Show gauge RAILWAY CON the late railway convention at st louis appointed a committee to report upon the peculiar merits and advantages of the narrow gauge railway system from the report of that committee we extract ome bome J facts showing the conclusion arrived at by some of the most experienced and practical railway men in the country we are forced to 0 o abbreviate and give their conclusions conclusion 9 in the fewest possible words first the conclusion is reached that in rough and mountainous countries where heavy ores such as gold silver lead and copper are to be transported and where it is not necessary necos needs sary bary to run time or fast fasts trains the construction of rall rali railways ways of three feet gauge costs no more per mile than one fifth sueh buch roads as the erie the pennsylvania central and baltimore and ohio second that in such rolling country bryas as exists where most rail rall railways ways are constructed narrow gauge roads cost no more than half as aa much as aa the ordinary broad gauge third in the prairie country where the land is level or only slightly undulating the three feet gauge costs no more than three fifths as much as the ordinary roads the commike committee also aiso refer to the fact that narrow gauge enterprises are much more easily set on foot than the construction st of broad gauge roads on account c oun t of the lower cust cost of building them thern on the comparative cost of operating the two kinds binds of roads the following tables are furnished CARS CABS broad narrow dirner differ gauge gauge ence weight of ciralli ears cars in fl iha no or passengers rull ruil od o d 53 33 20 pounds bounds di df ad weight per par passenger 33 pounds bounds dead weight carried on roads in ft massachusetts and aad new york in 1870 I 1 an fn gifth n ceetta 1250 1260 new now york yon fc 2781 in this ease eabe uhe the narrow gauge coach weight pounds carries when full 36 passengers with a dead weight of pounds or pounds per passenger while the broad gauge coach capacity 56 passengers weighs an average of 19 tons giving a deal dead weight of or pounds a diffie difference rence of pounds pe per head in favor of the narrow guage TR traffic AFtIC broad Jf firrow differ gange gauge gauge giuze G kuge kuze enee ence number of passengers I 1 per perear dercar car ear IS 13 11 13 1 weight of eara cara in E 0 total 1950 1930 dead mad weight per pas r ben sen bener benger sener er in pounds 2923 2733 grosimo gross loads kaa das ids in pounds A difference of pounds ar or 13 tonn tons in favor df 0 the tue narrow guage gnage or 2000 pounds per ar head for each ench passenger Ag suming assuming the weight of the broad gauge car ear to be only 15 tons or pounds the diff difference arence in favoron favor of the narrow gauge car will still be pounds or 1384 pounds per head for each pass pasa passenger eilger as against pounds per headdy head by the narrow gauge of course the velling travelling tra public pays for this excess of urine unnecessary cesary dead weight am amounting bunting to many mady millions of ot dollars per annum FREIGHT oars oarb t broad narrow gauge guage weight of boxcars box cars ears in pounds 8 00 capacity of boxcars cars in pounds the average pounds of dead weight to one ton paying freight carried on railways in massachusetts and new york in 1870 vias vlas was a new Yo york rb the average weight of modern broad gauge auke carh cari cars is pounds capacity pounds te average weight of southern tread brand gauge oarb ears may be put down at pounds capacity pounds in the table we have taken the lowest dead weight and the highest capacity as we prefer to over estimate the capacity of the broad gauge rather than to underestimate it the report of the committee embodies further farther tables giving a vast amount of information concerning the comparative advantages of the two systems it closes by announcing that the members of the committee will gather all possible farther further inform tion alon by cor responding with all persona persons having in charge narrow gauge railway enterprises and will furnish the result of their labors to all persons or nr corporations who may desire it ex jez |