town subscriptions and the
IL cost only $40, 900 or $40 900 a mile, tina
lg will fully meet the requirements of tn
on localities seeking accommodation
Furthermore, and what constitutes tn
II main clement in railway finance,
on can be easier shown that the latter elias
ill will paw Il better return on the invest
Ter ment than the former.
ay The Massachusetts committee give
IL Il comparative estimate of II two foo
to nine inch and u four foot eight and
y, half inch gauge, including rollin!
of stock. The former foot up to $13,757
e, the latter to $23,971, showing 4 savin!
n, of over $4,000 u mile. But the raj
le, estimated on for the narrow gauge i
he unnecessarily heavy, Judging from tin
price given per milc-namcIy, $, ,2i3
r. This price would indicate II forty-poun'
rail, whereas twenty-five pounds
-, abundantIy heavy for the small class o
y engines and lighter cars used. w
's would reduce both estimates for line
IL III required in nearly all our western :ln'
southern States, and make them 81,
600 and $40, 900 respectively, showin
c9' a saving of SIS, 900 n nr;i.. in i:lvOr of tn
,,r thrc" c"ot gauge.
M ECONOMY or OPERATING THE TIRE
Il. FOOT GAUGE.
all The cost of the permanent way an
bv the rOlling-StOck of the narrow as con
al, pared with the widcr-gauge it wi
he thus be seen is as twelve to twenty {
ere three-fifths. If the same number
II? trains run on the naffOW-SauSe Gun
has as much work and there will be the san
Get or nearly the same prOportiOlrate
M minutiOn in expenses of Opcratln
ap- Let the managers Of nearly all our ra
,ct, wayS ponder over these facts, and co
,rts slider what the stocks of their sever
,st- companies would be worth had Tho
:,lc lines been constructed and operated
i've the more economical gauge. The Sa
ity, ing in the operating expenses aris
pta- from the diminished dead weight to
nch perpetuaIIy drawn at u high rate
iect speed, and the consequent diminish
tee wear and tear of permanent way !,
AVS: rolling-stock, or in other words,
,nce Icsscning of the cost of naintena
for and renewals.
its WORD MORE ABOUT THE CAPACI
YER Of the three foot gauge for trunk lii
':h AS Il matter Of course the first cos
the such trunk lines would be greater, b
eN- for permanent way and rOllinS-s -sto
's7a than for branch lines, having onl
''eS9 fourth, IL tenth, or Il twentieth of
oad) business. The rails would have to
ou9- somewhat heavier, and the rOlli
'9ehr stock proportionately increased.
III Oh there would still exist the same rati
5hua n,,;n,, ~, thc hucin.so dane and
same beneficial result to the pocket
the share holder, in comparison v
| the the present broad-gauge results.
with we have before observed, two addit