Daily press and Dakotaian. [volume] (Yankton, Dakota Territory [S.D.]) 1875-1880, 1877-11-26
A VERY r R GAUGE.
Passenger Cars Running Safely on a Ten
Inch Track.

Passenger Cars Running Safely on a Ten
Inch Track.
Boston Letter to the New York Express.
There is something new under the sun"
in railroads. At least I have seen no de-
scription in any New York paper of what
has just been experimentAlly completed in
Massachusetts,. A perfectly working, safe
yes, much safer than the ordiuary-road has
been produced, and which will revolutionize
traffic in both passengers and freight. The
cost and the price of both will come down
one-half, and yet the companies coin money
where now they cannot pay expenses.
The young gentleman who conceived this
new plan is a practical wood and iron ma.
chinis:, and also an engineer. To show how
narrow q track may be, and be practical and
safe, with his own hands he constructed a
railrea d having but ten inches width
of track, from the eleSated viii
lage of HYDE Park down to the
depot. He also, with his own hands, con-
structed the cars to run ON the track. In
these he carried in six weeks over 8. 600 pas
sengers from the village down to the depot,
without the slightest injury to any one.
There were several short curves on the way,
and the track crossed the highway twice.
The people of Blllerica, wishing a road
across through their town from North Billie
RIGA, on the Boston & Lowell railro ID, to
Bedford, q distance of eight and a half
miles, requested the protector, Mr.. George
E. Mansfield to come and give the people a
lecture on narrow track railroads. Stone
said, ut is a chimerical ~notion;'' but others
said. "This is Of God and must prevail" and
they gave a helping HAND and secured a
movement so far as to get a petition for a
charter from the legislature. 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 va, only q visionary, crazy
headed scheme, and would never be accom-
plished. Ben. Butler went in for one. fftieth
of the whole ptock, which was $50, 600.
Then came the building of the road, which
was completed BY the first Of September, 50
that cars passed with passengers over the
entire route. There are eleven bridges on
the route, one over 100 feet long. The rail
weighs twenty-five pounds to the yard,
which is quite strong enough; twenty pounds
would do. The road is we'll built and
equipped; one grade is 155 feet.
The cars and engines of the road will at
once attract and FIX the attention. They
are very we'll proportioned, and make a very
handsome appearance. The engine is be.
hind the tender and next the carr, so that
when the train moves the car next tho en-.
CINE draws down upon and increases thh
adhesion Of the engine to the track. Bote
engine and cars are constructed SO as to be
very near the ground, giving great advan.
tages in regard to safety, and also very little
oscillation. The cars have an aisle with one
seat on each side, in the anne manner as or.
binary. cars have two seats. The length of
cars allows thirty seats, each person having
a seat to himself. The cars are warmed
with steam, are we'll ventilated, have closets,
water tank, all the modern improvements,
Westinghouse brakes, etc. They weigh but
four tons and a hall, ordinary cars weighing,
on an average, eighteen tons. Hence Mans.
field will carry sky persons with cars
weighing nine tons, while ordinary roads
must draw eighteen tons to carry fny-six
Pers ,ns. The engines are equally light and
less costly than on ordinary roads. 1t il
quite evident that a road eigqt and a half
miles long, which cost equipped 81, 500 less