The morning call., 1892-04-10

in the one case very sharp control Is exer
cised, and in the other generosity is shown
with prOdigaiity in assisting railroad enter
prise.
Considering the very limited extent OF rail
ways in the United Kingdom the cost is
enormous. The mileage Is only about
10000, and the capital represented is
about one thousand millions sterling But
IN England construction is a very serious
thing. The Metropolitan Railway cost
95j0000 per mile, the MetrOp olitan District
cost 1914, 600 per mile. One line at Carlisle
was as low as 964T4 per mile, but that is a
very exceptional proportion. From go
coo to Gao. 600 per mile is a common figure Of
cost for the great railways. Parliament
has taken scrupulous care in sanctioning
railways 10 protect the interests of the
public. In the first place in any fresh pro-
lectS by an old or new company the pro-
motors must come to Parliament for author
ily in the shape Of a private act, and it by
no means follows that tins Will be granted.
Compensation must b. paid for every
square foot Of ground taken. and compulsory
purchase Is effected on higher scale. The
engineers must do their work very soidly
or the line will not be sanctioned by the
Government Board OF Trade. The roadbed
Is laid as II IL were intended to last to the
millennium; the steel rails rest upon chairs
bolted down upon the sleepers; the rails
have fsh-plates the bridges are of masonry
OF brick. or orders resting upon abutments /;
IN all but few instances double
lines of rails and sometimes quad
ruple lines are laid; the stations
and termini are substantially built and in
going through towns there are no crossings
for the public except over bridges. What
are termed level crossings ere avoided as
much as possible in the rural districts, and
everywhere the route Is protected by hedges
or fences. Little wonder then that such a
company as the London and Northwestern
| has capital Of hundred millions sterling,
and that others have over forty or fifty mil
| lions.
Besides securing good construction at
| the commencement the Board of Trade
| has the power 10 enforce regulations In the
| practical working of the railways. This Is
| OF great importance in securing efficiency in
| brakes and signals. As rule the coutin-
| uous brake is IN general use for passenger
carriages. but not for freiEht-wagons. The
| Westinghouse automatic brake has been
very generally adopted. The signal service
| tends more and more to the block
| principle. with the switches interlock ing.
| Accidents are thus reduced to tho baresi
! minimum, because two trains are not
| allowed to be on given section of line at
| the same time. The necessity for some
| such arrangement is seen In the rapid work
! ing OF trains in aud out of buy stations
| hundreds of trains pass In and out of the
| principal London stations in day and the
| intervals may only be q couple of minutes
| On the underground metropolitan lines
| trains succeed each other with astonishing
rapidity, yet accidents are extremely rare.
| As rule tickets for JOURNEYS are only
| procurable at The railway stations and
sometimes they cannot be bought until
| within few minutes OF the train starting,
| Cooks and other tourist agencies issue
| Special tickets, mostly for excursions, al