The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1874-03-19
NarroW.Gauge Railways.

The friends of the narrow. gauge system of
railways in this country have been actively
though quietly at work during the past two or
three years, with practical results which will
surprise those who have not closely observed
the progress making in this new and important
movement. There are at this time in the diff
ferent States and Territories no less than thir-
ty-eight different narrow-gauge roads either
completed or in the course of construction,
and all of thep in actual operation, having an
aggregate of $50 miles of track already laid,
and which, if finished according to the plans
on which they have been begun, will give an
aggregate of 1851 miles of narrow-gauge road.
In late number of the american Manutactu-
rers' Journal we find q mass of interesting Sta
tistics on this subject showing more clearly
than anything which has hitherto appeared the
progress of the narrow-gauge system, especially
in the South and the far West. Of the thirty
eight roads referred to above the longest is the
Denver and Rio Grande, which has 159 miles
of completed track, and is to be extended to
total length of $40 miles; the Cairo and st.
Louis Road, which is to be $50 miles in length,
IA miles of track being already laid; the
Utah Northern Road of 160 miles, with 20
miles completed; and the Kansas Central
Road, $50 miles long, IS miles of which have
been completed. Besides the roads in the
United States, there are in the British posses
sions of North America five narrow-gauge rail-
ways having an aggregate of 456 miles of COM
pleted road, and which when finished will
make an aggregate of 8l1 miles. In addition
to the roads partially or wholly built which are
in actual operation in the United States, there
are large number of others already in con-
struction. The Manufacturers Journal gives
the names of twenty-five of these which are to
be from 10 to $50 miles in length, eight of them
being over 200 miles long. 1t also gives the
names of thirty other companies organized to
build narrow-gauge roads. So far as reports
have been made concerning the practical work
ing of the narrow gauge system its results have
Rio Grande road for the first ten months of
1873 showed net traffic earnings amounting to
nearly 49 per cent of the gross receipts. The
Toronto, Grey and Bruce road in Canada for
the year ending June 80, 1873, reports net
traffic earnings Of "a per cent, and the Toron-
to and Nipissing for the same year of 394 per
cent. on the gross. The Arkansas Central
Road, for its short line of 81 miles completed,
showed net earnings at the rate of $4,000 per
mile per year. We do not know what this
road cost, but the first division of the Denver
and Rio Grande Road cost only S13,500 per
mile, with its equipment, while the Canada
roads are said to have averaged $4,000 per
mile.
Whatever opinion railroad men may unite
on in respect to narrow gauge tracks for the
great established thoroughtares of traffic, there
can be no doubt that their introduction will
be of immense value in developing new Sec
tions of the country where railroad facilities
are required but where the capital is wanting
to build roads on the expensive plan in gener.
al use