The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1871-08-04
Marrow Gauge Railways.
lrnm 'as ciaeiunall Gazette.

itltr uligelu lew miles IN icngtn. cX
,rndiu. from the slate cuar'ics in ~
Frsiimiog Valley TO Port Maloc, on Car
gan Bay.
The gauge of his road i one foo
eleven and hali inches. The sharpcs
curves have radius OF one hundred and
thiriy.iwo feet a:nl lie maximum grades
are seventy feet 10 The mile.
The rail weighs thirty pounds 10 Tic
ward. anl The engines weigh seven tons
the freight cars have a net capacity o.
three tons. and tie passenger cars arc
CAPABLE Of carrying twelve passengers
each. The passenger cars arc ten feet
long anL Ave feet vile.
This is the nionec' narrow gauge OF
the world, and ,o.,lay trains one iho'I-
sand feet in length are run on II ala
spccd Of fifteen to twenty miles per
Lonr. with as mach comfort and safety
as on anv road iii Great Britain.
The success of iris little road viii Sc
rnre the expansion of our railway sys-
trni ia an extent never dreamed of by
the most sangnine Of our railway cnSi-
nccrs.
The great cost Of conStrnction. equip
mcnt aml operation OF an ordinary rail.
road limits the lines of road TO rromi.
ucnt avenues Of trade and travel; hence
the necessity for this new and cheaper
system to penetrate sections which
could not oihcrwis" be reached.
Itwould he we'll if uniform rarrow
c,ure could bc adopted for the wlol,
country. an,l this could he more readily
accomplished now. in the beginning Of
ne new system. than few wears hence.
In Colorado the gauge adopted is two
feet nine inches. while in Massachusetts
the gauge by law j. three srot.
In Wales a second road has gauge
oftwo feet six inclcs- In the Rroil'hal
connecting with The Cologne and Gies-
sen railway tho gauge is two feet seven
inches.
The Thonlshan railway in Norway
has a giugc of three feet six inches = the
same also in Canada. on four hundred
miles OF projected railway and partly
completed.
II is the opinion Of oar best engineers
that uniform .,n-c for the country
Of three feet should be adopted.
The advantages 10 result from uni
formity Of gauge are too obvious TO re-
q,,irc any discussion.
The special claim for the new system
j. economy.
Tho actual cos. of road on gnncnl
Of three feet will not exceed onc-halfihel
cost OF an ordinary line. and the expense
of operating the same will be diminish
81 in like proportion.
The average cost OF our present svs-
tom is not less than $4,000 per mile.
and there is hardly line IN the whole
country below $4,000. while the new
system can he constructed i'll some cases
rs low as aa.O00 ncr mile.
This great difference in cost is due not
70 Increasing the stecpncsS OF grades. b'it
to the narrower surface needed. The
sharper curvature possible. the din'ln-
ishcl cost OF tics. cnlvcrfs ana bridges.
and tho diminished weight OF the rails
used in the track.
The economy of the narrow gauge Is
further shown IN thc ratio of having 10
nOn-payiu- trans porta'in'. The weighf
of nm ordinary freir'it rHris about ton
tons. with capacity Of ten tons Of pay
ing freight. or the ratio Is one 10 one.
The capacity Of car wcighinr Three
tons on the narrow g'ngH is five tons,
giving a ratio Of three TO five.
If 10 this we add tho fact that large
part Of cars are not filed to their maxi
mum ceparitv- and that many EMMY
cars are to be taken from point to noint,
we will find the difference very largely
IN favor of tho rev system. Mr.. Far
lie. DISTINGUISHED engineer. says Of our
present railway system. 'that we send
a gallon measure TO carry Mint
Careful estimates Of all the clements
which 90 to make M actual cost ~
transportation show that the cost on
narrow gauge ronds is less than half that
OH common railways.
At an estimate OF one and half cent
per ton per mile. actual cost. tn" entire
freight Of the country exceeds 5000. cVl.
COO annually for TRANSPORTATION. and
whenever il is possible to reduce This
cost there is M important addition
20 the wealth and prosperity of the coun-
try. -,
We do not now claim that it would he
wise to reduce tho game Of anyof our
present lines. and vet if thov were so
reduced. profits and dividends to stock
and bondholtlcrs would be more salts
factory.
Tho morrow oangc must have 4 rood
effect IN keeping freight charges ut rea-
sonab!c prices. md IN checking the mr.
bitrary rates Of tho mammoth combina-
tions which control most OF the through
lines. \
These spur lines con be constructed
bv the pcopic and the control retained
tor their own advrntsr": they can he
extended into regions hitherto inaccccs-
siblc to railways. aud IRE probably the
hest solution os the important problem
OF cheap and rapid TRANSFORMATION.
We shall present. hereafter. some COM
narrative statements of tho cost Of con.
ttruction aud operation Of the different
systems of railway. which may DC of
importance to our newly projected mar.
row gauge and paying old gauge
enterprises.
Democratic state Central Com