A Narrow-gauge Railroad

Froin the íit. Louis Rcpublican. The most complete exainple of a narrow-gauge railroad in this country is, we believe, the Denver and Rio Grande Koad in Colorado. The track is three feet wide, it runs trom Denver almost due south not far trom the base of the Kocky Mountains, and with f uil view of sonie of the grandest peaks and suniinits of the range, it is an ainbitious little road ; it proposes to go ahead southwardly till it reaohes El l'aso, on the Kio Grande, south of Santa Fe, where it will branch into two lines, one goiug to the city of Mexico, the other to Guayamas, on the Paciüc, It hes actually been built to Pueblo, u Colorado, 118 miles south of Denver, with a branch 37 miles long to Lubrun. lts gross earnings tor 1873 were : Froni passengere, $180,538; freight, $200,130; other sources, $11,986 ; total, $392,-654. ïhe operating oxpenses were 1188,124, ouly about 20 per cent. ; the net earnings, 1195,529. The total cost of the road with its equipment (13 locomotivos 19 passenger and baggage cars, 109 ireight cars, and 116 coal cars) bas been $6,324,000. lts capital stock is $3,300,000, and its funded debt f3,020,500, the latter bearing 7 por cent. interest. It will be seon that its net earnings feil a little short of paying its interest last year, but this is noc so unfavorable for a partially-built road in a new country. There is little doubt that when it reaches Santa Fe it will pay its interest and leave something i over.