250 RURAL A^EW YORK 



interlace with these main ones are also occupied by 

 railroads in many cases. A network of lines s])reads 

 over the productive parts of the Stale in a fairly uni- 

 form system within the limits of these valleys. 



A consequence of this general arrangement of the 

 railroads in the valleys is the remoteness of those 

 areas that lie on the hills whose practical distance 

 from shipping stations is frequently made much 

 greater Ijy the steepness of the grades that must be 

 overcome in reaching the station. 



The course the railroads are obliged to follow also 

 influences the routes of travel and transport 

 and may make them roundabout. Tliis interferes 

 with the free exchange of shipments between rail- 

 roads to secure direct transit. The deflection of lines 

 of travel due to topography is not as large as in 

 Pennsylvania but it is far larger than in states like 

 Ohio or Illinois. All this is reflected in the taritfs 

 which, until recently readjusted under federal super- 

 vision, were widely different in various parts of the 

 State. 



Examination of any good map of New York will 

 show the location of the railroads. The electric 

 roads, which are a recent development, are being 

 pieced together to form important through systems 

 of transportation. With the exception of a short gap 

 of thirty miles, it is now possible to travel by electric 

 road from the western boundary of the State over the 

 Erie plain to Buffalo, then to Rochester by way of a 

 succession of important towns on the edge of the 

 Ontario plain, thence to Syracuse, Utica and Albany. 



