The Jackson standard. [volume] (Jackson C.H., Ohio) 1847-1888, 1874-12-31

full investigations of the economy of mar
row gauge railways, in asserting that the
Springfield, jackson q Pomeroy Railway
will prove paying investment to all who
subscribe to its stock
1t can be built very cheaply, COM
pared with other railways in Ohio, cost
ing less than half the average of what are
called the standard gauge railways In
addition to the ordinary passenger and |
freight traffic drawn to lines of railway,
our proposed line will have guaranteed
by its location, a very large and regular |
business in coal, iron, salt, Waverly sand |
stone, and lumber transportation.
No mineral road in Ohio has hereto
fore been built of the standard gauge at a
less cost than $4,000 per mile, yet they
all pay large dividends on that cost.
Placing our line on the lowest scale
among mineral railways, We are assured
of annual dividends of ten per cent. at
least.
ADVANTAGES OF THE NARROW GAUGE.
Carefully compiled statistics, together
with the closest observation of practical
railway men, demonstrate conclusively
the following facts;
L. That in broken, rolling country,
like that over which most railways are
built, the cost of constructing the narrow
gauge is from one-half to two.thirds less
than the cost of constructing the broad
gauge.
2. That the cost of equipping and oper-
ating the narrow gauge is vastly less than
the cost of equipping and operating the
broad gauge.
3. That for transporting passengers the
narrow gauge is as fast as comfortable,
and as safe as the broad gauge; while
from the comparatively small cost of
building and operating the narrow gauge
1t can furnish lower rates OF fare than the
broad gauge.
4. That the narrow gauge can success
fully carry live stock, grain, lumber
and in fact every class of freight, at a
sa, "a 20 the 81 pp7r of at least thirty
three per cent. OF the cost Of shipping "
the broad gauge.
5. That from their small cost light
operating expenses, trifiing interest ac-
count. and successful carrying capacity,
the narrow gauges have proved to be pay
ing investments.
3. That the narrow gauge will supply
the great want of the times-cheap trans
portation.
The. NARROW GAUGE FOR FREIGHT PURPOSES
FACTS AND FIGURES SHOWING ITS
SUCCESSES.
| Extract from the report of William j.
Palmer, President of the Denver & Rio
Grande Railway-Narrow Gauge.
Are not the cars too small to carry
certain kinds of freight tadvantageously?"
No; because the last years business
showed that in actual average working,
the narrow gauge box car, weighing four
| tons, carries even:
Pounds
| OF wool in sacks, loose ............... 5000
! OF wool in bales, loose.................. 5000
OF wagons and agricultural ma
chlnery.... ..........-.................. 9,OOO
OF furniture..... .....--................. 4,OOO
These are the most bulky articles which
a railroad has to carry, but even of these
] the proportion of empty to paying weight
| is in favor Of the narrow gauge.
Pounds
OF groceries and dry goods, the av-
erage load of the car was........... 1880
OF iron, nails, hardware, lumber
grain, -four, ores, stone lime, and
all other heavy freights, it was... 16 900
Can cattle and horses be carried p
Yes; the stock cars are six and a half
feet wide, twenty eight feet long, weigh
eight thousand FIVE hundred pounds and
carry nine head of cattle. The animals
stand lengthwise with the car, which is
better for them than sidewise, as they
can steady themselves more readily.
The comparison with the broad gauge
is as follows:
"Wide-gau cattle-car, 80 feet long, 8
feet wide inside-empty weight, 10000
number of cattle, IA; dead weight of car
to one animal, ,347 pounds.
Marrow gauge cattle car, g. feet wide,
% feet long-empty weight, $500 TBS );
number of cattle 9; dead weight of car
to one animal, 944 pounds-saving about
80 per cent"
On this subject Col. Greenwood says
"The increase of business could not out
run the capacity of the three feet gauge,
for the three feet road can handle as
many passengers and as many tons of
freight per day or. annum as broad
gauge.
1.-The narrow gauge system does not
mean simply less width between the
rails. 1t means common sense applied
years of experience and close application
to business by railway managers.
THE QUESTION OF TRAvEIING-THE NARROW
GAUGE AS CARRIER OF PASSENGERS.
SIZE OF CAR.
The first class narrow gauge car is
feet wide, 40 feet long; weighs 81 tons
net seats so passengers, having two rows
of double seats separated by an aisle oi
suitable width.
COMFORT.
President Palmer, of the Denver q Rio
sGrande narrow gauge, says: "The cars
are comfortable, well ventilated, hand,
somely fitted up, and the $4,000 passen-
gers who passed over the road last year
certainly rode as steadily, and, as far as
could be judged altogether satisfactor-
lily, as on any wide gauge road.
SPEED AND SAFETY
President Palmer also writes: GAS be
fore stated, the trains, both freight and
passenger, run on the Denver & Rio
Grande Railway at the same rate of speed
as on all wide gauge roads west of the
Missouri river \ As regards
safety, the cars are no more likely. to up.
set than on the wide gauge roads, be-
cause the center of gravity is lowered.
There is one respect in which
the narrow gauge car is undoubtedly
safer to travel in than the wide gauge
; that is in the reduction of the momen-
tum, which is the measure of the diff
Guilty of stopping its headway in case OF
danger, as well as of the conclusion in
case of collision or being thrown from
the track. To carry 100 passengers on a
narrow gauge road, the weight of the
cars would be Is tons, instead of about
Sc tons as on the broad gauge, conse
quently the momentum of the same
speed would be but little over one half.
Colonel Greenwood, Chief Engineer oil
the Denver & Rio Grande Railway
claims that for going around curves, cars
hold to the track more firmly on the
narrow paupe than on the broad gauge.