Frostburg mining journal. [volume] (Frostburg, Md.) 1871-1913, 1893-03-11

public, and persons desiring to use the
highways must take to the fields or
woods at points where these numerous
high fills exist.
With the county roads thus entirely
closed, we may well imagine the
owners of the steam roads and the
electric roads laying their heads to-
gether and saying-'No we have got
them they must ride on our cars or
walk cross lots What is the use of
fighting among ourselves ? Let us
pool the business, double the passenger
rates and all hands make money
Seriously, the writer does not wish
to take advantage of 'Pubhca's'
ignorance, partisan disregard of facts
or whatever motive induced him to
make the last quoted statement.
No high entertainments or other
heavy grading will be necessary, as
electric cars can and do run up and
down very heavy grades and around
very sharp curves, and would be
obliged to do so if they should occupy
the National turnpike as is proposed.
Th oughout the greater part of the
distance, on line located outside the
limits of the public highways it would
only be necessary to smooth off a
small space for the crossties to rest
upon, with little ditching in wet
places. Much cheaper than burying
their ties in the hard McAdam OF the
National turnpike, as new proposed
AS the road could be located almost
entirely over what is now practically
waste land, the right of way damages
should be very slight. The Electric
company would, Of course, have the
usual right to condemn on property of
land owners with whom they could
not agree.
In fact, the only advantage the grant
can be to the Electric company is the
opportunity for obstructing the high
way and forcing the people to use the
ears.
In another place "Pubhcan asks
How about the streets of the cities?
TIE streets of the cities are lined on
either side with valuable property, not
with unoccupied and comparatively
cheap lands. Cities have ordinances
against fast running, with officers
sworn to see the ordinances en-
forced and armed with authority to
summarily arrest all offenders. Where
the speed is not limited, as in the case
under discussion, the roads are re-
quired to go overhead, as i'll the case
Of the elevated roads, or underground,
as in the latest New York rapid transit
scheme.
Again "Publica" asks
What of the ponderors wagons in the
CITY win bn lnlnn thr,n
minutes, and Il hundred ''to turn out to avoid
other teams to one that turns out here?
Again he displays gross ignorance
or intentional misstatement. In the
first place, ears do not run thirty
miles per hour in such places, as
this proposed road would be obliged
to do to compete with the steam
roads. The rail required to be used
in all cities is low fiat rail, es-
pecially adapted to the purpose, and
the hard pavements of the streets pre-
vent the wheels of wagons from cutting
into the surface alongside the rail.
While even this rail is a serious in
convenience to wagons and causes Il
number of accidents, it is tolerable,
and had such rail been required by
the grant there could not be much
objection on this score. But this rail
is expensive as to first cost, and track
laid with it is difficult to keep up. 1t,
therefore, goes without saying that the
new road will follow the example of
the Cumberland Electric road and use
the cheaper ST. rail On all portions OF
their line outside the corporate towns.
That this IT. rail is difficult for a
wheeled vehicle to get over is shown
by the fact that at the two points in
the Narrows where the travel is obliged
to cross the electric road, it has been
found necessary to place guard planks
on either side to assist the wheels to
mount the rails. Any one who has no
opportunity to observe this fact can
! experiment for himself on the numer-
Gus CIV rail tracks about the coal
mines of this region.
If "Publica" will trouble himself to
hunt up the gang" against which he
rails, he will find it to include prac-
| tically all users Of horses, two hundred
or more employees of coal companies,
owners Of store delivery teams, men
who make their living hauling coal
ETC., all farmers on both sides of the
proposed line and numerous Other
citizens DESTROYS of seeing justice and
fair play all round.
If the use Of the public highway was
necessary to the construction of the
Electric road 1t would be perfectly fan
to ask these people to share the high.
way with the Electric road. But nc
such necessity exists. If there is any
difference the electric road can be built
more cheaply off the highway than on
it. The only people benefited by the
use of the highway for an Electric
road will be the owners of the Electric
road, in that people who would other
wise travel by their own conveyances
would be forced to use the Electric
cars.
In conclusion, the writer would call
the attention Of "Publica' to the fact
that the people for whom he is writing
are an intelligent class, perfectly able
to see the difference between sound
reasoning and his petulant calling OF
names or bombastlc threats to draw
the curtain from some dark conspiracy
If in their opinion the reasons for not
sacrificing the highways are sound, il
will make little difference who ad.
vances them. OBSERVER.