The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1871-03-03

Hon. l.. D. Dibble' recently addressed
2 large audience, in The State Capitol Oi
Michigan, on the subject of narrow
guage railways. The Detroit T,i6une
gives the ioiiowing summary of lis
speech -, o.. ..--. -. 5.,,-s. e
The common American Suage is foui
! fee: eight inches a:il! Il hall, and rhe least
cost 81 construction Ot any road OF such
width is 50 ,JJJ pe!>nile. Roads whose
! gIuges rlIIge from two 10 three aud q
half feet, can be constructed, equipped
and operated at oiie-thiru the sitln re-
tquircdalor the same purpose By wide
gaage Iines,T5alld a. tlibularirsvtp trunk
lines, or for opening up new countries,
are fully rs uselui Us lie broader ro;l,l-.
'fney hare'lighter locomotives. smaller
, cars, narrower wi!cc;s, iiyiit ter ties, cheap
cr rails, sleeper grades i3a:rd sharper
cureaGand cnHnected witu. these rccu-
lia"ilica ale savings iii tie cost Of cNca-
vatiOn, in the material. used. in bid. .cA
land cul lverts, in the value of the iron, in
lhc aniOuiit OF dead weight per pa5,ell-
ger or per Euidrcd weight OF freight
carried III each tram, in tue length OF
the linc, ana in nearly every iteIn OF
expenditure. ...i e
Moreover, always Of this class have
been and arc practical successes. There
are two ROW III Use III cur Upper PcniD-
Suiar, one OF which. is eight miles in
! length, and transports 45J IONS o. ore
daily. In Wales 4 railway with a guaee
Of U9t one iOut eleveA and Il half inches
which was incorporated in lS3322, ha~
snn!c gradients o! one foot in sixty feet,
Ia, re erc:Sru cGrEeS OF such Il cua:actu.,
that trains Sometimes rti: upon three
CT them q. q time, aud 80 short that the
lucslnelre; ;sLad last Car OF the train are
.SnenlAgaiklI rnns~as'> at high rate OF
speed <ssS thiS.tives miles. an,2Aour, and
pays Ill annual dividend Of thirty per
ce;it on its original capital. similar
reads now exist III Norway and in Cana
da, and one Is ;5nlt being constructed
lin sfesnsylrnuja rom Allentown to
/ Harrisburg, which will have Il gilugc o.
three icttIsiX inches, and Il is estimated
vii! prUhiabiy tIau%pa:t freight at the
late of one cent per ton per nile.
Mr% Gblc also presented q large col
lection Of estimates, showing that in
this State raiIWayf with Il guaGe OF nb 'Ut
three feet could be built and o;e!a:pd
for, at TIE most, onetllirl Of th~ cost OF
the ustia! style Of road, and Unexplained
that the measure intrauuc@u III the Sch
ate b. Mr.. Emner-0I, To provide for
tie incorporation oi harrow Hua&e COM
!ailies, was only a substantial adapsa-
ton OF the new system OF the present
general rail road law, with tie omission
or correction Of some of1the many in
congTufics Of thc latter. The speaker
also claimed THAT such reads, which cX-
pcreace has shown. can he ve:y cheI,ly
constructed and will work--wc!e exact
ly what is needed for the. new portions
of the State, whose wants they would
relieve fully as well a$ the more cSpcn-.
sive style Of railway, while they would
entail Tar fewer burdens upon the com
munities constructing them. He also
dIsciaimed any personal interest, direct
or inAirect, present or prospective, IN
any narrow, guage line.or lines, and pre-
sentedthe matter not as. one to be Gbene-4
fitted Ey it, but only a. matter of great
possible Importance to the State OF which
lie is citizen. -...I