The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1890-12-29
RAIL AND CROSSTIE.

The Belgian railroad department is
experimenting with palace car, designed
especially for international traffic. The
car is longer, wider and higher than the
regular car used on the Belgian 70 Ids, and
the interior finish is OF a much more
elaborate character. The cost of the car
was about 5000
The Knoxville Sentinel is authority for
the statement that the Fest Tennessee. Vir-
GINA and Georgia officials have issued
orders TO all superintendent to reduce
FORCES and discharge all men that can be
spared around the shops and on the repair,
road and section. 1t is also intended to
reduce, when possible, the number of men
IN freight crews This is done for retrench.
ment, the officials of the road giving as
tnelr reason for it the present hard times.
A street railway operation on the Mekar-
SKI compressed air system was given over
70 traffic at Berne, Switzerland, on Oct. l.
1t Is nearly two miles long, and has an aver
age grade of ia per cent. The plant re-
CURES about fifty horse power, ard this is
furnished by turbine water wheels. The
compressed air reservoirs are charged to a
pressure of thirty atmospheres. The motor
cars are designed to hold in all twenty
eight passengers, aud weigh about Is, coo
pounds.
Inc surveyors OF the South Bound have
leIt Campbellton, going in the direction of
6ranam, while part Of the working force
mas gone over Coosawhatchie to grade that
part OF the road. A party was busy one
day last week laying off the new town,
Whlch 1t now appears will run north as far
as the railroad crossing, near Sindeisin's
WORKSHOP. The Savannah Construction
Company has been offered $50 acres of land
IN lee simple. known as the Warncck Place,
II the South Bound runs through the corpo-
rate limits of Alendale on its way to Graz
Mans. The survey runs directly through
the middle of this tract.-AUendaLe IS. C.)
Enterprise.
Some fast time was made on the Canada
southern division of the Michigan Central
Dec. 10. special train carrying some of the
otlcers of the New York Central and the
Micnlgan Central made the ru from Clifton,
Ont, to Detroit, Mich, Ia four hours and
hity-slx minutes. Deducting forty-two min
utes Tor fourteen emergency stops, one
regular stop of four minutes at Fargo and
Two OF hve minutes each at Waterford and
81. Thomas, makes the actual running time
four hours. A number of wonderful
spurts were made, during which the speed
recorded showed that the train Yves travel
ing at the rate of sixty-two, sixty -eight,
seventy, seventy-two and seventy-three
miles an hour. The average speed of the
train for the whole distance was 81. 81 miles
per hour.
Among the engines transferred by old
lessees to new lessees Of the Western and
Atlantic is the "Old General" the most
famous engine in the world. For railroad
purposes its day has about passed. 1t is
very rarely used now, and it Is old-fash-
Toned, too small and too slow for the heavy
traffic OF these days. The story of its being
run OFF by lot of brave federal soldiers
during the war, the thrilling chase, the
nnal abandonment of the engine and the
capture Of the soldiers, the subsequent
hanging OF seven of them as spies-all
that Is history. 1t was one of the most
daring deeds of the war; and no incident of
those bloody four years has been more
written or talked about than that terrible
chase and its tragic ending. The story has
been written in book form in four Euro
pean languages. aad has formed the basis
or numberless war novels. While that is
Tue greatest event in the life of the engine,
IL Is by no means the only tragic event. 1t
has turned over and killed men. run off nd
killed men, collided and killed men, and
generally has the reputation of being the
most unlucky engine in the world
In its issue of last week Enuineerino
NelcS published summaries showing by
groups OF states the mileage of track 10 4
OF extensions of steam railway lines in the
United States upon which regular trains
are to be run to do business as common
carriers of both freight and passen-
ger traffic r the calendar year 1890 Ac-
cording to the figures the total addition to
the country's railway mileage between Jan.
], 1890, and Jan. l, 1891, was nearly $500
miles, or about 700 miles more than was
laid in 1889. The total amou It of railway
completed Jan. l. 1891, is 167, 172 miles; of
this amount 36,9l2 miles, or over % per
cent. has been constructed during the last
five years. The following table shows by
groups OF states the mileage of track laid
during the lasJ four wears: