The Worthington advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1874-1908, 1875-02-26

~AOASS AA0AAy ACA upOA ~ oOu1A q AsC-
publican and SO pure a man as Judge
Mcmillan. No thanks to the Davis
faction for this result.
NAKKOW-GAUGE.
now no soLrE THE 7wAMspoR!A-
7ION PROBLEM
In our issue of last week, We prom
ised to give some facts and figures to
show how the narrow-gauge railroad
is to be the principal factor in solving !
the transportation problem. These
facts and figures we find collated in
the Memorial to Congress Of the
President Of the Forty-First Parallel
Narrow-Gauge Railroad, projec ed
from Toledo to Omaha:
COST OF ROADS.
l. In the figures given as to cost Of
roads, the maximum is taken. The |
cost per mile of the standard gauge,
fully equipped, Is put at $4,000, and
of the narrow-gauge at $4,000 per
mile, showing that the narrow-gauge
does not cost half as much to build
as the wide or standard gauge. This
is for iron rails. Relative cost when
steel rails are used about the same.
BUSINESS CAPACITY.
2. The length Of standard gauge
freight train Of twenty cars is $50
feet; Of a narrow gauge train of twen-
ty-tive cars, $50 feet. This is 20 feet
in favor of the narrow-gauge train,
which in 1000 miles would make
difference of several TRAINS. The
weight of the ordinary freight car is
10 tons and the load carried is 10 tons.
Weight of narrow-gaugc car tons,
load 8 tons. Hence 25 narrow-g gauge
cars will carry the same amount Of
paying weight carried by 20 standard
cars. The weight Of standard
freight train is as follows:
Empty. 25S tons.
or narrow-gauge freight train:
Empty, 1 GS9 tons.
1t will be seen that the narrow
gauge train, loaded with the amount
OF freight carried by the standard
train, is 80 tons lighter than the stand
. ard gauge train empty!
The same is true of passenger
trains. The narrow-gaugc train load
ed with rs many tens as can he put
on the standard gauge train, i; still
81 tons lighter than the standard
gauge train when empty!
COST OF OPERATING.
8. The cost of operating roads Of
the ordinary gauge is from to 8
mills per ton per mile That of ope-
rating narrow-gauge roads is from
to 6 mills per ton per mile. This
will be better understood by the state
ment that the cost Of operating and
maintaining the best standard gauge
roads is about 81 per cent. Of gross
earnings, while that of the Denver t.
Rio Grande narrow-gauge road, in
1874, did not exceed so per cent. GA
a very limited business.
FINANCIAL RESULTS.
4. Assuming the annual tonnage
between New York and the Missis-
sippi to be $500, 900 tons, tue Memo
rial shows that it costs about $25, 00O,-
900 to move this tonnage by the pres
ent gauge railroads. BY narrow
gauge roads it would cost from $l2,.
900, 900 to $4,000, 900, a saving Of
nearly one halt.
Here is a cutting down of nearly
one-halfin the cost Of transportation
between the Mississippi and the sea-
80 board, upon lines which could he OPP
Grated summer and winter. and this
&. fact, If it be practically correct, will
make the narrow-gauge the most I'M
s.l'ortant element III solving the great
problem now puzzling the people Of
the West. 49, <1<-.-# ss.4:n>.e 49,. 49, 49,
Mrs. Moulton, in. her testimony,
says she told Tilton that he Yas vii