The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1875-03-19

mile between the river and Armstropgs
Mills, which, in all probability, Is nOttar
from the mark. Such an estimate ShoWs
to decided advantage in comparison with
the cost Of the Central Ohio road between
Bellairo and Baruesyille, which was from
Gfty to sixty thousand dollars per mile.
suppOsing, however, the cost to be Sl5,-
900 per mile, tho margin for profit is still
highly encouraging. Almost any local
road in this region, built at such figure,
and intslligently and honestly run, would
pay q dividend to its stockholders. It Ia
the immense disprOpOrtion Of dead weight
to paying freight that makes the standard
roads so expensive and uuremunerative.
Tho annual report Of the Board Of Rail-
road Commissioners Of Massachusetts,
shows that the standard roads Of that
State carried in 1873 an average Of only
81 tons Of freight per train, and that they
carried three tons Of dead weight for one
Of paying freight and in passenger
transportation the average was 6S passen-
gers per train, and for each passenger
there were transported $3.50 pounds Of
dead weight.
What Is true Of these Massachusetts
roads Is true OF the standard roads in the
country, Tho weight Of cars, engines and
machinery Is feartully disproportionOd to
the business done, and hence tho high
rates upon the paying traffic. It would
seem to bo q scli.evident proposition that
any system Of transportation which em'
ploycs, for carrying singleton Of freight,
from three to ten tons Of carriages, must
bo radically defective, and It would be
strange II tho inventive genius Of the pres
ent day was not competent to dovise an
improvement upon II.
President Palmer, Of the Denver 4
Rio Grande narrow.gaugO road, In his
last annual report, says;
1.-THE gauge Of 8 feet has continued to
demonstrate ib advantages, f" u
As regards the cost Of operating, II the
line had all the business to do which the
capacity Of its present rolling stock, even,
would permit, instead Of being 80, would
not have exceeded So pCr cent, and 1t
would have been very much less II the
full capacity Of is single track and pres-
ent sidings had been reached"
Upon this road a Seventcen.ton loco.
motive has haulcd train Of twenty.tour
ears with casO up grade seven miles
long, averaging 40 feet to tho mile, four
miles Of the seven having q grade Of 70
feOt to the mile. The weight Of this train
with itS load, including locomotive, was
l57 tons, and 1t was carried over a new
track. Passenger trains on that road
have frequently been driven at aSpecd Of
thirty miles per hour with entire safety.
At the close Of the year 1873, there were
In The United States and Canada about
400 miles Of narrow gauge railroad In
operation, bcsides 1900 miles under con'
structiOn, and at least 10000 miles organ
lied and chartered. Tho SUCCESS Of tho
system thus far seems to demonstrate that
the narrow gauge railroad, while vastly
cheaper In construction and operation
than the old system, has sufficient capaci-
ty, power and speed to answer tho general
requirements. And what Ia most lmpor-
tant, II may be regarded as certain that
tho narrow gauge railroad can be made 10
carry freight and passengers, with profit,
at rates not higher than the present low
eat water rates.
Upon the basis Of the facts furnished TO
the country In regard to tho relative
economy Of narrow.gauge system wo ace
great encouragement for those who favor
the building Of the local roads in this rec
gton to which we have referred. Atacost
Of $4,000 per mile there shouldsbo no
difficulty In building q road from the
Ohio river through Brooke county to
Washington, Pa The country Ia rich in
coal and in agricultural products. The
people Of those two counties would be
greatly benefited by such an avenue Of
travel and transportation, especially at
this season Of the year when the roads
are almost impossible for loaded wagons.
And the same remark applies with more
or loss exactness to all the projected
roads named at tho outset Of this article.
The people really need the facilities which
such local roads will furnish. They will
not only economite transportation, but
likewise stimulate the deyelopemetn Of
The localities through which they will
pass, and thus greatly increase the wealth