The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1872-02-23

TO the progress OF the Denver and Rio
(;randc railroad. AS it is the first expert
,ncnt Of importance in this country with
the new narrow guage. The road is the
beginning OF great north ana south
line to the centre Uf Mexiro. running
along the high plateau. just under the
great mountain backbone OF the cOnii-
ment. 1t is built " ilh three-tcet guage.
and in November was open to Colorado
Springs. seventy-tivc miles from Den
yer. The cost of constructing these
lScventv-fivc miles has been Sl3.Vo II
mile, while the kausas Pacific road, 90
ing through Il similar country. and Dilil'
under the same engineers. cost %Zz w Il
|milc. Mr.. Samuel Bowlcs. OF the Spring
field Republican. during his recent Wes-
tern trip passed over the road, and APP
pears to have been most tavoably I'M
pressed in regard to iis practical opera
Iiiom. lie says the road and its trains
look like railway plaything in contrast
with the broader and easier tracks and
larger cars of the accustomed lines yct
30 far they are performing their task
with case. comfort. celebrity. and success.
The engines used weigh II TO ID tons.
Instead of 25 to 30 tons. as OH track OF
usual guagc the passenger cars, with
,S wheels. carrying 50 passengers. weigh
Is tons, as against IL tons. 3 wheels, and
50 passengers: and the freight cars so
far introduced weigh 2 tons. run on
4 wheels. and carry 4 to s tons of freight.
las against cars weighing 9 tons on 9
wheels, and capable Of 10 tons load.
Where four passengers sit in the ordina-
ry car, three are seated in the narrow
Zones, two on one side and one OH the
other Of the passage way. The first pas
semger cars built have proved smaller
THAN was necessary, and new ones now
building will be trifc larger than those
|now in use. The greatest advantage in
1.-The cost Of construction is claimed for
the narrow over the ordinary guage in
a mountain region where heavy excava-
|tions and tunnels arc required, hills arc
to be climbed, and sharp corners to be
turned. 1t has no advantage in the mat
ter Of grades, except that its trains have
less dead weight to carry, and SO can
surmount a heavy ascent on less cxpen-
diture OF power; but in ability to turn
corners it certainly has great superior
lity. Thus there are curvatures on the
lire Of thirty degrees i'm one hundred
feet, as against ten degrees in the same
distance, which is the highest curvature
of such roads as the Baltimore and Ohio
land the Pennsylvania Central, which
have certainly need to make the most OF
all their capacities in that direction
There is grading going on up the Clear
lCrcck canon TO the mountain mining
centre Of Colorado, which it was csti.
mated would cost $0O,OO0 mile for tho
lfull width road, but which has been done
, for $4,000 on the narrow guage. The
Colorado Central railroad into the noun.
|tains from Denver Is changing TO thu
marrow guage, and its proposed exten
sion east 10 connection with the UnioI
Pacific and Pine Bluff will be Of thu
same width. Other narrow guage road
lin progress Of construction are th'
Northern Utah and the Lcavenwortl
land Denver, a road 600 miles long
which is to cross the plains from Mis-
lsouri river to Denver.