The St. Cloud journal., 1873-02-27
NARROW GuAaR RArLwAYs,7

!" '"'S aye Vi IaiIroau mopopolleS,
aud extoItionate rates si-fa,e and freight
any measure Offering relief to people
~ generous 10 supporting railroad an.
terprisss as We are, and 40 long suffer-
lug under abuses which have drawn
compound interest year after year,
ought to DO welcomed aud vigorously
supported it found worthy.
Among the remedies suggested noss
offers mere cogens reasons for ito adop.
ton than tho narrow guags railway
We propose merely 70 s.ate in brief
what it 10 and what may be expected
from it. The present standard gu,ss.
or width Of track il four feet eight and
one-half inches, tho standard Morrow
gusgs preferred in this country il three
feet, but narrow gauge roads are in ex-
istauce as narrow a. one foot eleven
and one half inches, and az broad as
three feet seven inches, while one of
ouly eighteen inch gauge was recently
tested 10 England most satisfactorily.
This style Of road origiosted in
Wales where such "bab," railroad
was used to bring slate from the moun-
tains, but later did general freight
aud passenger business, and in 1870 de.
clared dividend Of 40 per cent on the
capital. Germany, France, Belgium.
Norway aud Sweden have these roads,
aud England proposes to build 10000
miles OF such 10 India. Over 700
miles are already in use in tho United
States, 1000 miles under contract, and
ls,OO0 projected. One between Cairo
aud St. Louis, l55 miles, is nearly re..
dy tor use, and others 10 Kansas, Iowa,
Colorado, etc., are in successful opera.
lion. In low cost of construction the
new rouds are remarkably superior to
their broader fellows. Thus the cost
o, building the Cairo aud St. Louis
road has been $1,000 per nile the
Toronto aud Nip's.iog Road-33 feet
suage-cost $l2,549 per nile. The
average cost Of the 10000 miles of
broad guage roads COW open in this
country as stated in "Poor's MANUAL
was $4,000 per mile. To- Illinois the
average has beeo $4,000 per mile.
The rolling stock used on the mar
row lines will require much smaller
initial iove-tment, and tho wear and
tear on both stock aud road will be far
less than with the wide lines. The
cars will BE- smaller, seating 80 instead
II Sc persons, and when tull will weigh
only 2.5 as much as broad guage cars,
while the empty freight cars, having
the same carrying capacity, will weigh
OF ly oGe half what q common box car
weighs. The locomotives used need be
only one halt az heavv and the dead
weight each has to draw will be great
ly below the average on broad gauge
roads. Thus, ample statistics show
that in Massachusetts the passenger
coaches runs on an average, less than
oalf full and 10 New York, only one.
fourth, and hence oblige the engine to
pull q very large am 'unt of dead or non-
paying weight. On broad suass roads
''for every passenger carried three
+ urths Of ton of dead weight has to
be dragged over the roads, At the e.
pesso Of steam power and increased
wear aud tear Of rails and rolling stock,
above what would be required on the
three feet guage."
Mr.. Greenwood, General Manager Of
the Denver ard Rio Ora de barrow
gusge railroad-ll7 miles in opera.
tieo-declares the capacity of the road
''fulIy equal to that of the broad guage
road"
The proportion of expenses to gross
receipts on the wide roads is 10 per
cent, whlie on barrow roads it will be
about 50 per cent. The Festinog Rail.
way in Wales, gauge one foot eleven
md one-half inches, transported in 1869
freight, 136,l32 tons passengers, g.,
300, The net income being about SO
per cent of the gross receipts, and 10
1870 declared a divi lend of 40 per
'eI'. Wo have before ~ a largo
AMOUNT of materi.l drawn from actual
experience in various lands, and during
'eversl years, from which We have ta:
Ken the above, which We believe will
'erve to show that narrow gauge rail.
'oads can be constructed at far les.
original outlay than the ordinary roads,
With greatly reduced ex.
'enses, and will yield q much hand.
'omer profit to their owners, while at.
fordinv cheap transportation and
smaller field for "ways that are dark"
Their pre.eminence is most strongly
marked 10 billy and rough countries,
md they may run whore broad gauges
IRE pronounced utterably imprscticable.
The Northwest, South aud South west
IRE regarded as having in these rail
roads prospect Of development which
he old style with its heavy expenses,
md unavailable waste, does not offer.
TUESDAY was Judgment Day in
IOnprpsa md tho 1rod;, Mob;1o- D.