Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1875-07-23
SUCCESS OF THE CAIRO AND ST.
EnETS RAfEROAn ut Is no,

SUCCESS OF THE CAIRO AND ST.
LOCIS EXTRAORDINARY 1T IS DO.
ING.
Our correspondent, Paul Bsgley, has
written Us several times inregsrd to this
nsrrOw-gauge road, giving many inter-
es.ing facts with which our readers are
familiar. A writer from Cairo to the
Lynn, Massachusetts, paper says in
reference TO this same road:
/ also see by the Lynn papers that
there seems to be a distTust in the minds
OF some IS to the practicability and
safety Of the narTOW-gauge roads, and
perhaps a word in this connection would
not be out Of place. The Cairo and St
Louis railroad, running from this place
to st. Louis, distance of one hundred
and fifty miles, is the largest narrow
gauge road in this country, if not in the
world. The gauge is three feet, and the
road has been in successful operation for
the past three years without an acct
dent Of Importance. The cars and rolling
stock are first-class. Engines weigh six
teen tons and easily draw twenty freight
cars. carrying eight tons each, over or
binary grade. The passenger coaches
will seat thirty-ttve or forty people, are
fully equal TO any have seen in the
east, and are the most comfortable, eX-
cept the Pullman cars, | ever rode on.
l have been over the road at a rate Of
thirty miles an hour, and considered
myself as safe as il was on the east
ern railroad" The cost Of the road was
about two.thirds the cost Of the ordinary
road, and its success being so fully as
sured, a company is being organized to
extend the little toy ROAD" las some OF
its enemies call it, to Memphis and
Nicksburg in the south, and to Savan-
nah in the southeast. The tOtSl expense
Of our little road since it began business
has been only fifty -eight per cent. Of its !
gross earnings. We can imagine the re-
suit when well established, and better
times prevail. 1t hiss already reduced
The local freights One-half, and local
fares a great deal-in fact the narrow
gauge roads are success beyond all ques- !
ton.
In addition to these complimentary
remarks we have the testimony Of Viii.
liam 4. Wsde, OF the Milan Exchange,
who recently went over this rosd both |
going to aud com ug from ST. Louis, for |
TIE purpose Of inspecting it. He is |
not only a competent but uuprejudiced :
witness, and his statements may he i'm |
plicitly relic 4 upon for truthfulness and !
accuracy, We are gis 10 see that a
company is about 10 be organized to ex-
tend this road through Memphis to
Nicksburg. A line Of railway extending
from the mouth Of the OHIO down the
Mississippi river, retaining hundreds
Of thousands Of acres Of the most fertile
lands "A the world, and connecting New
Orleans, the commercial emporium Of
TIE south, with what Reavis calls the
"t-turs great city" Of Amer a, ST.
LoJif must be national work in its
gr-ldeur and its usefulness. The Ec.
change ssys: ave enjoyed the privi-
le-e, las. week, Of passing over the Cairo
and st. Louis narrow-gsuge railroad,
and will tell our resders something
about it. Possibly We may have use
for The information after awhile. We
found the cars elegantly5fitted upand the
seats comfortable. Theroad runs through
some rough and some good country.
There are some steep grades on the line,
but the trains can make about the same
speed as broad-gauge trains would. An
engine hauls one hundred
and twenty-five tons of paying freight
over eighty-five feet grades. The cars
are about one-half weight Of standard
gauge cars, and can carry fom-fifths as
Iuch. The iron used ranges from thirty
% forty pounds to the yard, according to