, 1874-01-23

~ ;ts utilities must be Increased
1 free people
v11L SCARCELY LOOK TO THE GOVERNMENT
~ f,ruleh them meaus OF transportation, apy
.oore ,han they would to furnish thtm food OF
rlo.hes. The Government may properly aid in
-.noylns obstructloDs to neutrality-suspicious.,
mi it should cel tainly see to it that fair play
,bould bo tile rule, both on the part OF the rail-
rosds and the people, On the one hand, rail-
road-;uyestments should be al free, as safe, and
,cerre, as sny other Investments but the right
N regulate, and, within reasonable limits, to
coatro them, must be sustained. The people
reed railroads, and must lave them but they
10 not want TO be swindled or oppressed by
ihen. They Insist upon their right to have
tbe:r persons aud property transported by rail-
roa ia at reasonable rates.-1ates that will pay
I'll expenses OF operating and improving the
md and that will paw q lair return upon the
.anital invested. Railload companies must be
nade to understand that they are not tue
ri4te1s, bull the servants, OF the people; that,
u common n-ca1riers, they must carry at reasona-
bic lates-
Among the nleans of cheanening Transports
ten, aud bringing the railway-system into every
leisbborhood, aud almost to every maus door,
is tuat of
NARROWING THE GAUGE
It Is said that there are nov III operation. in this
country, 1850 miles of railway with gauSe Of
5 feet; aud that some thousands Of miles more
are projected. The system ia practicable and
cseiul and, as We have had experience 10 its
cee.atlon. some facts III regard to our narrow
gauge road may be Of interest to the public:
TILE IOWA EASTERN 8A1LRoAD,
extending from Beulah Junction, 10 miles west
Il NcGregor, ou tie Milwaukee, l. St. Paul
Iailroad, 1G miles in southwester1y
dlecuon, to within IL miles OF Elkader, is
ihe first uaTrow~gRuge railroad bull. il Iowa.
lte gauge of this road is feet 1t Was built
sader au arrangement by which it's bonus were
to be casned iu New York 1T the rate of $4,000
rte Ut aLout s.. 600 per mule. After Is miles
uf trsra had been laid, Judge E. II. Williams,
lie Prendent aud protector OF the road, found
himself, owing to the failure OF New York par
ties to pay Tor the bonds, unable to build any
i.1ther. he had obtained for construction-pur~
tach two passenger and two bagGaGe-cars, and
!~eut7-ive p1aIform-cars. IL October,
l,12. after having waited. like Micawber, for
eouletling to turn up. he concluded that - God
I'D men help only those who help themselves"
Ee
COMMENCED OPERATING TIE ROAD
Without a station-buidlug, without engine
ho,ses, without Nater-touks. turntables, and
Eilaout money. The only station at the south
tni OF tue road, for rwo or three months, YVES q
eloth-tent and the station at Beulnh was one
Of tie hagSage-cars. The Judge at once Bet
cslpeuters at work to put box-tops upon his
FlA:fotm-cars, and transformed some sixteen OF
them into snug and commodous box-cars. He
chose Maj. ". D. Cooke, a very efficient and re-
E2tle man, for Superintendent Of the road. In
tie face Ut tie greatest difficulties, the road was
tert in operation during the w1uttz Of
1872 all tie freight at Beulah having to
ba l1anshipped by baud. without facilities Of any
hind II n hn f,n>,ia n AxrEA
In December, 1872. 100 narrow-gauge carloads
cf freight we're delivered by the narrow-gauSe
to tie milwaukee, Rad The Milwaukee d st.
Paul Road made very liberal arrangement
nth the little road, By winch the Inter obtained
FAIR RETURN
for The work it did. During the season OF 1878.
Tue narrow road was extended l mic toward
Elkadcr; station-buildiDg und grain arehouse
we're built at tle terminus q Water-tadk. turn
dl1e, aud side-track put IN and station buildings
erected at the following places Or the line: St.
Olaf, Fa1meraburg. Bismarck, and Froellch. The
tLlwauaee Koad built q commodious statlou-
house ut Dculah, aud also ample s,de-track;
md the Iowa Eastern pu. in at tnat
point an englne-house, turu-tabla, and
tilc- tricks. 1he track of the mar
tow-gAuge road was elevated above the
o!her road for purposes Of transh4pment; 80 that
now grain s handled III bulk, being spouted
Ton the narrow-gau.e into the broad gauge
five to eisut minutes being the time
required TO unload small car. The Conductor
:od me, the last time went over the road, that
eight car-loads. hauled in tnat morning, we're
unioaded by a email force while the tra.u-hapds
sixteen to twenty. four carloads per day to the
Milwaukee Road, aud had hauled, dullug the
week Including Jan. /, 12G caE-Ioads into Deu-
lah. One hundred and fifty bushels OF wheat
made load fur narfow-gau5e car; aud Two ut
these made load ror the large CIT.
In December. 1873, 153 broad-gauEe cars
Fsre loaded from the nar1ow-gauee,-being over
three times tile amount Of business done II
Decenbsr, 1872. Tie superintendent informedme
ti.t, in January, 1874, they will have earned
eaouEh to pay for all improvements made BY
item thus far. .
Il sill thus be seen that, against oTerwhelm-
ins odds, this road has
FOUGHT ITS WAY TO SUCCESS.
lid demonstrated its capacity TO do the bus1-
Dess OF tie country. Ii has handled all kinds Ut
.1elsnt, hogs, cattle, flour, gram, lumhet,-
esetyth!ns slAt has been offered, at fair and
reasonable rates.
1tmay he asked, How much has the road cost :
The road II grated, aud bridges built to Elkader,
miles By its line tai ,ther than 1t ls now opera
ss;;a; and soma 81, 900 ties nre on hand appltca-
b!e to constl uction farther on. The
10 miles now in operation has cott ID caoh
10! far from $4,000 rer mile. The iron used
aelShs 81 pounds per lineal yard, and u coupled
during tue itteeu months it has been used.
sAoTs hardly any wear. The engines are Light.
aa4 do not ablaje or crush the track From
s.sat to twelve loaded cars are considered lold
os Tie present engines but it is sad that. with
!afle !ie engines, weighing II or IL tons, mola
Gsn double the load could be hauled. -.
-: = more M il now being made 10 get this Toaa
ul'o k"Eades, which premises to pe successful,
Reasonable cost 10 the people. After having
Used Khe road 80 long, our deliberate conclusion