Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1871-08-05
ICOMMCSICATED.

COMMUNICATED.
NARROW GAUGE II. RI tie Editor ~
the Aleruad,4a Gazette Please publish the
following extract from an article in the Balti-
more Gazette, on the subject of Narrow Gauge
Railroads. | hope that you and L may live to
see the successful operation of these roads in
our own state and in counties adjoining our
own city. Yours truly, ALEXANDRIAS.
The general opinion of the best civil engl-
nccrs now, is that, the road best adapted for
regular traffic, and ultimately destined to super
sedc the broad gauge, by reason Of its greater
economy in point of cost of construction and
subsequent working, is one having three-toot
guage Such roads have recently been con-
structed in India and various parts Of Europe:
In Russia, roads with three-foot gauge and
heavy grades. have been thoroughly tested OF
late. Mr.. Farlie, writing to 4 correspondent
in New York says:
Our success in Russia on the narrow guage
is most complete-345 tons taken up an lncllnc
of one in eight for five miles is not bad for
light double boyle engines on light rails; but
what is Ct the greatest importance Is that out
oil til 345 tons 254 tons are paying freight,
This is ?, IS paying tons for every one ton OF
dead weight
'Iu your country, according to what see
published, the proportion of paying to dead IS
one to one, so that while we carry 245 tons III
81 tons of wagons, you would require pa tons OF
wagons at least, to give the same results.
~; Fairlie engine and light rolling stock
81 :: ,o,t gauge will perform greater duty
than any broad gauge you have--you are at It.
berty to select your best-l don care which It
is, and what is more, there will be consdera-
bic ecouomy in doing it, And pray bear this
III mind, that the narrow gauge is more capa
bic than the broad-the former on the faIrl'e
principle.
Assuming the statement of Mr.. Falrc to be
strictly true: the saving OF dead weight by the
use of the narrow gauge IS SIMPLY enormous;
He asserts that in the United States the dead
wei ht is equal to the weight offreight carried.
In other words, assuming that the aggregate
weight Of the engine, the cars. and the freight
transported in the cars, is sos TONS 234 tons, or
one-half, will be dead weight, and, consequent
". uon-paying. On the other hand, he claims
that, on the narrow gage, out OF an aggregate
weight of 345 tons, the dead weight is but 90
tons, and the paying freight 254 tons o..
General Rosecrans, who is also nd vocatlng,
with great zeal, the adoption Of the three loot
gauge in this country says in regard to the 10
cal benefits derived from railways:
"A careful calculation, borne out by the re-
suits Of experience, will show that the effect OF
running line of railway through any good az
ricultural region will increase the value Of the
land within strip of ten miles wide on each
side of this road on an average at least $40 pei.
acre. This would add for 81, 900 miles Of road
So, 500 900, 900 to the value of the real estate
of the country.
The same result would follow the eonstruc-
ton of railroad of even i narrower gauge than
three feet, if its working capacity is adequate
to the local demand Taking, therefore, the,
estimate of General Rosecrans as the basis of
calculation for road in the Atlantic States
only ten miles long, the increased value of the
land for ten miles on each side of thi: road at
ten dollars al acre, would be one million two
hundred and eighty thousand dollars. From
which it will be seen that all the expenses Of
building and equipping narrow gauge road,
ten miles long, could be amply met by sub
scription of two dollars and a-half an acre on
the l2s, GOO acres that would be benefited by
the road-leavng the owners the road itself,
and clear profit beyond its cost of 100000.