The Narrow Gauge for Railways.

Cromwell Argus, Volume II, Issue 103, 31 October 1871, Page 5

The Narrow Gauge for Railways.

| We have received .a couplo of pamphlets on t."j suojeet oi Mv Fiiii'iie'a narrow gauge, j crhich appeain deelined to boco.iio iks gange ; for each mil ways as miv horeaftor In coa- , struct eJ iu these ccioaie?,. The iloii. Howard i Spcnsloy, one of the Crown Law 011b3V3 of I tiis colony of Victoria, lovwirdud the pa:a----i phlcts to uj, accompanied by a circular, ii I which he says : —"The great aot?nbion which has of late been directed to the question of j'Economical Railways' has induced me to j reprint the following piper, read by Mr It, i F. Fairliß, 0.E., before the British Assueia- ! tion. The facta therein narrated are so imI portanb that ib is to be hoped ahoy wxll have | some eft'ecu on the construction of the future ! railways in these colonies. It is quite within | the bounds of probability that our neigiii hours will reduce the width of their lines io one narrower than that of Victoria—s feet : 3 inches ; but it is utterly impossible to una* i gine that they will increase their gauge— i I feel; B.V inches—to a width like our own. ; With the view to the thorough ventilation of I (he subject, the within articles are printed j for circulation. The facts vouched for by : such high authorities as the International ; and Indian Commissions are too important : bo be lightly passed over." We cull a few passages, which serve to indicate the advantages of the narrow over ; the broad gauge. Mr Fairlie says : " It does no: require a philosopher to sec that ! the narrow gunge is infinitely superior in every i rcspset even to tiie 4 test 8$ inch gauge, and it : ought ta be engraved on the mind of every enI gineer tbat every inch addd I io the. width of a ; yauje he'jvvl whiti k abrt'u'c'y nec&mry for tho ! traffic, adds to the cntof conttruclhu, increases \ the proportion of ilead weight, incnases the cost of ; w irking, aad in consequence increase tha iarijfc Itojtis pnb'.k, and by so much reduces t As uttfal \ eject of the ra'dw:t'j "Tiie oniony of Victoria has been provided j with a system of 5 feet 3 inches gau;e railways, which are si magnificent and costly that fchoy charge the colonial revenue with a trifling deficit of £30,001) per annum. ... "In moderately temperate climates, gauges j of 2 feit 0 inches will he found ample for any I traffic iu any part of the vorl.l, and will sustain I a speed of thirty miles an hour; while three ! feet is sufficient for either very hot or very c ltd | olim ites, and will sustain a speed of forty miles j an hour, " Kailwaya can be male cheaply, and, at the same time, to be thoroughly effieteut; and those who aver to the c mtrary are, in fact, enemies to ; progress and' to civilisation. There is no country j too poor to have railways sufficient for its re- ': quirements ; and railways furnish the cheapest I j possible m >le of transport when they are 'not borne down by toe results of that incompetrnee and extravagance which we so often see asso- ■ cia'ol together." The London Tltofc'Ss : &\Eto'*\$ "advocates the i j narrow gauge; and there aVp-ar to be cb- ,; cided indicaoions that it wui'oe very geiraII rally adopted tiir the world. P»> ! girding the opponents 61 the ha-w-gaufe, lie ; j F.iiriie very truly remarks that " it is' a ail •; in-j'.d'jni in the great history of human error >! when wo find men led info mistakes b/ their 11 anxicti' to resist innovation. How d.Torsnt > j would be the course of invention, how smooth i; the _ path o~ hnprovemorit, what years of iianzloiu labour would be saved to nanv ni , us, If sock men would lay aside all rivalrle?, ; and would bring their helping hands to tho good work of progress!" There can be r.o I re.i;»e...:blc doubt '• economicd radvuv.," •j would be a.groit boon to thia colon/; ~;d i it is there'ora mtisfaitory frt know that a (narrow gaage (3 t'oer. S inches) has b■ n i adonhed by the Govermiant hers, nfiar . mat:i<"3 comidarat'on.—Wo have to' tliauk | Mr Howard.Spenalev for hir courtsay in Jor- . warding us the pamphlets. v '"• .-.