The morning news., 1891-11-21
RAIL AND CROS5TIE.


The officials are on their regular monthly
inspection tour of the system, and will go
TO Columbia this morning, and from there
over the remainder of the Richmond and
Danville lines
W. NJ. Davidson, general passenger agent
Of the Savannah, Florida and Western. of
Jacksonville, and E P. McSwiney, general
passenger agent of the Charleston and Sa-
vannah railroad, spent yesterday in the
city.
If Henry Willard does not hurry up, snys
a correspondent in the Electrical ReuieiO
an electric road will be built before he
gets to work, for L. p. Griffith, who has or
ganlzed the electric railway system of
Seattle, has formed a company to build
liue. The line as projected will be about
forty miles. A preliminary survey has al
ready been made.
An interesting case is on trial in the su-
preme court, that of Cain Cooper against
the East Tennessee road, a suit for $1,000
damages. Cooper is a negro, and claims to
have bought ticket from Eastman to Du-
bois during 1887. AT Dubois the conductor
aroused him after the train had started off.
he alleges, and told him to jump, and when
he hesitated the conductor pushed him, and
the claimant fell under the train aud one
Of his legs was cut Off.
In writing of electric and horse car lines
the Record and Guide says: ''Some fig
ures which have recently been published
showing the large difference between the
expense of operating a horse road and an
electric road should be carefully studied by
the municipal authorities all over the
country. 1t seems from the figures there
Is no reason to doubt their accuracy that
the cost of power Is six times as much to a
horse car company as 10 is to an electric
company, and that electric traction can
haul the same number Of passengers as
animal power can at half the delay and
tvice the speed. When such an increase of
ethcl ancy is obtained at such reduction of
cost Il is no wonder that horse car COM
panis' are sweating all over the country to
intro luce an electric system"
At no time in the history of railroads has
the Improvement of the engines received
more attention than now. Mectanici are
trying to determine the most perfect combi
nations of speed and strength and at the same
Time to economic the use Of fuel Each
year the standard of locomotives is raEe
higher. Some master mechanics are of the
opinion that the heaviest locomotive now
built is as heavy as it is practicable to build
one, while others predict that still heavier
and the roadbeds Of the country will be 80
improved as 20 admit of high speed with
salety, even IL an engine weighs one-third
more than the ten wheel passenger engines
now In use. What the future will bring
forth to increase the speed and power of en-
glnes is a problem of interest TO others than
mechanics. Experiments made on the Lake
Shore and Michigan Central roads with
heavy ten-wheel engines are believed to
nave proved them TO be the best for heavy
trains and long runs The fast mail and
sne American express trains on the Lake
onore have been consolidated, and by the
use OF the ten-wheel engines fast time is
mace. Their great superiority over the
neaVy passenger engines is the ease with
WHICH they start a, train. ......
The decline in the Richmond Terminal
securities is credited by the New York Post
to reports that the Richmond and Danville,
wnoSe stock forms the principal portion Of
.ne richmond Terminal property, will dis
TGoontlnue NJ dividend payments in January.
-ue hlcnmond Terminal preferred stock is
sseoured by an agreement placing the ma
Jorlty OF Richmond and Danville's stock in
trust and the dividends on this Richmond
1nu a. Danville stock provide the div dends on
d;anal d;ernlnal preferred. The question has been
discussed semi-otficialiy whether the trust
osleeinent gave the preferred stock a fore
ooSure right, and the counsel to whom the
4uestioa was submitted decided that fore-
Slosure was not provided for by the agree
;lent. This leaves the Richmond Terminal
~ control Of the Richmond and Danville.
Cnether dividends are suspended or not.
~ lar the dividend on the Danville stock
Los a9 not been officially discussed. but the
UuY proposition to be considered is
shie Jhuetoer 1t Is better policy to apply avail
70 otI TO- Iuhas to the payment of dividend or
roro sue reduction OF the floating debt The
ny polt OF the Richmond and Danville has
~ yes Deen issued. The figures given out
9py the company show for the year ending
no oo last, for the system proper, after
PAVING fixed charges and taxes a surplus
sl'1i2, ,403, including auxiliary lines lex
sps the Georgia Pacfc) a surplus of
So ss;SS3, 81. ~; Georgia Pacific. a deficit of
III" o,oSt. IL Is not yet Known how much of
hoisur surplus, which should go to the stock
d;..Gs d;Gsrs OF the Richmond and Danvills as
Senus, has been used to get rid Of the
aOH ug DEBT. 1t is pretty certain, how
80. suat the Richmond Terminal will not
i1e much this year from the Danville.
,ueTe Is a choice Of seats in the cars of
on ost n every railway, says A Pointer, not
~ b beoount OF sun or shade, but for what is
a. seen, unless the scenes along the route
Cbo.at lalnillar, then the shady side is to be
Iaar;nn. Ien. On the New York Central trains
NJ ~ New York the seats on the left side
tbe T car are the ones best for scenery along
citv suuson .sNn 70 Albany and also west of that
Sh9ra .ough tne Mohawk valley. On West
ha cboselIiIn lains ms the very opposite seats are to
OSon tnose on the right hand side afford