The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1893-08-05
GROWTH Of A RAILROAD.
Interesting Description by a Helena
Man Of One Feature Of the
Big Fair.
The Pennsylvania Railroad Illus
trates Practically It's Great
System.
From tho stage Cosch to Palaces Or
Whce,s-Fis nres That Tell the
Story.

A Helena gentleman now In Chicago
writing about the exhibit in the trapspo "a
tion building, says: There is no axhibit a
the Worlds fair that ia capable OF produc'
ing a more profound impression upon tht
intellieent observer than that found in nnc
about the transportation building. IL ~a'
Naoauley who said, ''Of all inventions the
alphabet aud printing alone excepted
those Inventions which have abridged dis
tsncs have done most for civilization"
Bacon, too. realized something of this. fol
he said There be ii, ee things which make
a nation great and prosperous--a fertile
soil, busy workmen and easy conveyance
for men and gooda.'
1t is possible these statements were re-
ceived with something OF doubt at the time
they were uttered; possible there ere those
living to. day who would u k issue with
those sages of the past; but the wonderful
growth of our country, and the more won
de tul p,ogress in transportation facilities
which ma k this era OF our prosperity. at
test the truth Of their observations.
On every hand we see evidences that ma
tional prosperity Is not only closely related
to. but is largely dependent upon tho facili-
ties for safe and speedy transportation.
The rapid development of this country
since it's iifs settlement. but more PARTON
larry during the past fifty or seventy-iive
years, is graphically portrayed in tue ex-
hibits of the transportation building al
jackson park. One cannot but be I'M
pressed from an examination OF these e1-
hibits, prepared by the great rail Dad COM
panies Of the world. that the master minds
of the past fifty years have been employed
in solving the grent transportation problem.
In no other system is this 40 strlking!y
illustrated as in that OF the Pennsylvania
railroad. Fifty years ago the company was
not in existence. The idea of uniting dis
tant cities by bands of steel and placing
upon them engines and coaches that shou d
. acticaliy snnihilate distance WAS not con-
Ceived by shose men who q little later be-
gan that stupenous enterprise which Is to-
aay q source Of astonishment to all who
behold its marvellous achievements. Ihs
exhibit of this company is unique. and ex-
ceeaipgly com ,lete. In the transportation
building it has Il train of cas- each show
ing a construction designed for carrying
on some special line OF woik i'll the usine
of the COMPANY. Among these ID a patent
refrigerator oar of neat design and pecul-
iarly adapted to the preservation of perish
2Dl6 HOOub. lHSl 1OllpWb al olIOIbb "
selvation car SO arranged that twelve or
fifteen people can sit in the front end and
have an unobstructed view. When in use
this car ia placed in front of the engine and
pushed along at a moderate speed thus Civ
ing the inspectors an excellent opportunity
80 note the condition Of tho track. Next
to this 10 a car with instruments 80 con-
nected with the running gear that all ue-
fects in the track such as rregularities in
level, allignment, etc, are accurately reg
istered. This 10 . device possessed only by
the Pennsylvania railroad and must prove
of great value in keeping the Foadbed in
standard condition. A first class rassen-
ger coach completes this part of the exhibit
and makes the whole compare favorably
with those OF the other systems by which it
is surrounded.
And yet. complete as it is il serves only
rs an introduction, as IL wee, to the more
beautiful and elaborate display nado in
the special exhibit just south OF tho
transportation binding. 1t is here that
one is made to comprehend something OF
the magnitude Of this mighty system.
which binds together, with its network of
steel rails. teen different states. and
whose trains, IA dened with traffic. are
ever climbing the rugged mountains and
speeding like the wind along fertile valleys
and over rolling prairies. Tbs building
erected for bhis exhibit is constructed to
repr esent a model suburban depot. The
style of architecture is Greek Ionic. the
building being in the form OF a cross with
Ionic pillars extending along the entire
south side and forming at either end an
arc of a circle. 1t is forty by 240 feet. ex-
eeedingly graceful in its gene al outline
and perfectly adapted to the purpose for
which Ii was constructed.
Enaravel in lal &c gilded panels on either
eide OF the entrance are statistics showing
the mileage. number of locomotives. pas
capnar aud frni,ht aora up1\aE ~ 49,,
ployes and much other valuable and inter
estlnQ information. From this data we
learn that the company WINS and controls
1880 miles of railroads to equip which are
required ], l4S locomotives, 1854 passenger
and l22, 1913 freight cars, while the number
OF EN- loyes is lO4, OBI.
10 make these and other figures moe
comprehensive. the company has prepared
and placed in the bnilding some novsl de-
vices which ars accompanied by cempari-
sons that IRE to say the least. startling.
One of them is 4 globe Girded by a stesl
wire once around from New York and over
topping to Il point far out in the Pacific
ocean, west OF IN Francisco. 1t is ac.
companied by the following statement: IF
each rail in the IA, 275 miles of track COM
rrised in tho Pennsvlvania railroad sys-
TEN were rIaced end to end. they would
reach around the globe and oveTtop from
New York to q ONT out In the Pacific
ocean to within 1.40O miles of Honolulu. ="
To Illustrate the immense capital $685.
UU,OOO invested In the system, u model
railroad is constructed with silver dollars
lying with edges t%oucEilg) upon both
rails. A placnrd ia attached bearing the
folll wing inscription: 1T would require
silver doll rs laid eide by side on two rails
OF the 1850 miles of raiiroad com prising
the PennBylvania railroad system to agra
gate this amount, the caUitaliZ ton beinp
about S85, 900 per mile"
From data givon in regard 20 passenger
ard freight traffic, 1t appears that the
amount of freight handled annually is
equlVelent to hauling one ton around the
globe i2b,Ou ml!e6) every sixty-thres seq
onds and that the number OF paasenpsfs
handied from day 10 dsY IS equivalent TO
carrying one around the world every yeven
aud one-half t7}2) minutes. Theae md
many other ein}lar comparisons are us.d
10 illustrate the magnitude of the system
and the work done by 1t I on year to year.
On either sIGs of the door with n are
large plaster Casts representing the uroqregs
in trans portatioG facilities since 1882. he
irst represents the red man in possession
OF the land. his sQaaw ca gYying her peppoose
on her back, the brave returning from the
aunt loa3od with game. In tho stream near
by IL seen the canoe IN which he tregerseg
Ats placid waters. In the foreground is the
settler's wagon train drawn by oxen. tho
wagons loaded with utsnsils of eyory dc.
scription, while cattle. sheep, etc., accom-
pany tho train on foot. On the second cast
IL seen, in the background, tho old Cones-
togR wagon and the stage coach. In front
of theae the canal boat mud the original
John Bull train (lS3l). In the foreground,
representing tile resent time, Is a long
freight train loaded with grain east bound,
also q fine representation of the superb
p.n - N 81 xn ~ N I'm ! ka{ 800