New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1897-12-01
NEW PUBLICATIONS.
THE MERITS OF AMERICAN RAILROADS.

THE AMERICAN. RAILWAY: Its con atTsnees
beyeopment Ms cbayiss ssrb amG sops
There Is scarcely an institution in any civilized
country to-day that sustains such intimate anu
varied relations with the public as the rahroau'
We are all buyers of some sort OF merchanuiee,
and most OF us are producers also. The railroau
collects and distributes the great bulk OF IT, An
Increasing proportion Of the population traVe's
every year. and the principal agent or passen'
ger transportation is the railroad. AGAIN ""a'
ever : mans station in life high or io"' ho
receives letters and newspapers from othei POI %
of his own country. and perhaps from ioieio.,
lands. The railroad brings the mail 10 him. a"u
takes II away. Our material ciVihza'lo" ''a'
received an incalculable stimulus ana oeVe'op
rent from this one source
American railways enjoy distinction comPaieu
with those of other countries, in many respects
- tho frs, Mace. we have a vastly greater
mileage Nearly ten years ago we heu 'a"'
ano,,rb IN the United States TO reach twelve
times around the globe at the equator anu d
nresent the amour. must be much greater oui
,,,ovs en,nIoy an army Of 2.JOo.OoO men, 10
cav nothing of car building and repairing the
oonstr,,ct,on of locomotives. the rolling OF rans
o,a hridpe material and other related industries
Nv the enormous development OK the western
farming regions Supplemented. however by the
invention OF farm machinery. not only nave Jul
Eastern aericuturists been somewhat ui'iavo'
ABLY affected but. II is alleged Win 'nuch e"o"
Of reason landlordism In Ireland ana Ehsiaho
has been undermined also.
The Fundamental idea of reducing friction on
q road by laying rails for wheeled Vehicie
originated abroad so did the suggestion tha'
steam engine might do the work OF horseS ia
hauling. But In the practical solution OF inc
nrohlems thus created, one after another ana III
The perfection Of the system as whoie' Amer
,ca has done wonders The early type of rail-
way car for instance, was mooeiieo ai'er Tue
s,aqa coach. and was provided with only four
,.hea,s II was on this side Of the Atlantic
that the practice originated OF building long
car and putting under each end Of 1t truck
which carried It's load on a central pivot we
Yankees were the frst, too to put such de-
vice which experts call q boyle, under loco
motive Thus our rolling stock was mucn pe''eF
adapted 10 rounding curves on road. In the
addition OF toilet conveniences. the provision ioi
sleeping and eating while on Journey anu Tue
general promotion OF comfort ana convenience
while travelling. this country has leo the "'oie
world The air-brake and automatic coupler,
tho one greatly reducing the dangers OF railway
travel and the other diminishing the injury oone
<o train hands, are American inventions LII
the adopt,on Of the cantilever system OF orloge
construction. the boldness of our grades ana
curves the power Of our locomotives. the use
OF q baggage-check and many other FEATURES
OF our railway practice. this country has heipeo
TO educate all others.
Several years ago. recognizing the popuio'
character Of this topic, the Scrioners secured d
series Of papers on different phases OF 1t from
such authorities as Thomas Curtis Clarke. John
Boeart Horace Porter. Benjamin norton Ar
thur T, Hadley, Thomas L. James and Charies
Francis Adams These were first printed IN the
magazine They are now republshed IN SIN
,,e copiously Illustrated and attractive volume.
Even those chapters which deal with engineer
ING mechanical. financial and economic Ques-
tons are written in an ineligible fashion, put
the work Is mainly descriptive. and It intro
duces a good deal Of incident and no little hu-
NOR The development Of the railway from tne
DAYS when Stephenson sent a horseman aheao
Of his engine to warn people Of danger. and
when Peter Cooper boosted Of beating an old
gray horse which competed with his expert
mental locomotive to the era OF ninety-ton en-
zines. sixty -mile-an-hour runs and Pullman
palace cars must necessarily be subject OF
great interest. But the story Is made douoly
fascinating when we are told how Tom scott
made his first start in life, what strange adven-
lures prosiac freight car may encounter and
something of the fun and poetry, as well as the
Eardships Of the railway employees life