The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1874-12-18
A GIGANTIC RAILWAY PROJECT.

An Eight-Track Road between New
York and Chicago - SIX Thousand
Freight Trains I'm Constant Notion
How Freight Rates May he Reduced
Three rourtns-
A new and important railroad move
ment is said to be on the tdpiS. 1t is
understood that the management of the
New York Central and Lake Shore rail
roads are contemplating the formation
of Joint company, with view to lay
ing exclusive freight tracks all the way
from Chicago to New York and Boston.
The extra two tracks between Albany
and Buffalo are nearly complete, and
the plan is to continue the extra double
tracks from Buffalo to Chicago. When
this is done it will be possible to carry
freight at very much cheaper rates than
it can now be handled on the Baltimore
and Ohio railroad, Notwithstanding the
shorter distance on the last mentioned
railway. 1t is believed that the freight
can be transported on an exclusive
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 q uniform time
table, the freight track.not being ham,
pered by passenger trains or trains of
unequal rates of speed, an intellectually
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 one thousand miles, if
we allow that under such regulations as
the above there would be three trains
Of from ten to twenty cars per mile, we
should have the enormous aggregate,
on the two tracks, of six thousand trains
constantly in motion. Such a stipend
GUS amount of business as this would
enable the companies to reduce freight
charges to a point far below anything
now thought of. Under uniform time
table it would be possible 30 throw open
the freight business TO general COMPETE
ton 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 It's most
perfect form. With quadruple track
it is believed that the Central railroad
could defy comp etition, and carry freight
at one-third the charges of the Balti-
more and Ohio railroad, and the imme-
date effect of the change would be the
ruin of the Erie railway. The way this
rand scheme is to be carried out is as
yet undetermined, but it is in contem-
plation, we are assured; In fact, 1t is
forced upon the New York Central by
the exigencies of the situation. OF
course, in taking tins departure, the
New York Central will cut loose from
all connections with other trunk lines,
and will undoubtedly force the Pennsyl-
vania Central into q similar arrange
ment, which would give these two roads
the practical monopoly and complete
command of the freight business, at
the same time meeting the growing de-
mands of the country for cheap freight.
The cost of this vast improvement
would be commensurate with its i'm
portance, but after all would not amount
to such sum as TO be impossible for
such powerful corporation as would
be formed by the combination 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 Harlem
road and its additional tracks, now
nearly completed between Albany and
Buffalo, has practically a quadruple
track from New York to Buffalo. and of
the whole distance between Buffalo and
Chicago-541 miles-the Lake Shore
and Michigan Southern Company has
now 1913 miles of double track. There
remains, therefore, but 219 miles of
single track to be laid to make that
section double-track railway and but
54l miles more of double track To COM
plete the quadruple track from New
York to Chicago. At the latest prices
paid fer honest and economical con-
structions this work could be done for
$50, 900, 900. The united capital of the
two roads amounts TO $l39, 42S, 800 and
the funded debts of the two roads are
about S64, 100000. An addition of
$25, 000,000 to the latter would make
the aggregate liabilities OF the COM
bined company amount to S228, 600, 900,
which, with the new tracks proposed
and present length of main road and
branches, would make an average in
debtedness per mile of single track of
less than SO 000.-NeIO York GFdDhic,