about 2 miles has been reached, and more and more in proportion to the
length of the hill, in order that the same rating could be applied all
over a division.

This conclusion might be modified by local conditions, such as an
important town where cars might be added to or taken from the train.

While it does not seem practicable to the writer to calculate what the
reduction of rate of grade should be, a consensus of results of
operation on different lengths of grade might give sufficient data to
reach some conclusion on the matter.

The American Railway Engineering and Maintenance of Way Association has
a Committee on "Railway Economics," which is studying such matters, but
so far as the writer knows it has not given this question any
consideration.

The writer hopes that the author will follow up this subject, and that
other members will join, as a full discussion will no doubt bring some
results on a question which seems to be highly important.


JOHN C. TRAUTWINE, JR., ASSOC. AM. SOC. C. E. (by letter).--In his
collection of data, Mr. Randolph includes two ancient cases taken from
the earliest editions (1872-1883) of Trautwine's "Civil Engineer's
Pocket-Book," referring to performances on the Mahanoy and Broad
Mountain Railroad (now the Frackville Branch of the Reading) and on the
Pennsylvania Railroad, respectively.

In the private notes of John C. Trautwine, Sr., these two cases are