42 THE POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY. 



tical genius made the realization of the idea possible. Railways add 

 enormously to the national wealtli. More than twenty-five years ago 

 it was proved, to the satisfaction of a committee of the House of Com- 

 mons, that the Lancashire & Yorkshire Railway efiected a saving to 

 the public using the railway of more than the whole amount of the 

 dividend which was received by the proprietors. These calculations 

 were based solely on the amount of traffic carried by the railway and 

 on the difference between the railway rate of charge and the charges 

 by the modes of conveyance anterior to railways. No credit what- 

 ever was taken for the saving of time, though in England preemi- 

 nently time is money. Considering that railway charges on many 

 items have been considerably reduced since that day, it may be safely 

 assumed that the railways in the British Islands now produce, or 

 rather save to the nation, a much larger sum annually than the gross 

 amount of all the dividends payable to the proprietors, without at all 

 taking into account the benefit arising from the saving in time. The 

 benefits under that head defy calculation, and cannot with any ac- 

 curacy be put into money ; but it would not be at all over-estimating 

 this question to say that in time and money the nation gains at least 

 what is equivalent to ten per cent, on all the capital expended on rail- 

 ways. It follows that, whenever a railway can be made at a cost to 

 yield the ordinary interest of money, it is in the national interest that 

 it should be made. Further, that, though its cost might be such as to 

 leave a smaller dividend than that to its proprietors, the loss of wealth 

 to so small a section of the community will be more than supplemented 

 by the national gain, and therefore there may be cases where a gov- 

 ernment may wisely contribute in some form to undertakings which, 

 without such aid, would fail to obtain the necessary support. And 

 so some countries Russia, for instance to which improved means of 

 transport are of vital importance, have wisely, in my opinion, caused 

 lines to be made which, having I'egard to their own expenditure and 

 receipts, woixld be unprofitable works, but in a national point of view 

 are or speedily will be highly advantageous. 



A question more important probably in the eyes of many safety 

 of railway-traveling may not be inappropriate. At all events, it is 

 well that the elements on which it depends should be clearly under- 

 stood. It will be thought that longer experience in the management 

 of railways should go to insure greater safety, but there are other ele- 

 ments of the question which go to counteract this in some degree. 

 The safety of railway-traveling depends on the perfection of the ma- 

 chine in all its parts, including the whole railway, with its movable 

 plant, in that term; it depends also on the nature and quantity of 

 traffic ; and, lastly, on human care and attention. With regard to 

 what is human, it may be said that so many of these accidents as arise 

 from the fallibility of men will never be eliminated until the race be 

 improved. The liability to accident will also increase v.'ith the speed, 



