The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1907-03-28
1s Ia BRoAp GAGE L,kELy,

the next 10 years at gage OF SIX ieet
instead of the present one of four feet
eight and one-half inches. Grades will
have to be reduced everywhere. tunnels
enlarged. bridges rebuilt and the whole
equipment remodeIed. The present
freight car will be succeeded by one two
feet wider and several feet longer. This
will give ne. only great increase OF
carrying capacity. but enable II to be
made much lighter in proportion to the
tonnage it bears.
The six foot gage, which Mr.. Harri-
man speaks of, is not a new idea by any
means. When railroad building first
began, there was sharp controversy
between the engineers as to the gage to
son. at that time among the greatest of
civil engineers, and the men who built
the Thames tunnel, the Great Eastern
and several works of unusual maSni-
tude, were ardent advocates of six
foot gage, which they claimed was
scientifically the proper one. Upon this
gage the younger Brunell constructed
Tile Great Western r. r. The Erie and
Great Western railroads in this coun-
try, and possibly some others. were
built on the same gage. The battle be-
tween the cages was long and fierce.
and finally ended without the scientific
principle being settled. All of the roads
came to the present standard. four feet
eight and half inches. on questions of
convenience only. The gage is that
marked out in the ruts in the pave
ments of Pompeii, made by the wheels
of vehicles, and has relation to the
size of horse. The wagons of the
period before railroads were built upon
the same principle; macadam roads
were constructed with reference 10
these wagons. and the majority of the
railroads constructed followed the
model of the macadamized roads in
width Of bed. cuttings. bridges and cars.
The broader gage roads came to the
four feet eight and one-haif gage SIM
ply because OF the difficulty and cost OF
transferring freight and cars from one
road to the other. All manner of de-
vices were tried. Some car wheels were
made with broad fianges to run on
tracks that had cages an inch or two
wider than four feet eight and one-ha,f
inches. and at the functions of the
there were great derricks to lift the
cars bodily from one set Of tracks and
set them upon another.
In the end 1t was found cheaper and
more convenient in every way to alter
the cages to the predominating one OF
four feet eight and one-half inches.
This was also the case with the great
network Of narrow gage railroads that
once covered Indiana, Ohio. Illinois and
some other Western States, At one
time there was fever for building rail-
roads of three feet gage. but these have
all been changed into standard gage
roads.
The first trouble about the present
gage Is that the locomotive has now
been made as large as it Is possible
The size Of the locomotive is limited by
that Of the f1re-box: fire-bOx Is lin
tied in length by the distance to which
a man can throw a shovel full Of coal
Consequently If the fire-box is to be
made larger the gage must be widened.
To change the gage to six feet. as Mr..
Hartman proposes. would mean an ex-
penditure Of simply billions Of dollars
and work taking. no one can say.
what time. The proposition is one OF
stupendous magnitude. but Mr.. Harri-
man is not a man who talks wildly on
such matters. and 1t may be that he has
figured out that the immense advant-
ages to be secured by widening the gage
| to six feet will pay for the inconceiva-
BILE sums required to widen the present
road-bed, bridges and tunnels ana
change the cars and locomotives.
The Pennsylvania R.. r.. Is trying to
biuff the Legislature by, a threat OF
stopping its improvements II a, two
cent-a-mile law is enacted. Pennsyi.
vania is one Of the States In which q
two-cent-a-mile rate Is most strengly jus.
tilted: The population and traffic are
| among the densest to mile of line to
be found in the whole country, and two
cents mile Is more than fair COM
pensation for passenger tickets. Penn
sylvanfa has only 45,215 square mile,
of territory. and upon. this moderate
area is gathered about 6.Soo. e08 popu-
lation. or double and treble that OF
other States Of somewhat similar area
The State is exceedingly wealthy in
manufactures and products. so that al
together a. mile Of railroad line mus,
all the time and at usual rates be fal
more remuneratiye than similar
| length Is In the States Of the South and
West. The Pennsylvania threat !.
only bluff, because the road Is man.
aged with the highest business ability
! is probably the best mahaged railroad
In the world, and Its improvements are
not made for any philanthropy, but
with wise business foresight as to the
needs of the great thoroughfare.
The Beers have gained at the ballot
box what they lost on the battlefield.
They have now a distinct majority In
the South African Parliament, with the
destinies of the country handed over
to them. Gen. Louis Botha. their old
leader in war time, is now their politi-
ceI leader Thew M longer dream nj