The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1871-07-19
FIVE NARRow.aAUeE RAILWAYS,
Wilmington, Delaware, Leads ON II
the Construction OF the New Cars.

The Wilmington (Del.) Commercial, of Fri.
day last, hos the following interesting account
of the new narrow.gauge railway rolling
stock: ''-s''
We have already referred to the fact that
this city and Philadelphia have thus far made
the only contracts for finishing the rolling
stock tor the new narrow-gauge railroads pro-
jected in various directions, M. Baird & Co.,
Philadelphia. furnishing the locomotives, and
Jackson & Sharp Company, OF this city, tne
cars.
The last named company has just completed
the cars Tor stocking the new narrow gauge
Denver and Rio Grande Railroad, in Colorado,
ard will send them away tomorrow. The
Denver and Rio Grande Road is projected to
extend from Denver to Ell Paso, In New Mexi.
co, q distance of $50 miles. It is expected that
it will be tapped by numerous local roads, al
fordIng network Of communication through
out Colorado and New Mexico.
The Lrain now built includes two first class
passenger cars, two smoking cars and two
baggage and mail cars. The passenger cars
are In their outward appearance, In every
thing except size, precisely like other trst-
class cars In their internal arrange
ments, chowever, they are necessarily
quite different. The width Oh tne car
allows but three seats across the car, q do!l-
BILE seat on one side Of the aisle, and single
seat on the other. To balance the cars, the
double seats from the middle to one end or
the car are arranged on the right side OF the
car, and from the middle to the other end on
the left side. These cars are divided oy par
tition into two apartments, but this, OF course,
would not be necessary II tne company ielt @
able to run an entire car devoted to the ex-
cluslve use of ladies. The windows OF tne
cars also let down with strap like coach win.
dows, Instead of sliding up as they do IN ordi-
nary cars, and we do not see but what the
lowering plan is the best after all. The cars
are elegantly finished inside IN walnut, Hun
garlan ash, &C., and are painted inside OF q
rich, dark green, relieved by gilt, precisely
like the Pullman Palace cars built by the jack
son & Sharp Company.
The smoking cars are quite differently ar
ranged, and have walnut and ash seats, (such
as we now see In many of our city street cars }
running lengthwIse, back to back, the whole
length OF the car, so that passengers lace the
windows. The baggage and mall cars dlfier
in nothing except size from the Similar cars
Of the ordinary gauge.
but tour wheels, but the passenger cars nave
eight wheels, as Is used with the larger cars;
The wheels for oil of them are manufactured
by the Lobdell Car Wheel Company OF this
city, from models made expressly for the new
gauge.
These cars are but the forerunners of many
more, for the Jackson d Sharp Company mas
already received orders for about twenty cars
Tor narrow-gang railroads, and have several or
the number now under way.
The roads ordering them are that ALREADY
mentioned in Colorado, two roads In Georgia,
one in Arkansas, and one in New York State,
and if the new grade is as successful as we be.
live it will be, the demand Tor this class OF
work will greatly increase. Wilmington, , mas
already got the, lead, and will doubtless keep
it. the cars we have just described being the
first of the kind ever built in the world, and
the first passenger cars Of any kind for mar
row-gauge railway ever built In America. :.