New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1872-08-25
slftt Orleans 8epttbtitai1.
OFFICIAL JOURNAL OF TIE UNITED STATES
OFFICIAL JOURNAL OF NEW ORLEhNS
THE TEXAS PACIFIC.
EVbv General Bueips Report onaNnrrOE'
Gauge Railways was suppressed.

EVby General Buell's Report n"NhFTOW
Gauge Railways was suppressed
The Chicago Rail,cay RetjeU publishes
better to the editor of that paper from Gen
araI q z. Buell., in which he says:
I was, as you are probably aware, for
7nerIv chief engineer of the Texas Pacific
railroad, which position / took after assist
ING to place Marshall O. Roberts at the head
of the enterprise, with a view to Teslgnlng
the army. This position l was forced TO
give up after years service, through the
Tascality and fraud of t3lis same Marshall
q. Roberts, who, many Of us learned to our
sorrow, was old in his profession. / was
probably one Of the first in this country to
publish under my signature pamphlet ad-
yocating the narrow gauge system OF rail
WAYS for all new countries. After ordering
nv report printed, Mr.. Roberts ordered It
suppressed, as he said, until he got through
with his fight with Tom Scott"
After my departure TO Texas in cOnnec-
ton with my duties as engineer, he secretly
sent a copy Of my suppressed report to one
Seymour, with a letter inviting an attack
on it, which was made public, while my re-
port was still locked up by bis tRoberts)
orders. Mr. Roberts afterwards denied his
acts. and did not authorize me as engineer
Of the road to answer the pa-nphlet OF Sey-
niour 1t has been well answered, however,
by Mr.. Queti since my return to duty IN
the army. / now inclOse you eOpy of the
same. which / authorize you TO u as you
may desire. You will see that while | adj
vocate the narrow gauge system strongly,
] do not favor as narrow roads for trunk
lines as the three feet gauge. | think. my
reasons are good, and shall still adhere to
my views until | see more to convince me
of my error. There can not be more than
$500 difference in the cost per mile (between
the three feet and the three feet six inches
pauqel, and | do not think first class road
in every particular can be built narrower
than three feet six inch gauge On this
gauge passenger coaches may with safety
be built having thirty inch wheels, which is
three inches less than the wheels used on
many broad gauge roads.
The Texas Pacific railroad will never de
VelOp more than mineral country for
more than three-fOurths of its length; hence,
j still think it would have been better for
the company and the country to have built
on the three feet six inch gauge In any
event the narrow gauge road as a system
would be better than the broad guage. For
while the broad gauge does not develop the
country any more than the other, it rObs
the stockholder and original protector and
in many cases only puts money in the peck
cts of the immediate operator.
There is no doubt of the economy and
perfect success Of the narrow gauge system,
as has long since been proven, and the
quicker the country adopts the system, the
quicker will broad gauge roads reduce their
gauges, and thus reduce their running eX-
peuses, and will not only benefit the trans
porter and capitalist, . but the producer,
with more equal chances for the develop
ment Of the now wild regions Of America.