The daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1873-1877, 1874-12-01
A GIGANTIC RAILWAY PROJECT.
An Eight.Trnck Road between New
York and chicago.--six Thousand
Freight TRAINS In Constant NOTION
How Treights may be Reduced Tnfes-
"a Fouxths. r&sa G
So. a. nour cranbic N. r., Nov. %.

From the Daily Graphic, n. j. nov. q ,ora-
A new and important raiiroa1 INV
rment is said to be on the taps. ~ ls un.
. derstnod that the management VI .nS 1som
WI Central and Lake Shore Railroads
are Contemplating the formation OF 2 joint
oamnany, with view of having exclusive
freight tracks all the way from Chicago to
Nav York. and Boston. The extra two
tracks between Albany and Buffalo are
nearly completed, and the plan is to con
tinue the extra double track from Bunaio
to Chicago, When this is done it will be
possible to carry freight at. very muc1
Cheaper rates than it can now be handled
on the Baltimore and Ohio railroad, not
with standing the shorter distance on the
last mentioned railway. 1t 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 eight miles an hour, which is the
rate that gives the least wear and tear OF
track and cars, On a uniform timetable,
the freight track not being hampered by
passenger trains or trains of unequal rates
Of speed. an incalculably large amount OF
business can thus be done. Under such
an arrangement it would be possible to run
trains which would be less than half
mile apart. Now, as the distance from
New York to Chicago is about 200 miles
;f WE allow that under such regulations as
the above there would be three trains Of
from ten TO twenty cars per mile,we should
haze the enormous aggregate, on the two
tracks, of 5000 trains constantly IN mo-
ton. Such stupendous amount OF bust
ness as this would enable the companies to
reduce freight charges to point far below
anything now thought of. Under a uni
form timetable it 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 canals. This
would give free trade in freight In its most
perfect form With quadruple track It
is believed that the Central Railroad could
DEFY competition and carry freight at one
third the charges Of the Baltimore and
Ohio railroad, and the immediate effect Of
the change would be the ruin OF the Erie
railroad. The way this grand scheme is to
be carried out is as yet undetermined in
fact it is forced upon the New York Cen
trail by the exigencies of the situation. vi
course, in taking this departure, the New
York Central will cut loose from all con.
nections with other trunk lines, and will
undoubtedly force the Pennsylvania Cen
trail into a similar arrangement, whlcf
would give these two roads the practica
monopoly and complete command OF The
freight business, at the same time meeting
the growing demands of the country fol
cheap freight.
The cost of this vast improvement woult
be commensurate with its Importance, bu
after all would not amount to such sun
as to be impossible for such powerful cor
poration as would be formed by the com
biuation of the New York Central and
Hudson River and the Lake Shore and
Michigan Southern companies. The first
named company with the lease of the Har-
lem road and its additional tracks wv
nearly completed between Albany and Buff
falo, has practically quadruple track
from New York to Buffalo, and of the
whole distance between Buffalo aud Chica-
go-54I miles-the Lake Shore and Michi-
gan Southern has now 1923 miles of double
track. There remains, therefore, but 2l9
miles of single track to be laid to make the
section double track railway, and but "a
miles more of double track to complete the
quadruple track from New York to Chica-
co. At the latest prices paid for honest
aud economical construction this work
could be Gone for S25, 10000 The united
capital of the two roads amounts to Sl39,-
i2S. 800, and the funded debts OF the two /
'oads are about $G4, 100000. An add |
ion of S25,O00,0 900 to the latter would |
make the aggregate liabilities OF the com
1ined company amount to 22s,0e0, 900,
which, with the new tracks proposed and
present length OF main road and branches,
would make an average Indebtedness per
mile of single track of less than $32, 000