Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1878-10-25

of an amount of money that would be start
ling were not the result so very easy Of DEM
onstration by actual figures. Eight hundred
and forty thousand dollars per annum, the
interest on q capital stock OF Sli,O0O, 900,
(the sum which this same chain Of railroads
would cost under the old SYSTEM, would be
saved in interest on capital stock. To this
must be added the per cent. saved in operat-
ing expenses Call the earnings 5000 per
mile Cthey probably would be $4,000 per
milc) and we have gross earnings Of ) ,GOO,-
900 per annum 20 per cent saved on this is
$500, 900 putting this sum with the $50, 600
saved in interest on capitnl stock aud we have
81, 100, 900 per annum ~ the price paid in eX-
cess of what is necessary by the business
community on $50 miles of railroad to sustain
a system Of transportation which is rs much
behind the times as an old fashioned heavy
stage coach would be for u pleasure carriage
at the present day. IT, the gross earnings
reached SlO.OOO per mile, which is probably
about the average they would amoult to, the
saving would be -, iSO, 600 per annum, an
amount of money saved in every four years
sufficient to construct the whole line.
Now, if the capitalists and business men in
Boston and on that line, with the same cnss
of people in the Connecticut river valley, will
give this subject five minutes careful thought
we believe they will never abandon the proi-
ect. Promising that some one may inquire
why this route is selected for this improved
system, we say it is because it possesses ma
ny advantages over any other route. 1t is
the oasicst and most practicable way from
Lake Champaign TO the Connecticut river val
ley TO cross tho Green mountains in the town
Of Weston, aud passing down the West river
to its mouth, whore it joins tl0 Connecticut
river. thence down the Connecticut to the
mouth Of the Ashuclot. whore the line to
| Boston would liycrgn passing up the Ashuu-
| lot to Winchester. and via Boyulston, Winch
| enden and Ashburnham 20 Ftchburg, and
thence On line south Of the Fitch
| burg railroad line through Clinton. Bolton.
! stowe, etc, to Boston The other arm would
extend from this same point at the mouth of
the A,huelot. down the Connecticut river via
Turner's Falls, Greenfield, northampton,
Holyoke, Springfield Hartford and Mcriden,
| to New Haven
But if it is asked, why 20 to Lake Cham
| plain, We reply, because very soon the enter.
| prise Of connecting this lake with the river
ST. Lawrence by the Caughnawaga canal is
sure to be carried out, and the northern and
western end of this chain of roads would be
in direct water communication with the
whole West and Northwest The great
wheat growing country through which the
Northern Pacific railroad is pushing its way
will empty its harvesis into Duluth sure to
come to our line and to Boston cheaper than
10y any other route now in existence, or any
that can be conceived of. But oven without
this additional source Of supply, We reach
when We get to Lake Champlain, the lumber
markets Of Canada, and have the shortest
and most economical route for all such prod.
ucts into central New England.
We copy, in closing. the following conclu-
sons reached by careful and intelligent
writer on The Transportation Question" in
Scribner's magazine for September, with q
suggestion to the reader that the whole of tn,
article from which this extract is made i,
worthy an attentive perusal
That three-feet-gauge railroad, cxclu
siyely for the transportation of freight, cal
be built forty per cent less than q feet 81
inch gauge can be built that such a road can
be run at one-third less expense than widt
| gauge can be run that by so narrowing the
gauge the dead weight in engines and car,
can be SO diminished aud the carrying power
of the road be so increased as to make tn,
narrow gauge capable of charging, with tn,
same power, the capacity Of carrying freight
from a ratio Of | TO , $40; that from thes,
facts the result is clear that the cost of trans
Ioration 10y railroads can be easily so reduced
by plainly practical system that freigh
which it now costs thirteen mills per ton pe1
mile 70 transport can probably be transport
ed at four mills per ton per mile"
4 correspondent Of the Railway Age. il
answering IA question rs to the comparativ,
cost of construction Of the standard or fee
- inch gauge railroads, and the tLree.feet
gauge roads, quotes the language Of Thos E
Sicl.les. Superintendent Of the Union Pacif,
railroad, and consulting engineer Of the Col
orado Central railroad, as follows:
The lowest estimate We could get for tn,
IL. miles, up Clear Creek canon, ordnal7
gauge. was $4,000 "a mile for grading alone
The work was actually done for a three-foo
gaUEe, for so. 600 a mile. This great differ
ence i'll cost was caused by the ability Of ia,
thrre-foot gauge 10 occupy entirely diTeren
ground, the minimum difference in curves be
ing for the broad gauge $50 feet, while 70
the other it is 22D feet. The tArce-foot roa,
permitted an alignment conforming 10 tia,