The Portland daily press., 1872-07-08

In the daily Argus of July 9th an article ap-
peared over the signature of Economy, en-
titled Fighting against Nature" which so
abounds in false conclusions drawn from bad
premises, that no one who would see spirit of
fairness pervade the dealing of the city with
the 2. & o. r. r. can pass unnotced If there
are any such, l am certainly not one of those
who would have the city's aid given to that
road, unless the most impartial and critical
view of all the facts in the case will fully iusti-
fy it. But when discussion of these circum-
stances degenerates into paltry perverson of
details it argues weakness somewhere, either in
the cause or the advocates The article in ques-
ton no where doubts the value of the commu-
nication which this road proposes to establish,
but is content with ringing the changes on
grades" and to the comments there made up
on that subject, crave a moments attention.
The types make the writer of that article say,
that "a full car load is reckoned at seven tons.
will do him the justice to think that he
meant ten tons instead (which is the usual
lading upon this road), and consider the SUBJ
ject in that light. The first fact with which
we will confront Economy's array of figures is
this: On the 10th of August, 1871, the Ogdens-
burg carried the Army and Navy Union filling
seventeen cars, crowded, aisles, platforms and
all, having as much weight as twenty cars
should have from Portland to Conway, upon
an ordinary time schedule, with one engine,
from Portland to Conway and return, with no
delay or embarrassment, and coming to dead
halt at the foot of the heaviest grade, then
starting the train and carrying it smoothly over
it. How can we reconcile Ec0nomys carefully
compiled table with this? While on the one
hand grade of any height may increase the
difficulties of building and operating railroads,
sui, should we consider them as insurmounta-
sufficient proof of lack of economy in carving
on our internal improvements majority of all
railroad lines in our country ought never to
have been built or if now only projected should
be at once abandoned. Economy says in refer
ring to this tabulated statement 'If this prom
osition is true of existing roads, it is certainly
the widest folly to build a new line, in the face
OF these facts and upon the theories of twenty
years ago."
think he may well add his eff" for the ex-
perience of all railroads in this country and
many Others has shown that the figures therein
relied upon cannot be substantiated by actual
practice. In our own country, in addition to
the case of the P. and O. r. r. already cited
we can refer to the Baltimore and Ohio, Penn
sylvania Central Union Pacific and many others
whose daily working show, when taken in con-
nection with their net profits, that heavy grades
do not prevent them from being successful as
carriers, and remunerative as investments to
those who have comprehended the want of the
carrying trade, and supplied that want. AS
foreign case will cite from the Railroad Ga
zette OF April thirteenth, eighteen hundred and
seventy-two, the account of trial of engines
upon the Turnboff Saratoff Railway in Russia.
In that case, a wood-burnng engine, CARRIED
700 tons, excluding the engine up a continuous
grade of one in 125 for ten miles This is no
fancy picture, there is no eff in this PROPOSE
ton and it stands to-day over the signature of
some of the leading engineers of Europe In
this case EconOn1ys table does not acork ooeU
Ut course grades are obstacles, so are curves
and many other things, but all experience has
proven, that overcoming these obstacles is
very profitable business, as shown by those
cases and proofs here shown, and to show how
perfectly confident / am that all these things
can be done, stand ready to place one thou
sand dollars on deposit, against the same sum,
should Economy, HI. HI. j., the Argus or any
other competent railroad authority wish to do
it, that the p. & O. r. r. can run with fifteen
inch cylinder engine, from Portland to Conway,
upon a fair time schedule and draw twenty
loaded passenger cars, or thirty loaded freight
cars. l am not betting man, but say this to
prove my sincerity in the statement 1 have
made, and my belief -lso, that there are no
grades curves or anything else in this road or
will be when completed, which should cause
auy candid, experienced man in those things to
hesitate for one moment, in saying that this
line has no more of such things than are often
surmounted in profitable and prudent way
upon many of the worlds highways
ANSEL STEVENS