The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1873-08-06

lpany have saved s74 per cent. in
| the first cost Of construction and
equipment. by reason Of the adop-
ton of the gauge Of three feet sins.
lead Of four feet eight and g half
nches.5 This is 3 clear saving. be-
.ause the. road is equally well lbuik
u every respect, and its capacity nss
.reat az though il had been qf ts VI II
wider gauge It,is believed tbaf'
she final efficiency Of the line VIII
d as great as that of any T{alas
yith the same gradhals and a
,hents. The trains ngeg md
freight-haye been rqn. at the same
rates Of speed which have prevailed
SD the Pacific lines and other bFDaa.
.auge roads west Of the MississipFts
river, and when required on'special
occasions, have run with steadfnes4
It thirty and forty miles per hour.
The passenger cars have proven
comfortable, and at least as steady e,
III riding as those Of the wider
roads, and the freight cars hare
carried satisfactorily all classes of
traffic, bulky and concentrated. In
addition to first and second class
passengers, the road has carried
during the; past year freights Of
great yariety of character, incln-
ding coal, ores, stone, lumber, iron,
hardware, grain, wool, furniture,
hay, wagons. and other freightsi Of
the lightest and most bulky nature;.
yet there is no class Of freight upon
which the proportion Of paying TO
non-paying weight has not been in
favor Of the narrow gauge as}eom-
pared with the widel
To many who have not taken.
the trouble to look into this sub
ject, the above assertions, would
seem ridiculous, and an impossible
ity; but they are not only proven
by this road, but By many others
in operation. Individuals who have
been skeptical upon the practical
workings Of the narrow. gauge.
visiting, riding, and examining
these roads have been convinced OF
their adaptabiIity forpassenger and
freight traffic. A.great many men,
especially those interested in the
wider gauge, say this class of readis
are only adapted for short line and
feeders. The evidence Sc far
brought forward by the practicar
workings eff the Narrow gauge, is
that they are as well adapted for
long lines as for short ones. The,
experience of a majority Of our
Southern roads is that many OF
them have a carrying capacity far
,eyond the requirements Of trade.
Il: the South wishes to reclaim her
former position in the commercial
world, she must net attempt to.
bring this about by the construction
ot roads that will not yield profit
to the builder, or to those whe In
vest in them.
The total distance from PORTS
mouth, Ohio, to Augusta, Ga.,. is;,
ihsthe heighborhood of $40 miles,
and from the first point to Toledo,
via Columbus, Ohio, is 210 miles.
By continuing this line. to Port .
Royal and Brunswick, Ga, we viii
have a line that will develop a re-
glon rich in minerals, timber, and
agricultural productions. The West
with their oyer-crowded gamers
will find a new market, with less
cost of transportation than by the
present six great arterial lines.
The ores and coal beds Of Ken
tucky, Virginia, and tennessee will
come in competition with the ore
Of Lake Superior, and the iron.
ore OF Missouri, and the coal OF
West Virginia and Pennsylvania.
The yellow and white pine of Ten
nessee, North and South Carolina,
and Georgia will successfully COM
pete with that of Wisconsin, Mich
igan, and Minnesota. The mica
beds found in North and South
Carolina will assist in making the
hearth-stone of the Northwest
brighten under the influence of the ;.
Of bituminous coal
found along the route. The future
is a bright picture to dwell upon.
In my next I wish to treat Of
through harrow gauge lines, their
cost, and advantage.
M. Y. S.
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