Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1875-04-18
NARROW-GAUGE RAILROAD.
Khe Line From Cairo 10 80. LOuIs-WhaI
It Is and What It Has Accomplished
Reliable Information.
From an Occasional Correspondent

From an Occasional Correspondent
CAIRO, ILL, April I6.-I came here
for the purpose of ascertaining if all thai
was said in favor Of the narroW-gaug
system Of railroads was true, or whethe eI
the benefits had not been exaggerated
L propose to give you the actual results
as far as they have been developed on
the Cairo and,St Louis (three feet gauge)
rOi.d. The road has been finished this
winter to this place from st. Louis, q
distance Of one hundred and fOrty-eight
miles. The road from this place to Muir
freesboro, a distance OF fifty-eight miles,
mas been finished this winter, and as the
winter was very severe at the time the
track was laid, the road, as far as Muir
freesboro, Is not in good condition but
soon will be as they are busily at work
ballasting it. The road has been rum
ming from st. Louis to Murfreesboro, 8
distance of ninety miles, more than q
year. That is the portion upon which
passenger coaches and freight cars have
been regularly run although it was in
an unfinished condition, not having any
outlet to Cairo. The road has been very
successful thus far upon these ninety
miles. The gross earnings of the road
were thirty-two thousand three hundred
and forty.six dollars during the month
of October, 1874. The expenses of the
road during that same month, including
ordinary and extraordinary, were seven
teen thousand seven hundred and tWen-
ty-tive dollars, leaving as the net earn.
ings, fourteen thousand six hundred and
twenty-One dollars per month, or one
hundred and seventy-five thousand four |
hundred and fifty-twO dollars per an
mum upon cost of two millions of dol |
lars, or little over eight and half per |
cent. upon the entire cost OF that part of |
the road. During the week ending the |
eighth of April, 1875, that portion of the |
road received as gross earnings six thou. |
sand five hundred end eighty-nine dol |
lars or three hundred and forty-tWo |
thousand six hundred and twenty
eight dollars for the whole year. |
These are the results when only ninety
miles Of the road were in operation. On |
next Monday they will commence rum
ming the cars regularly through from
Cairo to st. Louis, and after the road is
repaired they will make the trip in
seven hours, which will be little more
han twenty miles an hour. The
passenger trains have been running
rom st. Louis to MurfreesborO at the
'ate OF twenty miles an hour. The
passenger coaches carry comfortably
hirty-two passengers to the coach; the
reight cars carry eight tons, or sixteen
thousand pounds, to the car. No seri-
,us accident or loss of life has occurred
N the road. The largest locomotive
Weighs twenty-five tons, and the small
st eleven tons. The road has been
heavily ironed and has expensive equip.
nents, because it will have very heavy
BUSINESS. Roads of the same gauge in
tennessee will not cost more than half
What this has done. Coal mines have
een opened on this road that furnish
oal equal to Pittsburg coal, which can ]
e used and is now being used in MAX '
ng iron without being coked. This {
Oal has no sulphur and no slate ia it. !
his is the source from whence Mem t
his must draw her supply Of coal. The {
resident of this Cairo and st. Louis '
Ompany, Colonel S. s. Taylor, is one {
I the most energetic, able and progress
We men in Illinois. To his exertIons, 1
ided by an able board of directors, does
his road owe its success. So confident
re they of its success that they are +
nXiOus for it to be examined by all C
Tho doubt the practicability Of the mar l
)w-gauge system. 1t is in contempla- l
on to extend thisroad through Browns |
lille and Memphis down the Mis- l
ssippi TO Vickshurg, and perhaps l
, New Orleans. The money to build l
lis compsny's road has been furnished l
y capitalists from Amsterdam, who are l
eeply interested in narroW-gauge roads, l
the Denver and Rio Grande, l
nd Cairo and st. Louis. They have
reat confidence in the narrow gauge
ystem as paying investment, and, l
are willing to aid in build 1
g them where the people manifest q 5
cal interest. Roads of this description 5
ON Memphis or st. Louis to tile gulf, 9
to the Atlantic-or, in other words, l
ON deep water to deep water-must be |
success. They will then not be de- 2
,ndent on other roads for connections, 2
id can sustain themselves. There can 3
no doubt about their success if they 3
uld be built. The danger is that means 3
fficient cannot be obtained to build 8
em. The information l have given T
III can be relied upon, and if persons Ii
e in doubt, let them come and see for d
emselves.