Rensselaer Union, Volume 11, Number 9, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 14 November 1878 — NARROW GAUGE RAILROADS. [ARTICLE]

NARROW GAUGE RAILROADS .

Tn the number of Saribner'e Afagatine for Heptember, 1878, Mr. Stephen D. Dillaye has a long, though far from exhaustive, article on “The Transportation Question,” in which positive ground is taken iu the advocacy of a system of trans-continental or Intercontinental narrow gnage railroads, as a practical solution of the problem of how tncheapett transportation, Which for several years has occupied the minds of persons who are interested in the internal commercial facilities of the United States. Me nrgfees that by reason of natural climatic causes it is Impossible to utilize for thW purpose the rivers and lakes which ramify the continent of North America like a gigantic arterial system, the insurmountable barrier to this being the fact that they are practically dried up in the summer and frozen up in the winter. Of course artificial water thoroughfares would be subject to the same objections, only not to so great an extent, perhaps, for looks, dams, reservoirs and feeders would oorrect the wastage from unobstructed drainage and reimburse the losses from evaporation and drought; still they would be frozen up and useless in the wiuter season, which is about onefourth of the year in our latitude, and also a season of the greatest activity with some departments of trade. Besides these objections to inland water transportation there are others which conspire against its use, especially if the channel be an artificial one,'to an extent that is. prohibitory. Until genius invents some more speedy motor tlian has yet been adapted to the navigation of canals, they cannot be made serviceable for the shipment of products of a rapidly perishable nature for long distances, nor for common farm produce to distaiitand constantly fluctuating markets. The demand of the great central producing basin of the United States is for a eystem of transportation that w'lll most )>erl'ecUy uuite safety, speed and cheapness. Inland watercourses, whether natural or artificial, are so uncertain, and at the present stage of mechanical invention so tardy, as to make them practically worthless for the transportation of our more fragile products or for merchandise upon which the dealer’s profit is so small that he must sell it quickiy and turu his money ofteu to make a per ccntage that will justify his risks. Water transportation, by reason of its imperfections, is, then; seemingly out of the argument. It does not give the solution sought for. Standard gauge railroads combine two of ti»e vital requisites of this demand,, speed and a reasonable degree of safety, but thirty or more years of constant, varied, extended and careful experimenting, under every conceivable combination of circumstances, has proven them seriously, almost fatally, deficient In that other very important attribute, cheapness. The cost of the construction, equipment and operation of tiie broad and the standard gauge railroads is so much that tbo tariff's necessary for the companies to adopt to pay a reasonable per centage upon their enormous outlays operate us a grave hindrance to the industries of .production and commerce. In his argument for the narrow gauge system of railroads, Mr. Dillaye suggests tiie construction of at least one grand through line, devoted exclusively to the business of carrying freight. Mu cites figures to prove that such a line of railroad would be able both to carry freights for less titan half the tariffs now in service and to pay largely upon the capital invested. A saving of nearly or quite forty per cent, is made in their construction atf compared with the cost bf the standard gauge roads; the saving in the equipment is all of thirty to thirty-three per cent.; the saving in dead weight to be moved is enormouif, that between the three feet and the four fuel and eight inch gauges being us 94 to 1,040; the actual cost of carrying freight oh the narrow roads is ouly one-half that of carrying on the wide gauge; the decrease of wear is as2o to 50 iu favor of the narrow gauge, and the cost of operating is less than one-half as much as the oost of operating tiie standard gauge roads. Mr- Dillaye foims up like this; Tlio cost of traiiMmrtation by railroads can bcfea»tlr so reduced oy a plainly braellculsrstciu that freight wUicti it costs lliirteeu null* per ton per mile to transport can profitably be transported at (our mills per ton per mile, thus enabling wheat and corn to be transported from Chicago to New York for cloven cents per buabel, or from Council Bluffs to tho Atlantic for sixteen cents per bushel, or at leas than one-half the average coat by lake, canal end river navigation for the last'ton years, and as cheap as is could be transported if there was a shin..canal .the whole distauoe with capacity for 1,100 ton ships. Although Mr. Dill aye’s article is imperfect iu many respects, and, as said before, is fur from being an exhaustive argument, still it serves to Introduce the claims of the narrow gauge railroad, system to the consider atlon of the public who have a deep Interest in the subject of cheap transportation as possibly being the solution of a problem that affects the material prosperity of one-half of the people of litis great nation ; and H is of special HJterest to a majority of the readers of Tub Uniox as auxiliary ter the ooutemplalion of an experiment now In progress oftrisclwlthio the range of their observation, to which attention is now called. The Itidt«liapoii'», Delphi & Chicago '

