The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1898-05-24
Railroads
-AIn--
Wartime

Although q great deal Is heard now
about the value Of warships. little is
said about the steel rail, that other
great means for the transportation of
fighting men and machines. Yet 1t was
largely to the railroad that the French
ascribe their defeat by the Germans In
1870. It is generally conceded In mill
tary circles that what caused the pri-
mary advantage of the Germans in 1870
was that nine Of their railroad lines
converged upon the menaced frontier
and brought their troops quickly from
all parts of the country, whereas the
French had at their command only four
lines, radiating from Paris and diverg-
ing more and more as they approached
the frontier. 1t was owing to the inabil-
ity of the French railroads to concen-
trate the troops as rapidly as the Ger
mans that France suffered her first de-
feats. Although the railroads Of the
United States were not nearly SO well
developed in 1851 as they are now, the
Importance Of rail communication was
fully appreciated both by the Federal
and Confederate armies.
James J. Williamson of New York,
who was with Colonel Mosby's men in
the civil war, devotes several chapters
in his history Of Mosby's campaign to
describing how, in the fall Of 1864,
General Grant and General Halleck
consumed many months OF valuable
time and lost thousands OF lives trying
to reconstruct the torn up road in Ma
nassas gap. The road had been destroyed
by Stonewall jackson, and it was essen
tial to the success Of the Union army
that there should be quick communica-
tion between Sheridan in the Shenan-
doah and the Army Of the Potomac
Sheridan, only so miles south Of Mar
tinsburg, w. Va, found it exceedingly
difficult to get supplies to his army.
The Federal army first thought it could
close up Manassas gap in few weeks
under protection Of force of cavalry,
but it took many weary months before
the first train moved over. That train
had to move at nail's pace lest the
Confederates in ambush should blow it
off the track with torpedoes or derail it.
There were only 1886 miles of rail
road in the United States in 1861 at the
outset Of the civil war, and until its
close little or no railroad building was
done. The population of the United
States in 1861 was 81, 443, 321, or about
/, 900 persons to every mile of railroad
I'm the country. Since then the popula-
tion has increased to $1,000, 900 and
the railroad mileage to 18S, 600, or
about one mile for every 400 persons.
Whereas the population in the last 81
years has increased to only IL times
more than it was in 1861, the railroad
mileage is now six times greater than
it was in 1861.
But increase In mileage greater in
proportion than the increase in popula-
tion is one Of the least important ele-
ments which makes the railroad such
an important factor in modern warfare.
Speed is the thing which most Of all
commends tho railroad to the govern
ment as means Of national defense
In the days Of the civil war 20 miles
an hour without stops was considered
excellent time on the railroads. Now 90
miles an hour would be practical
speed for the transportation Of troops
over any of the trunk lines in the Unit
ed States, east or west, north or south.
Because the population is greater in the
east and middle west it pays to run
both local and express trains, but in the
far west, where the population is scat
tered, it does not pay to run anything
but through trains, with frequent stops.
For this reason there is an impression
that western trains cannot go as fast as
eastern trains but as early as 1877 the
Jarrett g. Palmer special theatrical
train travelled in 3 days, hours and 80
minutes from Jersey City to San Fran
cisco. Since that time there have been
80 many improvements in locomotives
and roadbeds that in an emergency regi-
ments could be delivered from Califor-
MIA, Washington and Oregon to New
York in three days.
1t is estimated that the entire army
of the United States both regular and
volunteer, could be concentrated at any
one point in any state within a week.
If it were necessary to repel an invasion
anywhere on the Atlantic coast. the gulf
coast or from Canada, one-half of the
entire army could be delivered to any
desired spot within "a hours, fourth
could be at that point in "a hours more,
and the last quarter Of the army could
re-enforce the other three-quarters at
the end Of the third day.
Many trunk line expresses now go at
the rate of 40 miles an hour, including
stops, and mile minute is not un-
usual when long fast runs are to be
made with regular trains. This does not
take into consideration much higher
speeds which have been made upon es-
pecially good roadbeds for short runs
General Superintendent @. r. Fitch of
tho Erie company, in speaking recently
Of the Importance of railroads in the
rapid concentration Of troops in war,
said:
mo trunk line would have any diff
Guilty in carrying troops at the rate Of
20 miles an hour, and 80 miles could be
made in an emergency, even with heavy
trains. for IL would not be- necessary To