162 Wisconsin Academy of Sciences, Arts, and Letters. 



high rates would rather retard than stimulate development, the 

 construction of the narrow-gauge would offer good_,inducements 

 to capitalists for investment and furnish cheap transportation 

 for the people. Comparing the cost of operating the two 

 gauges we find that the narrow-gauge coach, weight 12,000 

 pounds, carries, when full,' 36 passengers, with a dead weight 

 of 12,000 divided by 36 = 333 pounds per passenger, while the 

 broad gauge coach, capacity 56 passengers, weighs an average 

 of 19 tons, giving a dead weight of 38,000 divided by 56 = 

 678 pounds, a difference of 345 pounds per head in favor of 

 the narrow-gauge. But these coaches seldom run full, in 

 which case the advantage will be still greater in favor of the 

 latter. Suppose we have 38 passengers, two more than the 

 small coach will accommodate, making it necessary to put on a 

 second one. Here we will have two narrow-gauge coaches 

 weighing 24,000 pounds, or 24,000 divided by 38=634 pounds 

 per passenger, while by the broad-gauge we have 38,000 di- 

 vided by 38 = 1,000 pounds dead weight per passenger or a 

 difference of 366 pounds per head in favor of the narrow- 

 gauge. Again, let us suppose that we have two narrow-gauge 

 car loads, 72 passengers, or 16 more than can be accommo- 

 dated by one broad gauge coach, necessitating the use of a 

 second one. The account will then stand as follows: two 

 narrow-gauge coaches, 72 passengers, 24,000 divided by 72 = 

 333 pounds per passenger ; while by the broad-gauge it will 

 be, two coaches 76,000 divided by 72 = 1,055 pounds per pas- 

 senger, a difference of 722 pounds per passenger, or a total of 

 .52,000 pounds, or over 26 tons' saving in dead weight in favor 

 of the narrow-gauge in only two cars. The dead weight per 

 passenger on roads in Massachusetts in 1870 was 1,250 to 

 2,782 in New York. In New York this was exclusive of 

 baggage, with an average of 13 passengers per car. On a large 

 majority of roads the average dead weight is much greater. 

 The passenger coaches, then, on the New York roads, run 

 about one-fourth full. Assuming that our broad-gauge rail- 



