The Emporia news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1859-1881, 1875-10-22
Marrow Gauge RaI.roas~.
'E'he Way "a get Cheap ira ~.
pOFSa iOn

The Way 10 s-G Cheap Fra Ha-
POrSasiOn.
At q recent meeting of the
cheap transportation association
Mr.. X. Hornish. president of the
forty-first parallel railroad, deliv-
cred an interesting address on
narrow gauge railroads. He said
that capital was demanding in
creased rates for transportation,
and public u reduction, and as the
case stands, commerce must have
s. red lction, an.l capital an adj
vance in rates. The struggle had
been going on for two years. 1t
was a paradoxical struggle, for
both contestants were actually on
the same side, and both would
suffer should either gain victory.
The entire trouble, he thought,
grew out ofthe nature of Gus rail,
roads. Railroads of the standard
gauge flour feet eight and one
half inehes) were not adapted to
the conditions of the con- merce of
the country, and hence were fail
urcs as means of cheap trasporta
ton AMI safe investment. The
remedy lay in narrow gauge rail-
roads (three feet). BY their use
commerce could secure low rates,
and capital safety and lemunera-
ton equal to the best permanent
investments in the world. Mr.
Hornish continued:
We are estimating for a first
class road and first class equip
ments and appointments, with an
average of $500 tons per mile,
or an average :on e6whole line
of 1000 miles Or 100000 tons
per anum. From these data we
obtain our train miles and our ton
mileage.
After forty live years of expert
ence and development, the lowest
average net cost per ton mile on
our four first-class trunk roads,
viz; the New York Central, the
Erie, the Pennsylvania Central,
and the Baltimore and Ohio, is
eight mills per ton mile and the
lowest average gross, tariff is
twelve mills per ton, that is eight
mills for expense and four mills
for interest and dividend on in
vestment. Flrst-class single track
roads can exceed this avera ge:
from nine to twelve mills being
the net cost, and from fourteen to
sixteen mills the average gross
tariff.
At the average of twelve mills
gross tariff and eight mills net
cost the profits will fairly cover
the Interest ON the cost of dou-
BILE tracked road. with first class
equipments and appointments, and
at the average of eight mills the
entire investment becomes worth
less. 1t is therefore evident that
if our standard roads were given
to the public for nothing they
could not make the tariff rates re-
guiIed. If the rate on bulk freight
were made at less than the aver
age cost, the rate on all other
freight would have to be advanced
hey Ond an equitable pro rata.
In the case of q narrow gauge
railroad the average tariff of eight
mills give an interest on the cost
of double track road, and also
large contingent fund, and the
capital is not impaired until the
average comes below six mills.
At the rate of eight mills the stan
dard road becomes bankrupt,
while the narrow gauge earns ten
per cent. on the cost of double
track, besides two million five
hundred Thousand dollars for a con-
tingent sinking fund.
On roads where the average
train load is two hundred tons.
the average train mile must cost
one dollar, and this is equal to
five mills per ton mile. Should
the average train load he less than
two hundred tons the average
cost must be proportiOnately less
than five mills, and if the cost be
made less than five mills, then by
so much less the road will have
the margin to cover fluctuations
in trade and contingencies for
which there can be no calculation
made.
The speaker instanced severa
standard roads showing that their
running expenses in many instan-
ces were equal to their gross re-
ceipts, and that in a few only did
they pay dividends on their CAPT
tai stock. He held that narrow
gauge road would pay handsomely
on an amount of business that
would enable a standard road
merely to exist. In all the histo-
ry of railroading broad gauge rail-
roads had broken down from their
own magnitude. There were sew
en- feet, six feet, and five and q
half feet roads, and the expert
encc of forty five years has proved
them failures. Even the standard
railroads-four feet eight and one
half inches-and failures in six
cases out of eight.
In Russia the question has been
met squarely, and the Russian
railroads were being cut down
from a five feet to a three and q
half feet gauge, and the result was
satisfactory in every sense. The
main point in the argument was
that the narrow gauge system