The Washington herald., 1914-02-25
HISTORY BUILDERS.
Why the Surveyors Put Curves in the
New Haven Railroad.
written expressly for The Herald9
BY DR. E. >. EDWARDS.

lSST HERE is a stretch OF double
track railroad between Boston
and Providence. I think about
fifteen miles In length. which Is abso-
luteiy straight. and j have been told
that It was laid as basis for the United
States survey. I mean that the triangu-
lation for that survey was made with this
fifteen miles OF straight track as the
base of the triangle"
This statement was made TO me by the
late Charles Peter Clark. who for twelve
years, beginning in 1sss, was the presi-
debt of the New York. New Haven and
Hartford Railroad Company
when I was with the old New York
and New England Railroad Company.
whose lines stretch from the Hudson
River to Boston. 1 used occasionally to
refer to that very fine piece of straight
track" continued Mr.. Clark. Some
times / asked the engineer why IL was
that In the very early days of railroad
ing-for the Boston and Providence Rail-
road was one OF the first to be built In
the United states-the engineers should
have laid out an absolutely straight track
for practically one-third Of the distance
between Boston and Providence. whereas
In later years the engineers seem to
have studied how to survey SO as to
make as many curves as possible, and
heavy grades as well.
''one of the engineers with whom !
talked about this said TO me that 1t was
a practically level stretch between Bos-
ton and Providence, and tnat as the
country was not very thickly settled at
the time OF the survey and as land was
cheap, the engineers found II very easy
to run an absolutely straight line for a
distance OF from twelve to fifteen miles.
But when they were called upon TO sur
vey for lines that were to run from the
seaboard to the West, they had very diff
ferent conditions to meet, for the noun
tain ranges in the United States ran
north and south.
II had TO he satisfied with this ex-
PLANTATION. but after 1 became president
OF the New York, New Haven and Hart
ford Railroad Company l found myself
many times thinking OF that straight
stretch of railroad between Boston and
Providence. For the New Haven Rail
road did not encounter any mountains,
as the road from Boston to Albany did
or as did the New York and New Eng
land. which was compelled TO pass over
and around three half-mountainous
groups. The New Haven Railroad was
built along the Long Island shore.
80 i asked myself often how II hap
pened that the men who laid out the
survey for the railroad from New Haven
TO the Bronx River. in New York, made
so many curves. II seemed almost as
though they deliberately so surveyed the
line as TO include as many curves as
possible. / made up my mind that as
soon as possible I would straighten out
these curves and so relay the line as to
get as long and as good tangents as pos |
sible.
One day while / was looking at a |
curiously unnecessary curve in the road
between New Haven and Bridgeport 4
got into conversation with a man who
had been associated with those who sur |
veyed the line. l asked him II he knew !
why the surveyors seemed to go almost |
out OF their way to make curves when |
they could even more easily have sur !
veyed so as to get a fairly good tangent |
The man laughed and replied: Why, |
Mr.. Clark, didn't you know what the /
reason was? II you don't I'll ten you. |
Mr.. Bishop. who built the road. made a
bargain with the surveyors which pro- |
vided that they should be paid so much |
a mile for the survey. lie did not know |
as much about railroading as his son.
William ID. Bishop, afterward learned.
OF course. II the surveyors were paid by
the mile il was TO their advantage to
put in as much mileage as possible. and /
that is the reason why the New Haven /
as originally built, had So
many curves in II. They don't survey
railroads that way nowadays"
CCopyriShf.I