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Show THE GAUGES. Editor Salt Lake Herald: In a recent wsue I find a communication commu-nication signed "Civil Engineer," referring re-ferring to a previous article in the Neios, by myself; also to one by "Narrow "Nar-row Gauge." I did not reply to tho articlo by "N. G," as, after carefully reading it, I could not find anything to reply to; and the great bulk of "C. E.'a" communication is open to the same objection, being simply a collection col-lection of statements in favor of the narrow gauge, which are not in all particulars, as correct as they might be. I wish to be distinctly understood that I am not now advocating either the present broad gauge, or what is I now known as tho narrow gauge, as the width of gauge is not an element in the discussion. If I were proposing propos-ing to build a new road, I would take into consideration the probable amount of traffic, and other controlling control-ling circumstances, and decide upen the gauge accordingly. To illustrate: If I wished to do a genera! job wagon and express business,! busi-ness,! should try to obtain some such an outfit as those in the business seem to find most suitable, viz., a light wagon and a good horse instead of a six-mule team and heavy wagon; but if I wished to engage in freiguting it is probable that I should find the heavier team the most profitable, but I certainly Bhould not, if a road were already constructed and heavy teams using it, wish to build another road from here to Ogdcn on which to run my one-horae wagon. The final part of "C. E'e" letter is particularly rich, referring to "point switches, &c; they wont answer." With what a weight of authority does ho speak in the matter. Lesser lights in the profession, bucIi as Brunei, Stephenson, Hawkihaw, Harrison, Har-rison, Capt. Tyler, of the board of trade for Groat Britain, and others, have had them in use for years, and it was never discovered that they would not answer till "C. E.", out of his immense experience, has discovered discov-ered it so to be. On the Bristol it Gloucester railway, rail-way, originally constructed of seven feet gauge, a third rail was laid and the combined tracks were used for about fifteen years, until the seven feet gauge was abandoned and taken up, yet, strange to say, in that time no inconvenience was found in operating oper-ating the two gauges. The point switches, with attachments, attach-ments, etc., happen to be used all over Great Britain and all through the continent of Europe and in some parts of the United States and Canada; and the man who would in those countries publicly state that "they would not answer," would be considered as having about as good a claim to the cognomen of civil engineer, engin-eer, as one would here, who should Bay that narrow gauge locomotives would no! answer for want of power to haul a train. As far as my experience and observation obser-vation has enabled me to see.thecom-petition see.thecom-petition between two parallel roads generally ends in either consolidation or mutual agreement, in which case the public are not such great gainers as they might otherwise be supposed to be. Allow me to quote from the requirements of tho board of trade before mentioned, issued Feb. 1872, sections, clause 22. " The signal handles and the levers of the switches at junctions or sidings should be brought together under cover upon a properly constructed stage, with glass sides enclosiag the apparatus. They Should bo ao-&rrugeU tliat While the Bignals are at danger, the points shall be free to move; that a signal man shall be unable to lower a signal for the approach of a train until after he has set the points in the properlirec-tien properlirec-tien for it to pass; that it shall not be possible for him to exhibit at the same moment any two signals that can lead to a collision between two train b; and that after having lowered his signals to allow a train to pass, he shall not be able to move nis points so as to cause au accident, or to admit of a collision between two trains. Every signalman should be able to see the arms and the lamps of his home, as well as his distant eig-; nal, and the working of his points." 1 Engineer. |