The Somerset press. [volume] (Somerset, Ohio) 1873-1977, 1874-11-27
MISCELLANY.
A Colorado Narrow Gauge Railroad.

A Colorado Narrow Gauge Railroad.
Its name is the Denver and Rio
Grande railroad; it traverses the foot
hills of the Rocky mountains, south
ward from Denver to Pueblo distance
of 100 miles Its rails are only three
feet apart, its passenger and freight cars
only six feet nine inches wide, and its
locomotives look like baby engines. 1t
is an unique affair of the railroad kind
the first we have ever seen, and a ride
in its cars was new and by no means a
disagreeable sensation. The seats are
double from the front to the center on
one side of the passenger coach and sin
gle on the other side, and from the CEN
ter to the rear of the car the same, ex-
cept that the double and single seats are
reversed. Each coach seats about-thir-
ty-three passengers, and has a cosy little
saloon and water tank at one end in
corner, and small stove in the center.
To see train of these little cars pulled
along by Cunning" little engine, over
the narrow little track, is at first exceed
ingly amusing to one who has always
been accustomed to the oad-gauge
roads. 1t looks like playing at railroad
ing, like dwarf initiating a giant. But
single or double seats and moving rap
idly along, one soon gets over being fun
ny at the narrow-gauge. You see and
feel and know that you are being whirl-
ed along as surely, as comfortably, and
almost as rapidly, as if the cars were as
big and the road-bed as broad as the
broadest. 1t isn't dwarf when you
come to get acquainted with it. Like
many of the small sized men and wo-
men we meet in the world, the narrow
gauge makes up in force and energy what
it lacks in physical proportions. 1t took
US about four hours to make the sew
enty-six miles from Denver to Colorado
Springs. We know of many broad
gauge that does not do as we'll, either in
speed or smooth-sailing. The narrow
gauge is "not to be sneezed at"-we tell
you that in all seriousness; and if we
should ever go into the railroad build
ing business, it is the narrow-gauge that
we would build.
This road has been in operation less
than three years; and does a respectable
freight and passenger business. The
company that owns and operates it is one
of the few railroad corporations that has
been able to pay the interest on its bonds
promptly At maturity, since the panic,
without wincing, and had money left in
its treasury. Here is feather in the
cap of the narrow-gauge, and it wears it
proudly, as it should.
Pueblo is its present southern termin-
us, with branch at that point west
ward to Canon City, forty miles, where
it lands the tourist and the invalid at
the mouth of the great and grand can
non of the Arkansas, and at the hot
mineral springs; and where beds of coal
of good quality and inexhaustible guam
tity. From Pueblo the road is about to
be extended ninety-fve miles southwark
to Trinidad, where it will tap the north
ern Mexican trade and travel. It is the
intention, ultimately, to extend the line
to Santa Fe, south-easterly, and, by
means of connecting roads, to the City of
MnvInn xuoctorIv 70 ho
of the "halls of the Montezumas." With
such a record, such energy and such am
bition, let no airy broad -gauger dare to
sneer at this great narrow-gauge road
not when we are around. We won't toll
crate levity or sneers on its account. We
know it deserves much better treatment.
When you go to the Rocky mountains
for health, for pleasure or for business,
take trip over the Denver and Rio
Grande railroad. 1t will be new SEN
sation for you. You will fall in love
with the narrow-gauge cars, will be
charmed by the glorious mountain view
above you to the westward, will admire
the pluckiness with which these little
cars, with their diminutive engines, pen
citrate the hills, averaging an up grade
of seventy-6ve feet to the mile just be-
fore reaching the Divide" fifty miles
south of Denver, and glide like thing
of life through valleys, along bluffs and
over the level plains. You will bless all
the manages and workers of the line for
the excellent condition of their road-bed
the neatness and comfortableneas of their
cars, the apple-pie order of everything
pertaining to their enterprise. They
deserve well of the public and of their
stock holders.
There are some twenty-five stations
along the line of this road There is one
through train each way daily, two or
three accommodation trains part each
way, and several freights, the latter car
rying coal, stone, lime, lumber, wool,
hides, grain, cattle, ETC., to Denver and a
market, and merchandise and general
supplies to the people along its route,
and to the miners, traders and settlers in
the regions below. Its gross earnings
last year, in spite of the panic, were
S393, ,653 SO, and its net earnings, $685.
529,5S This year these earnings will
be much larger, as is manifest from the
already large increase thus far. One
thing is in favor of the narrow-gauge-
the cost to construct, operate and repair
is much less than the broad gauge roads
-TFrom the Chicago Journal.
| RED HOT STEAM ENGINEs.-In a dis.