fallr/ihd has for ita primary object , coh fttd'tlon of the cities of iWlffn# poll# uurf Chicago by a lino of narro# gauge railroad which ahall be thirty* five to forty milea shorter than any line at present between these two grant metropolises. The ultimate idea of Its projectors is that one day in the future shall become n link in a trunk Hue from the great northern lakes to tbe southeastern | sea-board. This Idea, however, Is speculative. The practical part is iiib Chieifeo aud Indianapolis link of two . hundred miles. The gauge is three feet. The projected route in Indiana is through and into the counties of Lake, Newton, Jasper, 'White, Carroll, Clhitpn, Boone, Hamilton aud Mariou. Twenty-eight milea of the road is completed and- operating between Jfteiiaselaer Iu Jadper county and Monticello in Whltfc county; before the ground freezes ttvelvc milled more will be completed between Monticello and Delphi in. Carroll county; This forty miles of road will 4ravo been completed In n few days more than a year from the time tbe flrst spadeful of earth was tlnowed. And such a year! A season of popular complaint, of business stagnation, of an unprecedented number of bankruptcies, of general financial embarrassment, distrust and timidity. A parallel case of enterprise cannot be found in the states of Ohio, Indiana and Illinois. The flrst section of the road built was sixteen miles long and connected Eensaela,er with Bradford on tlie Louisville, New Albany A Chicago raiiroad. It was opened to business on the 14th day Of last February. From tbe running of the first tiatn over this short link, which commences iu the wilderness, runs through a sparsely settled and only partially cultivated region, and ends at a small way station on a third class railroad) the business has paid and more than paid the cost of operating two daily trains, road and machine repairs, etc. On the 14th day of August a second link of twelve miles was thrown open to patronage. Tho receipts of tlie road for passengers and freight show a satisfactory monthly increase, For the month of October past they were S4OO more thau for the preceding mouth of September. Although the schedule of tariffs is twenty-five per cent, lower than the tariffs exacted-by the standard gauge roads with which this short and unfinished road connects, Us receipts are sufficient .to pay all of the expenses connected with its operation and four per cent, upon the bonded indebtedness of the road. This jndebtedness ought not to be very large, however, for three reasons, towit: First, The portion of the road built and in operation lies through a nearly level prairte region, where no heavy grading tfas neceteary, where there was no heavy timber io clear away, no deep eutftag nor heavy Ailing, 110 costly bridging nor extended trestling; the ties are shorter and are otherwise of smaller dinfe'flsfona than those used by the standard gauge! roads aud the rails ure fully a third lighter—probably the cost of obstruction, all ready for the traius. did not exceed an average of $5,006 per mile. Secondly, Tbe roiliug stock consists of two locomotive engines, made by the Baldwin Works, Philadelphia, weights seventeen and eighteen tons; one coach to seat forty passengars,as pretty as a picture and neat aa a parlor, mude at Dayton, Ohio, by tiro Barney & Smith manufacturing company; a beauty, neat and comfortable, that cost $3,000 to $3,600; four to six baggage and box freight cars, a dozeu flats <7ll some of which have been put crates for the shipping of live stock; and a couple of hand cars. There is only oue dejiot, freight warehouse, and office building, whicli is of small dimensions and unfinished. The building and rolling stock probably did not cost to exceed $60,000 to $&,- 000. Thirdly- Subsidies to an*aggregate of $200,000 or $250,000 were donated by tlie people along tlie line. 80 that the bonded indebtedness of the road ought not to be very large, if it has any at all. It has been remarked that tlie grading. ties, iron and bridges are light; but it must not be inferred from this that the work is inferior or the materials poor; on the contrary the truth Is that there is not a better, smoother, more substantial strip of railroad In the state, nffr one upon which it