The Dallas daily herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1887, 1881-06-08

her, Eighty more miles OF road Will be
becuu IN ten days from Maiden in Dunkln
county, or as soon as surveys are completed
The standard Gsuge vs.. the narrow
Gauge.
There ara at present many narrow gauge
railway proj soLs 10 too west, and those who
are advocating this system seem 10 be meet
ing with success in inducing capitalists to
invest their money in these roads. In the
last number of lhe Railway Age, however,
there appears communication dated here
and signed by r. g. Il. Minty, in which that
gentleman gives somo valuable information
on the subject. As this isa subject attract
inc considerable attention in the southwest,
the following facts presented by Mr.. Minty
will no doubt be read with interes:
81 suppose all will ADMIT that, if honestly
msls,ed, u nsrrow-gauge road can be built
and equipped for from one-hslf to two
thirds of the amount it would cost to build
and equip standard gauge road ovor the
same line; but unfortunately too many of
the narrow gauge roads are not SO managed,
AS tho building progresses, money is re-
Quired, a syndicate is formed, 'construc-
ton company Credit Mobilier) organized,
chief contractor appointed, the rosd is
built and u fow spectators become wealthy,
and for brief period they plume Intensely,
with the idea that they arc railway kings
But when ready to DO operated, he road is
found to be loaded down with fictitious CAPT
tai aud The originators who started out with
the idea of building cheap road, and who
worked faithfully and zeslously to that end,
are pushed out Of tbs organic tion or retire
frou it in disgust.
al know Of one Iarrow-gsuge road which
carries in this way $4,000 per mile, and
another which is loaded with over $4,000
"lu making comparison, will take IL for
granted that both roads have been honestly
built, aud that all the money represented in
their capital has been pat into their con-
struction and equipment.
"lhe narrow>gauge starts out with the
great advantage OF having a smaller capital
investment on which to pay interest; but if it
cannot move irelgh, as chespy as the
standard gauge can, this advantage of u
smaller liked expenditure will soon be lost,
and, as the business increases, will be swsl-
lowed up in the daily additional cos! of
operation,
THE problem to DO solved, the question
on which tho success or failure Of the
narrow gauge as a competitor of the standard
gauge hinges, is what will it cost per ton per
mile to move freight?
"For the purpose Of comparison, the
statistics given 10 the reports OF operation
OF narrow gauge roads arc extremely neagre.
l have, therefore, made inquiry and secured
information beyond that given in the annual
reports.
"For many years the maximum load of
freight csrs has been for standard gauge ten
tons and for narrow gauge eight tons; of late,
however, both systems have been moving 10
the right direction, viz, to reduce tho dead
or non-psying weight For standard gauge,
cars are now being built with capacity Of
twenty tons, and for narrow gauge cars are
being built with capacity of twelve and in
few Instances of fifteen tons.
SIN actual operation ind that fifteen cars
with maximum load of eight tons per car
is large train for a narrow gauge road.
zone narrow. gauge road reports for two
Consecutive years an average Of fiity.ive and
enc half tons of freight moved by each train,
which is not quite seven cars to the train.
ty.fve cara Of Ten tons each: Iris will give:
Marrow gauge, Is cara of tons, 100 tons;
standard gauge, % cars of 10 tons, $50 tons
FREIGHT IN stapd.rd than ,bera IL on a mar
row cause train ' '-
nNowss 10 exnen,es-,bo narrow osuce
train reonires tho same nun,her of man 10
handle i that the STANDARD GAUGE does. and
engineers. dremen, conductors and brakomon
have To he maid The same an, omit of wayos ON
both roads Tho S;tysrerca IN ouanIiev NJ
fuel. oil and waste used il imnercentible. On
examination of .performance of locomotives
/ find that tho narrow gauge fully EQUALS the
standard gsuge in total cost ner mile. and T
also find that repsirs of cars cost more per
mile IN narrow than thew do on standard
paupe.
"On repairs and renewals Of track Il ia
difficult to make fair comparison. Al first
glance i, looks as if this must be in favor of
narrow gauge for the reason that one mile of
forty pound rail will cost 90 Ia ner cent less
than one mile OF sixtv mound rail and a six
foot tic will cost less Than an EIGHT foot Tia.
and also that Il will take fewer men TO handle
the LIGHT msteriaj Than Il does 20 handle tbe
heavy: hut Tho amount Of labor required to
keen up track md the quantity of mate rails
required for renewals 10 a
large extent coy.-"ci bv the
number of trsios which mass
over the rood and cause ii "wear and tear,
With nm eousl volume of freisht to move.
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