Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1886-08-21

Ihe primitive looking engine, with It's top
gear, built at killingworth In 1914, is now SUI
perseded by the majestic looking machine so
familiar to us to-day. a locomotive with its
tender then weighed only ten tons some of
our more modern ones weigh as much as : D
tons. 1t was then feared that the locomotive
could not be built powerful enough to draw
a load up an incline OF In 300-they now
haul heavy loads up gradient of in 30.
The rails in that day were iish-bellied,"
and weighed only . pounds per yard they
are now double-headed and weigh about S.
pounds per yard, and steel ones are as
quickly superseding iron ones as iron super
seded wood. The original res. ress. gt, tasers!
from the cart rutsi ati ! feet 81 inches is uni.
formly ado pied on all the important lines in
Eng s.and, though 1t varies in other countries
| The gauge of railways in Ireland is 5 feet 8
| inches in India it is feet inches. and in
| America 1t varies from feet 81 inches to G
| feet. The gauge OF railways on the cont.
nent is mostly the same as the English rail.
ways, only the Spanish gauge being feet 9
| inches, creates a break with the French rail-
ways, perhaps OF political importance and
significance, though commercially iuconve-
| nient The timidly allotted rate OF s miles
| an hour in lS25 is now eclipsed by
THE LIGHTSING-LIKE SPEED
We now trayel-G0 miles an hour. Instead Of
occupying twelve days in travelling between
| Edinburgh and London, honorable members
OF Parliament may to-day break fast with COM
fort in Edinburgh, or even farther north, and
| the same evening take part in the debate in
the House of Commons. Tiberius is said to
have travelled 200 miles in two days and
| thus caused CONSERVATION. To-day we can
travel more than half that distance in as
many hours.
Before we can look for increased speed,
| since railways are becoming so perfected and
traffic so rile, think one of the most impor-
| tant questions that will have to occupy the
| attention of our engineers Is the duplicating
| OF the trunk lines, in order that the passenger
and merchandise traffic may be worked upon
independent roads, thus reducing the danger
OF collision and securing tar greater safety to
| life. OF our modern railways i think the
| most wonderful and difficult to construct are
| the metropolitan underground lines. The
| ingenuity displayed in avoiding the sewers,
| the myriads OF gas pipes and preserving the
foundations OF existing buildings, at the
| same time maintaining the necessary levels
| for stations, Is amazing and worthy of all
| praise. There are at present over 30 miles of
| this system OF railways annually circulating <
about 75,000,000 passengers in and around
| London. Perhaps the latest advancement
and greatest novelty in rapid transit is evil
| denced in the
NEW YORK ELEVATED RAILWAYS.
| There are now four parallel lines OF elevated
| railway running north and south through
the principal avenues of the city, covering a
total length of about 40 miles. The project
| was organized in 1872, but the first of the
/ PTcscul VI llutS WAS Ouiy Optueu
| 1873. The rolling stock consists of 2l0 en-
gines and $50 passenger cars. The rails are
| at an elevation of about - feet above the
thoroughfsre, and portions OF it are built as a
deck bridge, in which instance the running
| load produces compressive strain, and
| other parts are built as through bridge,
| when the strain becomes of a tensile nature
| Where the lines pass from one street to an
other At right angles the degree of curvature
| IS necessarily very quick, and to a stranger
| tnrma a nptipAnblA and rather STARTLING faa.
ture in the route. At one place i'm the upper
part of the city the elevation is 80 feet, and il
| Is here that the line describes very graceful
S.shaped curve. On this portion of the road
| / notice increased stability is secured by
rigidly bracing and tieinR each alternate
span so as to virtually form skeleton
pier, giving steadier and much safer
bearing to the girders OF the other spans
and adding strength and elegance to the
gossamer-like structure. Nearly 90, 600, 000
passengers are annually carried on the
elevated railways, yielding revenue of over
S6,000,O00. The making OF the electrical rail
way between Portrush and the Giants Cause
way, in Ireland, marks a new era in the
history of locomotion and though it is an
exceedingly difficult task as yet TO even esti.
mate the probable results, 1t must be admitted
that electricity is destined 10 play a most
prominent part as a motor power in the
future.
THEN AND NOW.
BY the progress of railway enterprise we
may estimate the advancement of all oul
social and commercial reformers. The few
miles Of railway originated In Darlington
have grown into the almost fabulous number
OF 100000 miles in Europe and Americs
alone The railways In England to-day
comprise over $4,000 miles, and are worked
by l3,260 locomotives, and i50 l23 carriage,
and other vehicles, with an annual workin,
expenditure Of Sl60,5O00O0. They have
paid-up capital of S3,65O, ,00O, ,00O and the,
annually carry G00,000,000 passengers, an,
about 220, 900 tons Of produce and mer
chandse, and yield gross annual revenu
, OF S30S, 900, 900. In 1877 the revenue reaches
nearly s3l5, 0OO, 600, and increased so per cent
since 1864 In Europe there are l02, 800 mile
> OF railroad, viz: Germany, $4,000; Gres
Britain, $1,000; France, 1900 Russia, 10, 10,
Austria, II, $50; Italy, 5000; Spain, $500
Belgium, 2,450; Switzerland, LOO Hollanc
1900; in other states, 5000 miles. The
i have indeed made rapid and unparallele
0 progress In America, In face of the magn