The Portland daily press., 1875-01-19
The Railroads vf Maine.
REPORT OF THE RAILROAD COMMISSIONERS.

| The annual report of the Railroad Commits
| soners, Hon. S. FL. Blake, Col. A. w. Wildes
| and John f. Anderson Esq, will be made pub
| lie in a few days. The report is about three
| times the length of previous reports and treats
of many subjects not heretofore discussed
| therein. The present is the sixteenth annu-
al report and it begins with the fattering state
ment that the railroads of the state are in
| better condition than ever before, and that
while the depression of the times has affected
| them, their future looks brighter and better
| than heretofore. The Grand Trunk, Name
| Central and Portland & Rochester are specially
mentioned in Tho connection 1t is further
| stated that 70 great accident has taken place
| during the year, no life having been lost upon
any of them through the neglect of officers or
| employees. Three new railroads have been
opened for business the past year, viz:
| the Somerset 20 miles long, the Lewiston &
| Auburn branch of the Grand Trunk 81 miles
| long and the Bucksport & Bangor IS miles
| long In addition to this the Bangor & Pts
| cataauis has been extended from Dover to Alb
bott, 6 miles, making the aggregate length of
railroads in the state 960a miles
The Commissioners next introduce all of
the statutes of the state relating to their duties
| and powers.
The next subject considered is that of the
| maximum length, weight and rate of speed
| which it is economical to run trains. This sub
| iect is very thoroughly considered and the best
authorities consulted. The report contains an
extract on this subject from Prof. Vose's Man
uaf for Railroad Engineers in which it is sug-
gested that railway managers adopt higher
rate of tariff express trains since the cost of
running and wear and tear of rolling stock and
tracks is said to increase nearly as the square
of the speed. An English authority on this
subject in 1866 asserted that the same rails re-
auired more than three times the amount of
traffic to wear them out at low rates of speed
| than at high. Robert Stevenson, the father of
| railroadipg, has estimated that the most ad
vantageous speed for railroads is fifteen
| miles an hour for passenger and seven miles
| an hour for freight trains The most eminent
| civil engineer in this country, MIR. Latrobe OF
| Baltimore, suggests that the most desirable
speed where practicable is about eight miles an
| hour for freight, an twenty-five miles an hour
| for passenger trains including stops The rule
| generally obtaining in this country is from II
| to Is miles an hour for freight and 80 for pas
senger trains. The Commissioners think that
railroads get little credit for running at high
rates for when the public gets so miles an hour
it will demand sixty and SO on. In view Of
| all the facts, the commissioners raise the in
curry whether it would not be best TO reduce the
great length and weight of trains by making
more smaller ones, and to reduce the speed
inversely to the weight of trains moved so as to
accord more strictly with the known natural
law of applied power.
Following these suggestions respecting speed
ETC., is an extract from communication pre-
pared by Supt. Sawyer of the st. Croix & Pc
nobscot Railroad upon this same subject. which
the commissioners speak in high terms OF. Mr.
Sawyer says that two engines equal in every
respect were used on his road. One ran at a
speed of 26 miles an hour AZ miles daily and at
speed of IA miles an hour daily with freight
train, making daily total of 81 miles until it
had run 1900 miles. The other ran 81 miles