Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1874-12-17
TIL He r AID
A ereAErIo RAILWAY PROJECT.
An Eteh,.Track Road Between New York and
Ch,caso-six thousand Freight Traius In
Constant Motion dow Frcishts May be He
duced IhFee.F0urths.


Cop.,.p, Motion -How Freishs. May be Re-
duced IhFee.F0urths.
rFrom the Daily Graphic, November 23d
a new anu Important railroad
movement is said TO DO on the lapls
1t is understood that the manage
ment of the New York Central and
Lake Shore Railroads are contem-
plating the formation of joint COM
pany. with q view to having exclu-
sive freight tracks ali the way from
Chicago to New York and Boston.
The extra two tracks between Albany
and Buffalo are nearly complete1,
and the plan is to continue the extra
double tracks from Buffalo to Gaze
ago. When this is done it will be
possible TO carry freighO at very
much cheaper rates than it can now
be handled on the Baltimore and
Ohio railroad, Notwithstanding the
shorter distance on the last-men ion
ed railway. Ii is believed that the
freight can be transported on an ex-
elusive freight track at rates not
very much above those charged on
the Erie canal The trains are to be
run at the rate of ten miles an hour,
which is the rate that gives the leas,
wear and tear of track and cars. Ga
a uniform timetable, the freigh,
track not being hampered by pas
senger trains or trains of unequal
rates of speed, an intellectually large
Of I'm hn
Under such an arrangement it woUl
be possible to run trains which wOul
be less than half mi apart Now,
as the distance from New York to
Chicago is about l 900 miles, if we
allow that such regulations as the
from ten to twenty cars per mile, we
should have the enormous aggregate,
on the two tracks, of 900 trains
constantly in motion. Such a STU
pendous amount of business as this
would enaol, the companies to re-
duce freight charges to point far
below anything now thought OF.
Under uniform timetable il would
be possible TO throw open the freight
business to general competition and
take private cars upon the line in
the same way that private canal
boats are taken upon our canal.
Tnis would give free trade 10 treight
in it's most perfect form. Wish
qutirupl, track it is believed that
the Central railroad coul defy com
petition aud carry freight at one
third the charges of the B fillmore
and OlIo railroad, and The immediate
effect of the change wouli be the
ruin OF the Erie railway. The way
tnls grand scheme is TO be carried out
is as yet undetermined ; but is 10
contem platiOn. we are assured in
fact il is forced upon the Now York
Central by the exlgencies of the sit
uation. OF course. in taking tins
departure, the New York Central
will cut loose from all connections
with other trunk lines, and will un-
doubtedly force the Pennsylvania
Central into simil4r arrangement,
which wouli give these two roads
the practical monopoly and complete
command of the freight busin sss, at
the same time meeting the growing
demands of the country for cheap
freight.
Tne cost of this vast impr ovement
woult be commensurate with it's
Importance but after all would not
amount to such sum AS to be i'm
possible for such powerful corpora
ton as would be formed by the COM
bination of the New York Central
and Hudson River and the Lake
Shore and Michigan Southern com.
panies. The irst named company,
With the lease of the Harlem Road
and its additional tracks now neatly
completed between Albany and Bat
talo, has practically quadrnll'
track from New York to Buff
and OF the whole distance, between
Buffalo and Chicago-541 mlles-the
Lake Shore and Michigan Southern
has now 323 miles OF double track.
There remains, therefore, but PIG
miles of single track to be laid TO
make that section double track
railway and but 541 miles more of
double track to complete the quadru-
pie track from New York to Chicago.
At the latest prices paid for honest
and economical constructions this
work could De done for S25 900 900.
The united capital of the two roads
amounts to Sl39 428 300, and the
funded debts of the two roads are
about $4,000 600. An addition OF
$25 900 900 TO the latter would make
the aggregate liabilities of the com.
bined company amount to 1929 600
600, which, with the new tracks pro-
posed and the present length of the
main road and branches, would make
an average indebted ner mile OF
singls track of 'ss than S32 600.