The Dallas daily herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1887, 1875-12-24
esTRIDAY MoRsiNa;c s;:l DEG ~,
NAnnow.arAeE noAps.

, The advantages of three-feet guage
railways are manifold in an undula-
ting prairie country like ours. The
narrow-guage may be operated for
about twenty-five per cent less than
the broad-guage, and when the pro-
portion Of expenses to gross receipts Is
seventy-per cent, the ratio Of the mar
row.guage expenses to receipts would
be iifty two and one half per cent,
ard. with strict economy, probably rs
low as forty-five. The narrow-guage
can attain speed nearly, If not fully
equal to the broad-guage, although 1t
has been asserted that fifty and sixty
miles is beyond their capacity. A
speed of sixty miles an hour has never
a been introduced yet, except by one
road of Seuen feet guage In England
This rapid speed pleased travellers
amazingly, and they Willingly paid
thelextra charge for the luxury of be-
ing shot through the country with n
rapidity 80 great rs to render even the
sway-stations OF the line Invisible to
the occupants of the train; but the
railway company paid too dearly for
the enjoyment of the patrons.
This rapid ~ speed was soon
found to be great error, for the wear
and tear on road and rolling stock was
beyond the endurance of finance, and
this high speed was consequently
abandoned. There are but q !ew trains
nowin England that make-reeular
time at fifty miles an hour; the express
passenger traffic Is done Mt from thir'
ty-fve to forty miles, and the general
traffic at about twenty-five. In our
own country the "1ightnmg trains" on
q some of our roads have scarcely reach
ed thirty-four miles an hour, average
speed; and even the approach to this
rate has been discontinued, 50 that our
fast est trains do not now average more
than thirty miles, whilst our general
passenger business is done at n speed
not exceeding twenty miles an hour,
and coal and iron trains have been
wisely brought down MS low us eight
and twelve miles. The wear and tear
Fofponderous locomotives have forced
this change. Here In Texas our eX.
press. trains only average about TWEEN.
ty miles an hour-freight about ten.
Surely the narrow guage light en-
gnes can equal this and give satislac.
ton to the people. One of the largest
items ,ofexpense in broad guage roads
is this crushing out of the track
before the, rails are one-third worn
~ by monster locomotives which carry
on each driving wheel from ten thou
5 sand to seventeen thousand pounds
more of weight than the narrow gaug,
engine, and two thousand pounds
more OH each wheel of passenger
coaches than those of the smaller
gauge. ' ''-' @4
The cutting and filing of narrow
gauge beds through our prairie coun.
try is nearly one-half less than that OF
the wider gauge ;rcurves can be used
and successfully operated as sharp as
stwohpndred feet radius, thus red,ic-
ing the cost of construction nearly
forty per cent.
The rail will be reduced from eighty
pounds per yard to twenty-five and
thirty, and their durability increased
from five to fifteen years. d,
The locomotives can be reduced IN
weight from twenty and sixty tons to
six and fifteen tons. na, -g,
Passenger cars can be reduced from.
sixteen and thirty tons to four and six
and half tons, while freight cars can
4 be reduced from six and fourteen tons
toione and two aud a half tons.
All buildings can be reduced in pro-
portion. Turntables and fixtures at
least three-lifths and this system OF
road can De CONSTRUCTED In one-half
the time required to construct the pre-
sent system and return an interest OH
vested capital proportionateiy en-
shanced.vs sysasazz Eyaswya gcagsgsN 81