Railroads

179

cross. The people there are as civilized as those in Massachusetts,
Illinois, and New York, but they are so few in number that it does not
pay to build railroads to carry their scanty freight.
How plains and mountains influence the number of railroads.
On a relief map of California notice how largely the railroads are limited
 to the low, level regions of the coast and the great central valley
or plain. In the first place, the mountains have too sparse a population
 to provide much railroad business, while the plain is thickly settled
and productive. Second, railroads are extremely expensive among
mountains. The grades, curves, bridges, cuttings, and tunnels make
it cost ten, twenty, or even fifty times as much to build a mile of railroad
 in the mountains as in the plains. Moreover, the mountain
railroad is relatively long because of the windings, and the expense of
running trains is great not only because much coal is needed, but because
 of wear and tear, and low speed.
How natural resources attract railroads. Among the mountain
railroads of the world a large number have been built to open up natural
 resources, such as minerals. For example, the Leadville road
in Colorado is famous as the highest in the United States. The railroad
 would scarcely have been built if it had not been for the silver
and lead ores that attracted large numbers of miners. Elsewhere
mountain railroads have often been built to tap resources of lumber in
rugged regions that would otherwise have no good lines of communication.
 The woods of northern Maine contain many such roads.
Another resource of rugged regions is the scenery. Many people
will pay more than the ordinary rate of fare in order to enjoy it;

0D. Dickie

F1g. 130. Nine pairs of horses are hauling four wagon loads of wool to market, across the Wyoming
 sage-brush. Which would be the better substitute — a railroad train or a motor truck?