is safer or pleasanter to travel. Heavier work is demanded and being put on the division between Monticello and Delphi. The country through wli+eh the une passes is more broken, and two considerable rivers are crossed; these necessitate deeper cutting and tilling, long trestles and expensive bridges. Near Montioello, where the Tippecanoe river is approached and crossed, the company is erecting patches of trestling and bridges that are models of strength and superior workmanship; they will bear the closest scrutiny of the most skillful engineers, and wo«|ld till completett ail oT the reijulrtiments of the est looomoUves and trains of standard gauge roads. Over the Wabash river! at FUtaburg is the costliest and most important bridge on the entire tine between Indianapolis a thi Chicago; it, too, is being tjiifjt' Iji missive

that only a short arm fa tH operation. and that it lias fcddtf liV dperetfod only Delphi A Chicago narrow garago rafifoad. Ut* Inhabitants of Rensselaer and vicinity had td pay one dollar so one dollar and fifty cents for the privilege of riding In an uncomfortable vehicle over inferior ifflrd often very bud roads, twelve to slitdtif Thiile* long, occupying Hi roe to aevenf pfarf .• to reach a railroad traiu to take them M, y «V?8 h t>°ririg .tows*; now fifty-five cants is paid for a ride on positioned scats, over a smooth' road, in a warm and pleasant car, to rs poirft frofn whenco the same destination# may be reached and only forty minutes consumed. Before , tho cars were running people who hAd occasion to patronize tho express companies paid a full rate from the point of atari* ing to tiie $ol»t of nearest railroad delivery, and then as much more to S private monopoly to have fliO package brought from tiler# so Reifosellaer; now gpods are laid down at indlr doors by the express company for onto rate; on everything of this description’ people save fifty per cent. Before the cart Were running It cost twenty to forty cents per. hundred pounds, when the roads vere paaeabiefotf teame, to get common freights out ffom Rensselaer to a railroad poin tor in from k .railroad point to Rensaejaer—sometimes it could not bemoftfiul ail; now the passage is uninterrupted and costs only fifteen cents per hundred weight. Before the cars were running if flour was Imported from Monticclfo the transportation charges were frofn' seventy-flvo cents to one dollar a barrel; now they are thirty cento. Before the cars were running Rensselaer people went to Remington or Francesville to buy lumber and building materials; now people come from Reniington to Rensselaer for lumber, because the managers of this railroad deliver lumber iu Rensselaeir cheaper than it is delivered at Remtfilifon, Francesville or any other point In tntf neighborhood that It does not reach, and enough cheaper that they calf afiord to come here to buy. Before the cam were running the cattle aint hogs fed in this Vicinity lifidtefc* driven twelve so 'sixteen niHese/or shipment; now this is obviated; mi entire day is saved, expenses are much lessened and live stock reaches market in much hetter condition. Before the cars were running' ft there was a market at Rensselaer for the minor productions of the form it Was a Sickly, feeble, unreliable mark6r,fi«4rcely more substantial than a shadow;' bow/ people get a fair price for everything they have to sell—for corn, oats, potatoes, frillt, vegetables, poultry, eggs, butter, etc. Before the ears were running it was an all-day and tedious enterprise to visit the cities of l*afayelte, Logansport, Indlauapolls or Chicago, or intermediate points; now a trip may be made to Logansport with several hours for business of pleasure and rtturn on the dine day; or leaving RCrtstfelaCr at 11:40 a. m. early supper may be taken at Lstfoyefte, Indianapolis or Chicago. The construction of tho road to Rensselaer has added not leaf than $25,000 to the permanent laxables of Jasper county; - has added an HCtuiil permanent value of ten to twenty per cent, on every foot of real estate withlu a ratline 5? ten miles from tiie county scat; has increased the facilities for transacting commercial business a hundred fold; has stimulated and encouraged enterprise, Improvement and business incalculably; has infused vigor Into the people who arc within the circle of hi influence, aroused hope in their breasts, and spurred them up to renewed activity, which wttkbe Mttnd manifested In an increased ratio for years to come. From bohig a qualut, quiet, antique town of tire wilderness Reusselaer has become an active, bustling business {Mint where improvements are the order of the day. The officials of the railroad say that the enterpriaa so paying them, and any observer may see tlmt It is paying the public a large profit oft what it has cost them. Col; Yeoman, the general manager; predicts that.wfilhss three years after tue road is fluiahed It yttrpay a handeomedividwtd W the stockholders.