The Worthington advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1874-1908, 1874-11-13
NARROW-GAUGN RAILROADS.


Majority for Dunnell 1851
NARROW UGE RAILROADS.
We have frequently spoken through
THE ADVANCE of the progress and
prospects of Narrow-Gauge railroads.
This has been one of our hobbies" ever
since the subject Of the narrow-gauge
has been agitated, and we expect to
ride it until all our readers are riding
in narrow-gauge cars as frequently, as
as comfortably, as rapidly and much
more economically than they are now
riding upon the present gauge.
The country is just at the threshold
of a new railroad era, which is to be
known as the Narrow Gauge Era
The narrow gauge is to be the saliva
ton Of the great West and will aid,
probably more than any other develop
ment, the solution of the transportation
problem. For some years short line
narrow-gauge railroads, some having a
width of only Is inches, have been in
operation in Europe, one in Wales, one
in Belgium, one in Sweden and one
or two in Russia, but now the narrow
gauge is coming into such general ia
vor that long lines are being built and
capital is diverted from the broad to the
narrow-gauge. In Russia and India
the old gauge is being abandoned, and
in India alone system Of 10000 miles
of road is being built with the narrow
gauge. In this country long lines of
narrow gauge are being projected in
various directions. One Of the longest
at present under way is projected from
Toledo to Omaha, across Indiana, Illi-
nois and Iowa. This will be an extern
sion, or several extensions. of the
Keithsburg and Eastern and the Tole-
do and Van Vert narrow-gauge roads,
already we'll under way. Another long
line proposed is the Toledo & South
western, first projected as a broad
gauge. The engineer Of this road, af-
ter examining the whole question, con-
:cludes his report with the following
words: ''The Narrow-Gauge is not
only as we'll adapted to the wants of
your company, but in many respects it
would fill the requirements of the pres
ent railroad system in this country bet-
ter than any other system get devised, and
L have no hesitancy in recommending
3D. oF f1,1 IN
line of the Toledo & Southwestern
Railroad"
The leading advantages of the Mar
row-gauge are:
l. They pay. This is complete an
swer to all that those interested in the
present gauge can say. The narrow.
gauge companies are able to pay the in
teresr on their bonds, and to declare
dividends almost from the start. The
Denver and Rio Grande narrow-gauge
has been i'll operation three years and,
although run through sparsely set.
tied country and having one year OF
the panic to contend with, it has
promptly met the interest on it's bonds
at maturity.
2. They can be. built at from one
third to one-half the cost Of the pres
ent gauge, and hence are just adapted
to the new regions OF the West. A
good narrow-guage can be built in re-
gions like our own at $4,000 to $4,000
per mile as against $2O,NO to $4,000
per mile for 4 first-class broad gauge
A mountain road in Colorado was
figured at $50, 900 per mile for a broad
guage and the narrow-gauge was after.
ward built at 4 cost Of $4,000 per mile
This difference is due to the fact thai
sleeper grades can be mounted anl
sharper curves made by tho narrow
than by the broad gauge. On the Den
yer and Rio Grande' there is al
average up grade fifty miles south o.
Denver of IS feet to the mile.
3. The paying weight carried upo1
the nnrrow-gauge is much greater thar
upon the present gauge, The usual es
innate for the broad-gauge is one-hal
paying and one-half dead weight
while on the narrow-gauge the paying
weight is three-fourths to one-fourth O
dead weight. But this does not show
the whole case. The facts are still
more in favor of the narrow-gauge.-
The engineer Of the. Toledo Il South
western road in his report shows tina
only about one-fourth as much freigh
Is carried west as east, so that man.
cars must be returned empty. He es
Inmates. therefore, that on the grea
east and west lines, for every 100 pound
carried>oyer the road, the companie
get pay for only 343 pounds, or llttl
more than one-third, 50 that the dea.
weight is nearly two-thirds and til,
paying weight but fraction over on,
third. In the narrow-gauge he esti
mates that at least fifty per cent. of tn
weight carried is paying weight. 1,