The Cairo bulletin. [volume] (Cairo, Ill.) 1872-1878, 1877-11-28
AVERY NARROW GAUGE.
PASSENGER CARS RUNNING SAFELY on 4
TEN INCH TRACE.
n. Y. Evening Expire.

| TAssENdLk OAKS hJNNiNH HAI EH' Wv =
TEN INCH TRACK.
n. Y. Evening Expire.
RosroS, Nov. l0.-There Is something
new under the sum- In railroads. At least
| have seen no description in any New
York paper OF what has Just been eNpeT>
mentally completed in Massachusetts,.
A perfectly working, saie-yes, much
safer than the ordinary--road has been
produced, aud which will reyolutioniLe
| traffic in both passengers and freight.
| The cost and the price of both will come
down one half and yet the companies
can coin money where they cannot now
pay expenses,
The Young gentlemen who conceived
this plan is practical wood and iron ma
chinst, and also an engineer, To show
how narrow track may be. and be prAc.
teal and safe, with his own hands lie
constructed railroad, but ten inches
width Of track, from the elevated N..lsgc
| OF hyde Park down 10 (hc depot. lie
also, with his own hands, constructed
| the ears to run on the track. la these he
| carried in six weeks over 3.opOpasScugers
from tie village down 10 the depot, with
| Out SIG ~ UtlN WIZ ~
were several short curves on the way, and
the track crossed the highway twice. The
people Of Billerica. wishing road across
| through their town from North BillerIca.
on the Boston and Lowell railroad, to
Bedford, q distance OF eight aud hall
miles, requested the protector, Mr.. Geo.
T.. Mansfield, to come and give the pco-
pie a lecture on narrow track railroads.
Some said at IL a chimCriCal notion
but others said, "rhis is OF God and must
| prevail, ~ and they gave u helping hand
| and secured movement so far as to yet
q petition for charter from the lc2iSlR'
tire. The charter was allowed. Then
the right Of way was secured gratis The
whole distance. Two very able men gave
the way only because, as they said, it was
only visionary, crazy.heG.icd scheme,
and weuld never be accomplished. But
| next the stock was subscribed. Ben But
Ter went In for One.iiltieth OF the whole
stock, which was $4,000, Then came
the building OF the road, which was com
pleted by The lst OF September, so that
cars passed with passengers over the en-
tire route that day, and secured the right
of way. There are eleven bridges on the
route, one over one hundred feet long.
The rail weighs twenty-five pounds TO
| the yard, which is quite strong enough;
| twenty pounds would do. The road is
well built and equipped; one grade is lJ3
feet.
The cars and engines Of the road will
| at once attract and Tx the attention. They
are very well proportional, and make q
very handsome appearance. The engine
| is behind the tender and next 10 the cars
30 that when the train moves the next
| to the engine draws down upon and in
creases the adhesion Of the engine TO the
track. Both engine and cars are con.
structcd so as to be very near the ground
giving great advantage in regard to safe
| ~; also very little oscillation. The car;
have an aisle with one sea, on each side,
in the same manner as ordinary cars have
two seats. The length OF the cars allow.
| thirty scals, each person having q seat 70
| himseli, j be- Gz.lS. :; re. yeFue.l, VII.
or tank, all the modern Improvements
Westinghouse brakes, etc. They weigh
bat four tons aud halt. ordinary cars
| weighing on an average eighteen tons.
| Hence Mansfield will carry sixty persons
with cars weighing nine tons, while or
binary roads must draw eighteen tons to
carry fifty.six persons. The engines are
equally light and cost less than on ordi,
nary roads. 1t is quito evident that a
road eight and hall miles long, which
cost equipped 81, 800 less than so, 900, and
which can be RIM for half the expense
upon ordinary roads, must be great and
notable achievement. The road cost
800 per mile. The trains run about
twenty-five miles per hour. Engines
weigh about eight tons, and draw two
passenger and two freight cars twice per
| day each way, at cost Of coal only one.
fourth that Of ordinary engines.