Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1878-01-11
Broad and Narrow Gauge IgailrOa ds-.-
n few Rhetorical Notes,

broad ana NHrrON-GhuRe AhNaifOhua-s-
few Historical Notes.
At this time, when the all-absorbing theme
of thought and conversation with the inhabit-
ants of the West River valley is the narrow
gauge railroad, it will, perhaps. be- entertain
ing to take general review of the prominent
historical facts connected with the discovery
of steam power and the rise and growth of
our present railroad system with its various
gauges.
The power of steam was known to the an
clients, as we find find several toy steam ma
chimes described $50 years b. c., but how to
harness this power effectively to practical Ia
Dor was problem that required ages to solve,
and the honor thereof belongs to no one man,
but to a score or more of persevering expert
mental workers. of whom James Watt was
the man who finally perfected the main prin-
cipes of the engine of our day about the year
1884. The stationary engine once established,
the next step was to make it locomotive
power that could be applied on common
roads, and as carly as 100 an ingenious
Frenchinan succeeded in making steam road
wagon that is still preserved in the museum
of art in Paris. For more than sixty years
,,e.se,o,;r,, ovreriu,cpters l,bor4d for prur-
teal solution of this problem, and even now
| it is still being experimental upon by the
more sanguine 1t was the difficulty of over
cor,iro hi. conmon-rood nroblo,n flint
,,o,,,,tad a., locomotive o,,,;no ON rails ne
vo find tbot railroads for horse mower were
old lonp brfora N.ptt. perrscted the stcam on
| ,rro ,vood.u rails boipg used ot Newcastle-
~, tbo ,r,,,,o os s,l,, nc 1G-9 Iron rails ,yere
first psed nj Nyh;taboven in 173s. and in 1855
tba frs, iron RAILWAY of any uoopitrdo WINS
built Mt tbo Colebrool,dole iron works. 1t
WINS found that one horse could perform on
tbaso ro,ds tba l,hor IF fortv horses M, n rop,-
mon road The nersovering and inventive
oenius of that dov NOT satisfied with what the
horse could do SOUGHT 70 opnlv steam TO these
roads ord in Iso4 a Welsh miner construct.
ed tbe first Ioco,notivo of which wo find any.
record This machine worked well on n level
and on light grades. but had not the necessary
tractye power for steep grades. 70 over
come this difficulty and increase the o,apora-
tiyeuower of the boilers was the problem ofthe
next twenty-five years. Stephenson brought
out an engine in 1914 with which he travelled
| six miles an hour; in 1926 Frcnclman
invented fire tubes to pass through the boilers.
and in 1929 Stephenson built ~! engine with
which he travelled 81 miles an hour and the
great problem of steam railroad, was solved.
The gauge of the common road WAGON and
horse railroad of that dav wos about foui. f.,t''
eight inches and Stephenson naturally built his
engine tn fit tbo railroads already in existence.
and finding the gauge sufficient for all practi-
cal purposes il was universally adopted bv the
English engine builders who. being the first
in tbis new manufacturing cnterprise ratur.
allv supplisd their customers in Europe and
| America with engines built bv their own
standard Thus we see that the Dresent
standard oaugo instead Of beinp tbe result of
| the application Of n spccial scientific princi.
ple is the s;mnle result of natural and or,lin.
orv causes After Stephenson came Brunei
an eminent ENGLISH epgino.r who held flint a
broader oouqa would ensure r1eatar safety
and b;gbsr r,, or snsed H. lrouobt his
theories before a high parliamentary commits.
sion where tbev underwent a searching inves.
| tipotion in competitiop with Stenbenson's
views the commission finally retaining the
stenbenson plan. But. Notwithstanding this
| check the Brunei school of engineers have
constructed many broad roads both in Fin.
rome and America-ona tbe London 4 Birn,.
| inphom being n seven foot ,-uuge-vbile the
| New York & Erie NAV be considered IA the
chief of that type of roads in America. For
more than twentv-fve Years these two classes
of roads have been connecting for the bust.
ness If tbo world and in no coso do tbo divi.
dends paid stockholders. or the official REPORTS
Of business done sustaip tba srrerioritv
claimed for III, broad. .nupe road either in
noint Of canacitv speed or safety while the
cost of construction and ,r,r,,i,,,, ov,,onso. II,
crease wifi, ey,,, inch added IN t1,e yidt, and
every ponnd added r. in, weight of rolIino
stock and all Of This bevopd what i ALSO
rtaIv necessary fo, tbo safe and economical