RAILWAY CONSTRUCTION

Evening Star, Volume IX, Issue 2572, 16 May 1871, Page 2

RAILWAY CONSTRUCTION

The following interesting letter from the Colonial Treasurer has been handed to us for publication:— “ .sew York, March 7th, 1871.

“Sir—l have iho honor to submit to you a few observations respecting American railways, and to make a lew suggestions which may be useful in New Zealand. Of comse, i do not pretend that the suggestions have the value of those coming from an expert; or that they arc anything more than might occur to any person through the American continent and wh > bore in mind that we are proposing to initiate in New Zealand the construction of a thorough system of railways. “ There is a remarkable contrast between the estimation in which railways are held in this country and that in which they are held in New Zealand, or, as far as I am aware, iu the Australian Colonies or in Great Britain. Just as we in New Zealand should think of constructing a road and metalling it completely, or metalling but a portion of the centre, or even being content with surface formation at lirst, according to the probable extent of the traffic : so iu America is the freest discretion used iu the construction of railways, which work is thought no more of than, if so much as, is thought of ordinary road work in the Colonics. Consequently', railways in every stage of completeness are to bo seen here, from the roughest and slighest style of construction, suited only for liget traffic and low rates of speed, to strong and perfect lines suited for much heavy traffic and high rates of speed. “ One of the most remarkable and probably useful consequences ol the popularity of railways in this country appears to me to be the absence of all necessity for carefully shutting than oil' from the approach of all other kinds of traffic. It teems to be regarded as wholly unnecessary to fence or guard railway lines from the approach of human beings. The sole object of fencing see.us to be to keep off animals. Thus through a great deal of country where animals might stray or wander upon the lines, some sort of protection is provided; but wherever road lines, highways, or streets have to he crossed, it appears to be a matter of course that the lines shall pass without any attempt being made to guard against accidents. In thinly peopled districts, and even iu towns, one constantly secs boards stuck up, with the words ‘Look out for the locomotive;’ but this even is not considered necessary where railways pass through towns; the ringing of a bell upon the engine being regarded as sufficient warning of the approach of each train. Through the most populous po tioa of some populous iowns, the trains pass constantly; and as you glide by you see inou, women, and children, horses and carts, and other vehicles, waiting at each crossing until the street line shall be clear. Along some streets iu Chicago, goodstrains are drawn to and fro, for the purpose of shunting or picking up particular waggons ; and although there is couse i neatly often a dclayjof several minutes I ef jre the line can be crossed, the pedestrians and the drivers er ride;s who are stopped, accept the delay as a natur 1 and proper one. One night, on waking and looking out of the window of my berth in a sleeping car, I was amazed to find that we were running through almost the centre of a large town (Pittsburgh, as I afterwards learned;, “In Baltimore, an exceedingly populous city, and where the traffic is very great, and the streets are narrow, there is a distance of something like a mile and a half between the station which one reaches on the way from Washington, and that which is the station for booking, or for New \ ork ; but instead of the passengers leaving the cars, or a heavy expense being incurred in constructing a viaduct or anything of the kind, rails are laid in the most direct line through the streets of the town, and long trains are drawn from one station to the other by four or live horses attached to each carriage. When it is considered that the two lines thus separated are amongst those which have the largest traffic in the country, that mauy fast trams are run over them, and that it would be practicable to construct a complete connection though the cost would be considerable, an idea of the ‘ railway policy, ’ as it may be called, of the United States, can be gathered—that policy being to save heavy expenditure by whatever seems to be the most convenient and ready method of doing so, and of dealing with each case upon its merits, without thought of precedent or rule. Further instances of this are afforded by the facts that out of Nev York, and out of San Francisco, the railway systems have to be approached by means of ferryboats. lam not able to suggest what would be the probable amount ot the coat of overcoming the natural difficulties in the way of continuous railway transit in either of tneso cases. Probably, iu the case of New York, the cost of a bridge would be very great indeed. But this lam able to say, that the use of the ferry-boats is productive of no inconvenience. The arrangements in connection with the ferry are such, as regards baggage, &c., that as little inconvenience is felt as if passeiigeis at once entered the railway cars.

“I am not setting clown these isolated facts without au object. You must, of course, accept them for what they are worth, and understand that the observations are those of one merely passing through the

country, without leisure to study the question, or special knowledge to enable him to do so thoroughly; but 1 think that the observations will suggest this at least : Now that we are commencing the construction ot railways in New Zealand, ue should resolve to construct them upon a basis not dissimilar to that adopted in this country : that is to say, we should lay down as rules — (1) ihat railway lines shall be constructed on |*recisely that sca'c which is suited to meet the probable present traffic demands of the parts of the coninry in winch the lines are to be emstr. cted ; and (2) That the people of the Colony will be sufficiently intelligent to protect themselves aguust accidents without continuous fencing of the lines, tr the necessity for costly crossings whtre the street lines or roads are intersected. “If I roculkct rightly, on the Otago S uithern Trunk Itaihvay, from IKmedin to t le Clutha, there is intended to be even yet s nue heavy expenditure for the sake ot avoiding level crossings j and that wiicic such crossings are contemplated, it is proposed to go to the expense of constructing gates and paying gatekcepi rs. This appears 1 3 me to be an imitation oi the English system, without the excuse for it which is afforded by difficulties existing m England. For example, in passing a E ail way Eill through Parliament enormous expense has generally to be incurro i, and concessions in the direction of what is supposed to bo for the protection of the public arc readily granted, rather than that there should he discussion. In fact, costly road crossings are constantly adopted, for fear that some individual* might raise more costly objection* that the lines proposed would he hindrances to traffic. Again, railways in England are mostly constructed for rapid traffic; whereas in New Zealand, as in Ainer.ca, 1 anticipate that the average rate of speed will not very much, if at all, exceed twenty miles an hour, and that there the same care can he exercised in driving trains as is exere cis.d here; constantly, where curves ars sharp or gradients steep, or roads or streets have to be crossed, there are small boards stuck up, with figures indicating the speed at which the trains are to pass. “If it be decided, as I think it should be, that people in New Zealand are to be familiarised with railways, and that they are quite as capable as any other people of protecting themselves against accidents from passing trains, it seems to me that costly Crossings may be avoided. We may also follow the example ot America in having the most simple sty.e of stations; and further, we may decide that where great difficulties exist in crossing any river or ap{iroaching any town, tUere for a time at east, until the traffic warrants the incurring of heavy expenditure, such expedients shall be resorted to as, while not entailing a large amount of inconvenience, wi l save a very considerable amount of expense. “ I am, &c., “ (Signed) Julius Vogel. “ The Hon. the Minister of Public “ Works, New Zealand.”