The Bolivar bulletin. [volume] (Bolivar, Hardeman County, Tenn.) 1865-1888, 1877-04-19
Narrow Gauge Railroads.


While the Southern people are mourn
ing over the INDIGESTION Of the fraudulent
President, Col w. w. Vaughan is as
busy as n bee at work on bis narrow.
gauge railway from Memphis to Cairo
Indeed, there 10 no man in the South
contributing SO much to she great ma
terial interests of our people as w. W.
YsughRn- lie is building the Only new
railway now In eoOstFu ctiOn in the South
eFn States. Notwithstanding the general
depression of business, Col. Vaughan is
making rapid progress in the cOnstruc-
ton of the Holly Springs, Brownsville
and Ohio narrow gage read, the south
ern terminus of which will be in Mem
phis and its northern at Cairo, which
fact is q high tribute TO Col. Vaug hans
enc y. In future articles We shall fully
discuss the advantages which Memphis
and Shelby county will derive By the
road which Col. Vaughan is pushing for
ward with such surprising success, but
on the present occasion We shall merely
allude to the advantage of the narrow
gauge system of railways, which have
very appropriately been called west
pocket railroads" They are certainly
the poor mans railroad, as they can be
built within the means OF the poor peO-
pie and small towns. The reaction in
Ohio in faveF of marrow gauge railroads
hae made a complete revolution in pub
lie opiAiou. An intelligent correspond
ent of the Cincinnati Gazette demon
strates that no 'toWn or township with
one enterprising man in it need be with
out q narrow gauge railroad, and this as
sertion will become more plausible as the
system becomes better understood. 1t
is the great street railroad of the couu-
try, stopping IN front of farmers
house and taking himself and family
abroad, enabling him TO go to town to
trade or visit a neigh Dor cheaper and
more comfortably than he can go other
wise 1t is the great steamboat system
revived and put on heels, viz: that of
accommodating the public. Ard the
time will speedily come when farmers,
who have heretofore fought railroads,
| will take stock largely IN these enter
prises aud viii pay bonus TO have them
| pass through tn .Ir farms rather than
| half q mile distant. A steamboat will
| land at no little inconvenience to take n
passenger on board for short distance.
How much more easily can an engineer
| wi tn the modern appliances of air
| brakes control traiB2 Where is there
s farmer so blind to his eWu interests a.
| to fxht an improVem ent Of this kind if
you can convince him that he may be
accommodated2 Where is there town
whose citizens cannot see the beneficial
results arising therefrOm, and where is
| there a narrow gauge railroad man, who
cannot see it is to the interest Of the
road to foster trade and accoa mOdste
the farmer, cit zen and patrOn2 The
! question naturally arises, how may the
! farmers be convinced that they are to be
aeeom modatej by this system of rail
rSads2 The most practical way Is to in
! juee him to travel over the Dayton and
Southeastern railroad, and see an illus
tration of the fact. Why do not strand
ard gauge railroads adopt the same Tuls
of aceomIRoda tiOns2 What has the
gauge Of a road 10 do with its manage
| ment7 The anewer is simple and plain,
viz: The standard gauge railroads sys-
ten has cost, on en- average, So, 900 per
mile. equipped. therefore, it has always
been beyond th 9 control Of the local in
fuence of the country, and has thus
fallen into the hands of f0Feign capital
lists, WHO have ignored local business,
and have studied maps IN their ofhces
looking forward for through trade 20
large cities; the competition in these
places being sharp, and the great cost OF
the system compels them to charge on all
local business ali they cen get to make
| ends meet. Orders are thus i0tuitiysiy
] given at headquarters, and it PeImeates
every arm and branch Of the. system.
Ion the contrary, the narrow gauge road
can be built for twelve thousand dollars
] per mile and equipped, leaving q net
/ saving Of forty thousand dollars per
mile At these figures roads can be
owned and controlled by men. along the
/ line and operated IN the interest of local
business much cheaper The bonds
are q better investment, and the stock
can be made to bring par Then, why il
il that the standard gauge and the mar.
row gauge railroads are not sntagOnistici
For she reason that the narrow gauge
railroads are not likely 20 be purchased
by the standard gauge companies, and
in the next place, the narrow gauge rail
road is a natural auxiliary to the former
Il may be asked why there is so much
difference in the cost of the two gaugesi
i. 1t is this: The original estimates of the
cost of the standard gauge is just enough
greater than The other TO inspire no hope
in the minds of the projectors to build il
with she stock subscriptions they may
btain Hence they resort to bonds, and
then beng compelled to 90 20 large
money esutsFs to negotiate them, they
are sT the mercy of noDeyed men. A
moDentous question arises IN the minds
of capitalists as to she risk thsy are &c
, incnr. Hence discounts are made al
lruinous rates 70 obtain the money, which,