Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1873-05-07
CHEAP TRANsPORTATION.

Farmers appear to be discussing the sub
ject of cheap and dear transportation more
than any other at this time. To haul grain,
hay and other products of the soil, to mar
ket on a wagon costs about 100 mills per
ton a mile, allowing 20 miles with load to
be fair days work, and the farmer with
his team and wagon only two dollars
day for his labor. A railroad can do the
same transportation for 10 mills per mile
with better profit, thereby saving 81 of the
100 mills expended by the farmer in get
ting his crops to market. The ETie Ca.
nal and Others transport freight for mills
per ton per mile, saving six thirteenths
OF the cost by railway. The
cost of transportation by water, say from
New York to Liverpool, averages about g.
mills per mile per ton. 1t is cheaper through
the great Northern lakes; being mills per
ton per mile. But the cheapest Of al trans
portation in the world is by river barges as
seen on the Mississippi and its affi1ents, be
iag only mills per ton per mile. 1t fol-
lows from these facts that our semi-navi-
gable rivers should be improved; and
that the construction of canals should re-
ceive more attention from the business meE
and all classes OF producers and
consumers. Although the grand Erie
canal has been in successful operation
fifty years, our system Of internal improve
ments is sin in its infancy. We,
can hardly be said to know what compare
lively chesp narrow gauge railways can do
in the way of economical transportation.
We are looking for final reduction in cost
from Is mills per mile per ton to Z mills
which will carry all freight as cheap SIS
canals, and by much greater speed have a
decisive advantage in time-carrying pas
sengers three or four times faster than any
canal boat can by steam. Narrow gauge
railways are the hope Of the industrial
world. All practical men will soon
see this and act accordingly. In New
England the problem presents these facts
A common wide gauge road III miles in
length cost so much for construction and to
work it that stockholders receive only ore
per cent interest on their Investment. 1t is
known that a narrow gauge road OF the
same length can be built for $4,000 less
cost per mile, do all the business performed
by the expensive railway, pay per cent
interest to stockholders, and save $4,000
interest on construction bonds. Money /
saved in this way should benefit all who
use the railway, whether producers, con-
sinners, or travellers. The immense saving
in cost of construction is really but one
item of the gain to the public. To trans
port one hundred and fifty tons OF freight
on narrow gauge road requires nine
teen cars, weighing seventy-tiVe tons. 10
transport the same freight on the standard
gauge will take Is cars that weigh l35 tons.
Hence the former has saving of fifty tons
of dead freight in expensive cars to be haul
ed over the road, and soon worn out in
hammering and Eliminating the rails, and
cushing crossties and bridges for no use
ful purpose whatever. The intelligent read
or must see that this practice involves a
prodigious waste of capital, unless the peo-
pie kindly foot The bill for the stockholders.
In that case the public loses the money, in
Mace of the owners of the railroad. Many
railways now in operation haul an average
of no pounds Of wagon to $50 pounds OF
cotton as freight, or any other freight AT
this rate farmers wagon that took SIX
bags of cotton to market on pike would
weigh 1920 pounds! While the narrow
gauge car saves 326 pounds Of dead weight
on each bale of cotton it bauls, as COM
pared with the standard gauge, we tnlnK
there is still room for greater economy ID
that .direction. Narrow railways carry 444
n,unds in car for a bale of cotton that
weighs $50 pounds. Our common farm
wagons do better than that; yet after using
WAGONS fifty yeals, the writer doubts II the
hest possible farm and road wagon has yet
been built. The science of easy motion
is in embryo, stirring little with lie but
not Matched from the shell. 1---... -.