Note 1 — Front matter

The writer has had several opportunities of riding on the standard gauge locomotives, and noticed, in rounding curves, even at the rate of thirty-five miles per hour, the resulting zig-zag motion; the machine would be running on the tread of the wheels as far as the flanges allowed to one side, striking with terrible force, then bounding to the other side and repeating the action again and again, until it seemed impossible that the rails could be held in place with spikes firmly enough to prevent their tipping over or spreading.