The Montgomery advertiser., 1907-02-19

l In answer to your inquiry as to what 1 steps have been taken by the Louisviile l and Nashville Railroad Company look | ing to adequate and satisfactory service | to It's patrons in the future. beg leave | to say that if the present volume of l traffic is to continue and to increase. to enable the company to render satisfac- l tory service. it will be necessary to re- | duce grades and curvature. and con- struct second tracks between Tender son, Ky, and Edgeheld Junction, be- tween Louisville and Mobile. and be-
 tween Louisville. Cincinnati and knox- vile: make material additions to it's equipment. and expend large sums ia creating additional terminal facilities, | additional shops. etc.
 have already referred to the expen- ditures under taken and that 1t will be necessary to incur to reduce the grades | between Nashville and Henderson, KY, | to maximum of S-10 per cent against | northbound. and per cent against | southbound trafic. Reducing grades | and curvature. and constructing double | tracks involves an expenditure many l times greater than the original cost Of l the roads. As an illustration. the South and North Alabama Railroad Company recently expended $255,S36,T0 in reduc- ing grades and constructing a second track road from a point near Boyles ' Junction. a distance of 4.7fmiles. The work of reducing erades and curvature, and constructing second track between Oxmoor, Ala, and Hardy, Ala, a distance of 1A.41 miles, has been entered upon at an estimated cost of $1,010,500,37. When the work IS done the maximum grade will be S-10 per cent against northbound. and 7-iO per cent against southbound traffic. or what would be considered an excessive grade in many parts of the country. as most of the main lines are endeavoring to re- duce their grades to 3-10 per cent, or not more than 4-10 per cent. As an H. l illustration of what this means. will say | that the estimated train tonnage to be moved by the heaviest class of locono- ] tive in use on Louisville and Nashville Railroad. or locomotives with 36.000 pounds tractive power. on grade of 8-1O per cent, is 1,434 train tons and on l a grade of S-10 per cent 2,75s train tons. Another illustrations: The company I has entered upon the reduction of grades and alignment, and the construc- | tion of a second track between Sinks. Ky, and Corbin, Ky. (34.9 milesl, the | against northbound. and 6b per cent against southbound traftic, with one ex- | ception, where for a distance of 6.S 1 miles 1t will be 1.32 per cent. The ex- ] penditure for completing the work on | this short piece of road, Is $i,S19,632.41. | Therefore, to enable the L. and N. Rail- road Company to promptly move the existing traffic, and provide for incFeas- ed trafic. roughly estimate that dur | ing the next five years. $1O0.OOo.000 l should be expended in reducing grades and curvature. constructing second tracks increasing equipment, providing | increased terminal facilities. including | Tv.fn nr-1r | cannot be entered upon for the reason that the company can not obtain the re- | duired capital, except upon terms that are deemed. by the management, pro l hibltory.
 The action of the United States gov l ernment and the State Legislatures, combined with personal damage claim | lawyers and labor unions, in conspiring | to take the control of the property of | the railways from their owners-bind
 them hand and foot that they may he l the more readily plucked--has caused
 and will. I fear. continue to cause h. vestors to refrain from loantng the cap-
 ital required to make the necessary ad. ditions.
 venture the opinion that the exist,
 ing facilities of the railroads will, In 6
 comparatively short time-twelve ol
 eighteen months-be adequate to thu
 transportation requirements. This |!
 based upon the fact that large pro.
 portion of the existing trafic Is the re-
 suit of the enormous expenditures tha have, for a number of years past, beer
 made by the railroads of the country ir adding to their facilities, the expendit'
 ures already made and those authorized
 and under way amounting to many hun
 dreds of millions of dollars, and sucf
 expenditures, in addition to giving em.
 ployment to many millions of people
 have created, directly and indirectly, {
 very large traffic, which the railroads
 have been moving. If railroad compa.
 nies can not obtain additional capital
 1t follows that as soon as the capital al.
 ready provided has been expended--the
 improvement s. additions. etc. now un'
 der way completed--the employment
 and traffic that has resulted from con
 struction expenditures by the railroad
 companies will cease.
 If I am in error. and the capital tt
 put the schemes recently suggested bS
 d prominent railroad constructor. oper
 ator and owner. of adding B per cen
 to the existing railroad nilesge of th'
 country during the next i've years. a
 an estimated cost of $5,5oO 600 O00. ol 1 1,lo0, 00o,OO0 per snnum, is provided