Connecticut western news., 1892-03-31
LETTERS FRoN TEE PEOPLE.
Guessing on Railroad Grades.

Guessing on Railroad Grades.
 Editor of Ns,os:
 In your reply to my communication in your issue of March 17th, you think I underestimate the number of miles of mp grade from west to east on the Connecticut Western road" and ask me to "convince" you that the Boston & Albany road has an equal proportion of up grade from west to east. I have to confess that am not as familiar with the whole line of the Boston & Albany road as am with the Connecticut Vest ern road and cannot point as accurately to all the elevations and depressions as they occur on the Boston & Albany road, and what state in relation to it is from my general knowledge of the make of the country over which it is laid and shall wish you to correct any erronious statement that may be led into in my description.
 The distance from Albany to Wash ington ion the summit of the Berk- shire hills) is 63 miles. In consulting the map I find that the small streams run toward the Hudson river, conse. quently I infer that large majority of that 63 mites i ascending grade. I know that the first ten miles from AL bany east is very heavy grade and that from Pittsfeld esst for eight or ten miles Is also very severe grade and a nnmber of miles of that section much more severe than any point on the Con- necticut Western road. From Albany to the summit (63 miles) there must be rise of a' least 1000 feet and from the lay of the land I am confident that 40 miles of the 63 is ascending grade. From Springfield to Worcester is GA miles, aEd there is very heavy grade in the first ten miles. and from indica- tions on the map Worcester is much higher than Springfield. The Chick opee river which empties into the Con- necticut river near Springfield is fed by tributaries that have their source in the high lands near Worcester. From that I conclude that at least one half of that 64 miles is up grade. If my conclu- sions are in . measure correct have shown that the Boston < Albany road is up grade for one third of its entire dis tance. Will you show to the contrary 1?
 You ask, ''is it local business that pays or is it hauling through freight over Spaulding's summit that pays?" If you will show me that the local business of the road is sufficisnt to pay all the fix cd charges and contingent expenses of operating the road, I will show you that hauling ceal from Highland to Hartford if furnished full loads and plenty of them at 70 cents ton will earn enough over the contingent expen- ses and wear of doing the work to pay 8 dividend often per cent on the present value of the stock
 E. T. BUTLER, Norfolk, March 18th, 1892.
 Our Reply.
 MT Butler certainly has unique way of ascertaining the number of miles of ascending grade from Albany to Boston, and the severity of that grade. He looks on map to see the course of the rivers, and then he .'infers" and concludes" that certain proportion of the distance is ascending grade; and then he asks us to show to the contrary. We do not feel called upon to prove Mir Buffers case for him; however. we will give him the correct figures in regard to the grades on the Boston & Albany road if he will give ms the correct figures in re- gard .o the grades on the Connecticut Western road, which we think he un- derestimates.
 Soon after the Connecticut Western road was opened, table was published giving tine elevation of different points in Norfolk. According to that table SpauIding's summit is 1908 feet above the sea level. The highest elevation or mmit on the Boston & Albany road is considerably lower than these figures.
 Mr Butler, in his letter of March 7th, said that single locomotive can take 40 loaded cars from Spaulding's summit to Hartford. Me Butler evidently is not aware that 25 loaded cars are all a single locomotive can haul out of Win sted toward New Hartford; and that a single locomotive and 40 cars would have to pass Canton at 8 speed of 60 miles an hour in order to get moment um enough to climb the grade at Sis sons notch. -.,t
 We might ''turn the table, on MT Butler by saying if he will show that hauling coal from Highland to Hartford at 70 cents per ton will pay all the fixed charges and contingent expenses of op- erating the road, we will show that the local business of the road, with tariff equivalent to $l.40 per ton from High land to Canaan, will pay dividend of ten per cent on the present value of the stock (which is quoted at 29 bid 32 asked
 We confess that we were misinformed on some points. and that we have gained some light on the subject since this discussion commenced. We think MT Butler and our readers have also gained some light, otherwise we should apolo- glze to our readers for the space devo. ted to the question of hauling through freight over Spaulding's summit. All