The Emporia news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1859-1881, 1872-03-01

Eastern Standpoint, &c.
Sam. Bowles, of the Springfield
Republican, has visited Colorado
and seen the marrow gauge" rail-
raad in operation. It forms the
principal subject of a three column
letter in q recent number of his
newspaper, from which we make
the following extracts:
THE COST.
The cost of constructing these "a
miles, with equipment, has been
$4,000 a mile, while the Kansas
Pacific road, going through simi-
lar country, and built under the
same engineers, and very much by
the same contractors, cost 500, 900.
The new road, however, had some
advantages In cheaper labor, larger
experience, and more ready access
to ties and certain other materials.
The fair difference between the
two roads in an open country like
this, 1t seems to me, would be less
than these figures; but in enter ng
q mountain region, where heavy ex-
cavations and tunnels were reQuir-
cd, hills to be climbed and sharp
corners to be turned, it would un-
doubleday prove N Cch more.
There is grading going on just now,
for instance, up the Clear Greek
canyon to the mountain mining
centre of Colorado, which it was
estimated would cost $50, 600 mile
for the full width road, but which
has been done for $4,000 on the mar
row gauge. Perhaps, therefore, taxi
ing the average of railroad coDstruc-
iton, il is not unfair to claim that
narrow gauge lines can be built and
for about threc-fifths the
cost Of the ordinary gauge.
s THE ROUTE.
Starting from Denver, this road
runs up the valleys of the Platte
and It's tributaries to the top of
what is called the Arkansas Di-
vide" which is spur or ridge of
high land running out from the
range at right angles, and
the waters of the Platte
from the Arkansas. It ie 5000 feet
high at the summit, q rise of 1900
feet from Denver; but the ascent is
quite gradual, and nowhere amounts
to over Is feet to the mile for the
track of road. Then the road de-
sends at about the same rate per
mile to this point, which is some
5000 fest high, and the center of the
Pixies Peak contributions to the
Arkansas river. Sd
The narrow gauge road claims no
over the broad, in the
matter of grades, except that its
trains have less dead weight to car
~, and 80 can surmount heavy
ascent on less expenditure OF pow
or but in ability to turn corners, il
has at least 8 double advantage.
Thus, there are curvatures on this
line of 80 degrees in LOO feet as
against 10 degrees in the same dis
lance, which Is the highest curva-
sure of s1ch roads as the Baltimore
Central, which have certainly need
to make the most of all their capac-
tiles in that direction.
b MORE NARROW GAUGES.
There Is indeed, an almost narrow
gauge contagfon in this country,
and most of the new lines proiec-
tod in the West have either adopted
this principle or are seriously con-
sidering the propriety OF doing so.
The Colorado Central Railroad into
the mountains from Denver Is chan
ging to the narrow gauge, and its
extension to the east to 3
10 40
1t Pine Bluff will be the same
width. The road In course of con-
from SOgden, through
Northern Utah, pointed toward
Montana, and known as the North
ern Utah Road, is narrow garage.
aud the iron il already ordered for
some of its first sections.
A new line across the plains from
the Missouri river to Denver, start.
ing at Leavenworth, and known as
the LeavenWorth & Denver road
GOO miies long,, Is not only projec-
ted on the narrow gauge, but has
been graded for something like a
hundred miles, the iron bought,
and the equipments is In course of
IeaxenWortA's great
railroad king, Len Smith, who has-
the credit of having bought Mr.
place In the United
States Senate fos him, Is the father
Of this enterprise, while the ubiq-1
uitous and absorbing Tom Scott, Of
the Pennsylvania Ceutral Railroad
ring, gives &c his endorsement and
acknowledgements The grest South
eEn Pacific read. beginning in Tex
d, has voted TO adopt the narrow
gauge, but its sction in this respect
requires the confirmation of the
ct Washington.
COMPARISONS.