Morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven [Conn.]) 1848-1894, 1888-03-28
uADLEx ON RAILRoAD SERVICE.


Last Lecture In she Mechanics Course
He Tells of Railroads In This Coun-
try and Europe-The RMciency and
Service to the TIVE Countries E1-
planned and eOntrasted.
The last lecture. in the mechanics course
was delivered at North Sheffield hall last
night. It was the postponed lecture of
March IS. A large audience was present to
hear Prof. Hadley, his subject being Grail
road service in Europe and America" The
competition for railroad improvement
began simultaneously in this country and
Europe, and we tonight propose to measure
the difference in the national character.
Each nation had chance to show what it
could do in this the nineteenth century.
The first railroads developed in 1880 on both
sides of the Atlantic, England having
slight advantage, but decade after decade
they went on side by side.
The frat fundamental difference was that
England possessed capital with which to
build her roads, while the United States was
richer in opportunities for railroad building,
but without capital to use these opportuni
ties. The first railroads in England were
built with great care; more than to build
long lines of road, they preferred to build
good roads. In this country when started
there was craze to build roads to develop
long systems of railroads. The difference
shows itself in the cost of construction.
The cost nominally in the United States was
$780, 600 per mile of road, while in England it
cost $3.50, 900. The intention was TO build
the road in the most substantial way to
build for the ages and this they have fol-
lowed to the present day.
As difficult engineering problems have
H. Ill I>xy
those by our engineers in crossing the Rock
les. The Alpine engineer in crossing Austria
and Switzerland found problems as hard to
solve as any in this country. 1t is true that
in some parts of this country roa DIS ascend
at the rate of one foot to every twenty-five
on the level. To escape this the English en-
gineer erected long viaducts and tunneled
under the mountains. On the north side of
the Alps an ascent was made of seven hun
dred feet in one mile by series of tunneling
and erection of long bridges, and one on
the south side of five hundred feet in less
than one-half mile This system of gaining
ascent il done for economy, and they are
cengratulating themselves on this way of
saving expense.
The European plan was to do anything to
prevent accident, while the American system
was to do everything possible with the limited
amount of capital, and then look to have
accident, if one happened, do as little dam
cars in Europe was such that in case of an
accident they would be crushed together like
eggshells, the beams in the bottom of the
cars running erossways, and the moment the
side support was gone the ears and its occu-
pants generally would be crushed to atoms.
In America this was particularly looked to;
the beams of the cars running lengthways
prevented crushing to a great extent, and
now with the Miller patent platform, the
beams running through the entire length of
the cars and outside platforms, the danger of
telescoping is greatly done away with. By
ers have done the best to make the accident,
should one happen, result with as little dam
age or danger as possible. The discip1ining
of train hands is also good thing.
Now, in case of safety, how do We COM
pare with Europe. In this case I am sorry
to say we are behind. We cannot show as
good record of accidents as Europe, but
even by our incomplete record we are worse
Off than Europe. In case of accident we
have given up safety to economy. AS to
efficiency we have the advantage. The Eng
lish roads are hampered by traditions, ex-
pensive and inconvenient. For a long time
cars of outlandish proportions were used and
built after the plan of the old stage coach, SO
that persons riding in them might be re-
minded of the coach of ancient times. 1t
was only up to short time ago that England
was able to get rid of such traditions, and in
France they are to be seen to-day. The cars
used in the most parts Of Europe are the
same as used thirty or forty years ago.
The amount of freight, passengers and
number of miles run is greater in the United
States than any other country. Since the
days of the first railroad in the United
States there has been one continual improve
ment, being SO constructed at first that any
change could be made without any great
pense. In England the roads were built SO
substantial they cannot be changed. They
made their stations permanent, and they
made them so much SO that they stand in
the way of improvement.
Looking at the different characteristics of
the two countries, we see that England OBJ
tanned safety and sacrificed economy, while
the United States practiced economy, gained
efficiency and sacrificed safety.
The service in the different countries for
each section of road is as follows: In Eng
land forty trains per day, twenty-five pas
senger and eight freight trains. In France,
thirteen passenger and seven freight, and in
Germany about the same. In the New Eng
land States, nine passenger and seven freight
trains The middle States a slight increase.
The number in the whole United States aver
ages five passenger and eight freight trains.
The train service given by the railroads of
the United States is better than that in any
part of Europe, more than twice the num-
Der OF trains being run between the princi-
pal cities in this country than those in
EuroNe.