The Emporia news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1859-1881, 1877-11-30
VERY NNRROW GAGUE.
Passenger Cars Running Safely on q
Ten Inch Track.
- NvcrI-

From the New L OK Express.
Boston, Nov. I0.-There is 'Esome-
thing new under the sun" in rail
roads. At least have seen no des-
cription in any New York paper of
what has just been experimentaIly
completed in Massachus etts. A
perfectly working, safe-yes, much
safer than the ordinary-rosd has
been produced, and which will rev.
olutioniZe traffic in both passenger
and freight. The cost and price of
both will come down one-half, and
now they cannot pay expenses.
The young gentleman who con-
ceiVed this new plan is a practical
wood and iron machinist, aud also
an engineer. To show how narrow
a track may be, and be made prac-
teal and safe, with his own hands
he constructed q railroad having
but ten inches wild In of track from
the elevated village of Hyde Park
down to the depot. He also, with
his own hands constructed the cars
to run on the track. In these he
carried in six weeks over 1900 pas
sengers from the village down to
the depot without the slightest in
jury to any one. There were sew
eral short curves on the way, and
the track crossed the highway twice.
The people Of Billerica, wishing q
road across through their town
from North BilIerica, on the Boston
and Lowell Railroad, to Bedford, q
distance of eight and a-half miles,
requested the protector, Mr. George
Z. Mansfield, to come and give the
people lecture on narrow gague
railroads. Some said cit is q Chi
merical notion" but others said
''This is of God and must prevail, y
and they gave a helping hand and
secured g movement so far as to get
q petition for charter from the leg
islature. The charter was allowed.
Then the right of way was secured
gratis the whole distance. Two We
ry able men gave the way only be-
cause, as they said, it was only
visionary, crazy headed scheme, and
would never be accomplished. But
nextthe stock was subscribed. Ben
Butler went in for one fiftieth of
the whole stock, which was $50, 600.
Then came the building of the road,
which was completed by the 1st of
September, so that cars passed with
passengers over the entire route
that day, and secured the right of
way. There are seven bridges on
the route, one over 100 feet long.
The rail weighs Is pounds to the
yard, which is quite strong enough !;
20 pounds would do. The road is
well built and equipped one grade
is 155 feet. z.,,.,7t -
The cars and engines of the road
will at once attract and fix the at
tention. They are very well pro-
pOrtiOned, and make q very hand
some appearance. The engine lie
behind the tender and next the cars,
so that when the train moves the
car next the engines draws down
upon and increases the adhesion of
the engines to the track. Both en-
gine and cars are constructed so a.
to be very near the gravel, giving
great advantages in regard to safety,
also very little oscillation. The
cars have an aisle with one seat on
each side, in the same manner rs or
binary cars have two seats. The
length of the cars allows thirty
seats, each person having q seat to
himself. The cars are warmed with
steam, are we'll ventilated, have
closete, water tank; all the mod
ern improvements, Westinghouse
brakes, etc. They weigh bat four
tons and a-haIf, ordinary cars weigh
ing on an average eighteen tons.
Hence Mansfield will carry sixty
persons with cars weighing nine
tons, while ordinary roads must
draw eighteen tons TO carry fifty-six
persons. The engines are equalIy
light and less costly than on ordli-
nary roads. II Is quite evident that
q road eight and shalt miles long,
which cost equipped $500 less
than $4,000. and which can be run
for less than half the expense upon
ordinary roads, must be 3 great and
notable achievement. The road
cost 81, 800 per mile. The trains
run about twenty miles an hour.
Engines weigh about eight tons,
aud draw TWO passenger and two
freight cars twics 3 day each way,
at . cost of coal only one-fourth
thst of ordinary engines.