CANE SUGAR. 



will haul four of these punts at a rate of from two to three miles per hour. 

 Water carriage is also employed in parts of Louisiana and of Australia. 



Mechanical Road Transport. Where good roads exist traction 

 engines form a cheap and efficient means of transporting cane. In Fig. 91 

 (PLATE XII.) is shown a view of such a scheme. An engine weighing 

 6 tons and of 20 H.P. will haul 20 tons of cane at a rate of three miles 

 per hour. 



Mechanical Tramway Traction. Undoubtedly the most im- 

 portant and efficient means of transport is a system of light railways. The 

 gauge adopted generally lies between 2 and 3 feet ; a gauge of 2 feet 6 inches 

 is one very commonly employed, but for large properties it is more 

 advantageous to have a gauge of not less than 3 feet, as otherwise the number 

 of wagons required becomes excessive. With such a gauge wagons having a 

 platform area of 50 square feet can be used ; such wagons will hold from 2 

 to 3 tons of cane, a perfectly safe rule being to allow half a ton of cane to 

 every 10 square feet of platform area. A locomotive weighing approximately 

 15 tons will haul, at a rate of ten to twelve miles per hour, twelve to fifteen 

 wagons, each holding about 3 tons of cane. 



The cost of laying down a system of railways to feed a factory is very 

 considerable. The lowest cost per mile for a gauge of 2 feet 6 inches is not 

 less than 300, with rails weighing 18 to 20 Ibs. per yard. For a 3-foot 

 gauge, with rails 25 Ibs. to the yard, an initial cost of 450 is the lowest 

 which can be expected. These figures do not, of course, include the cost of 

 locomotives and rolling stock. The cost of laying down the rails is entirely 

 dependent on local conditions ; where these are favourable, and no expensive 

 cuttings or bridges have to be made, a minimum cost of 100 per mile may be 

 sufficient, an estimate to be greatly increased with unfavourable local con- 

 ditions. 



The following figures, taken from actual practice, will give much 

 information regarding light railway transport : 



Acreage served . . . . 2050. 



Miles of permanent track 48. 



Gauge 3 ft. lin. 



Number of locomotives 6. 



Weight of locomotives 15 tons. 



Number of wagons 175. 



Size of wagons 10 ft. by 5 ft. 



Load of wagon . . . . 2*75 tons. 



Number of wagons per train 10. 



Cane transported per 24 hours 900 tons. 



Average distance of transport 4 miles. 



Cane transported during crop 48,000 tons. 



162 



