The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1871-07-17

anu Wuou the klnQ Angels snail call you 10 come,
Wen welcome you there in our beautiful home.
where death never comes, his black banners to
And the beautiful flowers ne'r weep DER a grave.
The Railways Of the Future.
We are about entering into a new and most
important era in the history of railway con-
struction. During the past forty years the
development of the railway system over the
different regions of the earth has been truly
wonderful, and yet it is very remarkable that
10 long time should elapse before the dis
covery was made by civil engineers of the use
less expenditure of untold millions from the
adoption of gauge wider than was necessa-
~. 1t may be said without exaggeration that
railroads in general have been built at cost
greater by one-half than was actually requir-
Cd.
Any reform, therefore, promising to reduce
materially the cost of railway construction,
and yet furnishing as good results as the older
methods, must be entitled to our most serious
consideration. At au early period in the his
tory OF railroad enterprises, prejudice, not
yet entirely without its influence, existed in
favor OF broad gauges. At that time propo-
eition to build railroad on gauge OF three
feet would have been treated with ridicule
without limit.
Now, ii we look at the financial history of
nearly all the brOad-gauge railroads, that is,
those above feet 1-2 inches, we find but
one result-no dividends for stockholders, and
In many cases complete bankruptcy. The
same ill-fortune has happened also to a large
portion OF the roads built with the prevailing
width of track, that is, four feet eight and a
halt inches, and too often has it occurred that
roads have been finished and put into sue
cessful operation only by sacrifice of the in
terests OF the original stockholders. 1t has
become almost a maxim in railway ethics
that irst stockholders have no rights that any
one is bound to respect. The result of al,
this Is that men are reluctant to embark in
such improvements, even when the demand
f0r road is almost pressing necessity.
Years OF delay occur and rich section re-
mains undeveloped, because sad experience
has taught men extreme caution.
At the breaking of the ground ON the line
of the Wilmington and Western railroad at
Brandywine Springs, on Saturday last, the
president OF the company, in public speech,
spoke with some feeling Of the arduous labors
OF himself and others, for nearly two years, to
raise subscriptions large enough to guarantee
the completion of the work. Now, we feel
satisfied that If the true merits of the narrow
gauge system had been known to all those
who are to be benefited by this railroad, that
money enough to build the entire line could
have been raised in ten days without serious
dimculty. For a narrow-gauge road can be
built for ten or twelve Thousand dollars mite
which will do the same amount of work that
is actually performed by railroads costing
thirty thousand dollars per mile. Many are
reluctant to believe this, but let us look at the
facts.
On the western coast of Wales, in Merton
etsh1re, there is railway running from Port
madoc TO Festiniog, up the river valley and
along the sides OF the mountains, a distance
OF about thirteen and half miles, This road
Is built with track only twenty-three and a
half inches wide, and over it daily run several
trains OF cars, drawn by diminutive Fairlie
engines, which at distance, as you stand in
the beautiful valley below, look as if they
might belong to Gull.ver's famous kingdom OF
Lilliput. Or, if you desire charming ride,
take passage on one of these Lilliputian trains
on hne day in summer and enjoy the SUBJ
lime prospect of old Snowdon and the other
mountains to the north, and the sparkling
waters sof Cardigan Bay towards the setting
sun. To examine this road and consult its
chief engineer and manager, Mr.. c. E. Spoon
or, commissioners have been sent by the lead
ing nations OF Europe, and to report there
upon to their respective governments at home.
These reports have been uniformly favorable;
and already in India the British government
has taken steps to establish the narrow gauge
instead of the broad and expensive track up
on which 30 many millions have been almost
uselessly thrown away.
a Joint committee of the two houses of the
Massachusetts Legislature has also recently
made the statement in their report that this
Welsh railway actually showed ''more than
double the traffic per mile than did the Con-
necticut River Railroad, a fair example of the
thrifty roads of Massachusetts,"
The Festiniog Railway pays an annual div
idend OF twelve and half per cent. besides
the most liberal expenditure in improving
and stocking the road.
Our best engineers already see that, if we
are to make our railways paying institutions,
we must do so by reducing the original cost,
and then by new system reduce the wear
and tear, and also at she same time the ex-
penses of operating them.
General Rosecrans recently made report
IN which we find the following passage:
regarded economically railway is haul
ing machine. Every unnecessary expense mt
upon this machine adds to the cost OF haulinp
done by it. This cost comes out OF the peonle'
Every unnecessary cost in the construction
and equipment OF railways is public evil 1t
matters not whether this cost results from
plumbers In engineering, blunders In manage
ment, or rascaity in operating the road or wa
tering the stock, the people have to nav the in
terest on it. In this view, why should we paw
for building broad gauge if a narrow gauge
will do all the work likely to be required p
Evidently it would be public wrong for the
owners of the railway franchises to build a
broad gauge when narrow gauge will do the
Work; and the public have right to see that
Is 1one, ana to hold those who thus prepare
Ine question comes up, therefore, with every
new railway line, and should be asked by the
people. Will narrow gauge do the work? The
data for this answer are to be sought in reason
and experience; but will ask, Has the most
crowded, four-feet eight-and- "a. haf.inch gauge
railway in the United States more work than
it can do? If that lina of road with this gauge
which has the greatest traffic in the world,
does less than 1t can, and yet carries five times
a. much freight over each mile as does the
most heavily-worked road in the United States
why does the latter need so much more capac-
aty than it has work? Ii the heaviest worked
5oad IN our country has ten times as much to
W as the average of roads in new countries
should they be made to cost 40 mHcb2 VIII
snouid our new roads be Constructed with
carrying capacity fifty times greater than the
work they will be called upon tn do? Anv
.tso WHO can snow that they should be so con
morse concord coach to give baby an airing
We must defer for the present the main
facts and arguments which can be brought
forward to show why the narrow gauge of
three feet is to be the great railway Of the flu
ture, We venture this simple prediction, that
before twenty years the prevailing gauge
throughout the civilized world will be three
feet and not more. In few weeks portion
o. the Denver and Rio Grande Railway, in
colorado, will be put into operation.
,,r aoaay the first narrow gauge passenger en-
a o.. EYER ,h quilt in America, the "Montezuma"
Co or t ias n locomotive works of NJ Baird
Of Pixies P p.dee q labor, beneath the shadows
cars from the estaelisSnasa1y,s the passenger
sharp, in Wilmington, Delaware v Dach SOLE
the "Montezuma." The iron for WIN this follow i
at the present time going up the M hss line is
ana by the first OF September we shall exaaa,
to hear good Jews from this railroad. W nPpeSt
Is to extend from Denver to Ell Paso. ON tba
Mo Grande, distance of eight hundred and
seVenty-fve miles. Philadelphia Press.