Fayetteville observer. [volume] (Fayetteville, Tenn.) 1850-1966, 1872-03-21
Marrow Gauge.
Something More of the Experiment
in Colorado.
From the Cincinnati Commercial

|. From the Cincinnati Commercial
The comparative cheapness of
the construction and operation of
narrow gauge railways commends
them to the people. 1t only re
mains to show by experiment tha,
they are practicable, to induce
capitalists to invest largely in
them. For short lines and road.
tributary to main lines, have pro
ven to be adequate to all the ser
! vice demanded of them. The
experiment Of operating a long
line upon three foot gauge is in
progress in Colorado. The road
which is being constructed rapidly.
and of which seventy-fve miles
are completed, and started from
Denver City, is to skirt the base
Of the Rocky Mountains to Santa
Fe, aud thence to be continued to
FL Paso, on the Mexican border,
and finally to be continued to,
and terminate in the city Of MeXi-
co. The total length of this line
will be 1850 miles. The cost of
construction is but $4,000 per
mile or $4,000 less than that of
j the Kansas Pacific.
Mr.. Samuel Bowels, of the
Springfield Republican, has recent
ly been over that portion Of the
road which has been completed,
and reports very favorably con.
cerning it. AS important results
depend upon the success of the
enterprise, we subjoin a single
passage from his Denver letter
descriptive of the undertaking
The road and its trains in the
first place look like railway play
thing, in contrast with the broad
er and heavier tracks and larger
cars Of the accustomed lines; deli
cate and dainty, they seem almost
too faint and feeble for the hard
quick work to which they are
called, and especially unequ to
the great contest which they have
invited. Yet SO far surely, they
are performing their task with
ease, with comfort, celebrity and
with success. The track-bed of
the narrow gauge is 6 feet vile,
as against 9; the distance between
the rails 8 feet as against 4 feet
81 inches; the ties are G to 63 feet
as against 9; the rails weigh so
pounds to the yard, as against Sc;
the engines II 10 l6 tons as a.
gainst % to so tons, putting a
bout half the weight Oil the drive
wheels that the large locomotives
do; the passenger cars with s
wheels carrying 81 passengers, of
6 tons, as against l s tons, s wheels
and so passengers; and the freight
cars so far introduced weigh 2
tons, run on 4 wheels, and carry
4 to 5 tons of freight, as against
cars weighing 9 tons on s wheels
and capable of 10 tons load.
Where four passengers sit in the
ordinary car, there are seated in
the narrow ones, two on one side,
and one on the other of the pas
sage way, the car being divided in
the middle by a door, and the
seats for two and one. respective
ly, being reversed in the two sec
tions, SO as to balance the car
riage. The cars at first introduced
are 7 feet vide and l01 feet high
from rail to top. They prove a
trifle more compact than is nee.
essary, and not quite generous
enough in accommodations for
passengers; but this evil is being
remedied in new cars now construc-
ting; while sleeping cars and day
drawing room cars can be made
for the narrow gauge roads, which
will accommodate still more per-
SONS, in proportion to their size
and weight, than the ordinary
cars of this character now do"