4294                  U.   S.  PACIFIC  RAILWAY COMMISSION.
cost; preferential rights for its messages over those of a commercial nature; the material and implements it requires in maintaining and enlarging its facilities as needed; also other important and valuable considerations. We have no means of ascertaining what the earnings of the telegraph company have been on the property iu question, or what the receipts and expenditures would have been if the railroad company had continued to operate its lines. It is apparent, however, that it would have been a very difficult matter to operate the short lines of the Sioux City Eailroad profitably as a distinct system, especially as the cost to the Western Union Telegraph Company of reaching principal points touched by the Sioux City would have been very small compared with the convenience and necessity of its doing so.
In response to a request to furnish copies of the annual reports of the Sioux City and Pacific Eailroad Company, Mr. Htjghitt says:
The Sioux City and Pacific Eailroad Company has never made any printed annual reports. Since 1879 reports have annually been furnished the United States and are on file in the office of the Commissioner of Eailroads at Washington. Printed copies of same can be had upon application to said office.
In response to a call for the engineer's original notes (or copies of them) on which the cost of construction of the Sioux City & Pacific road was estimated, Mr. Htjghitt says:
In answer to the inquiry for engineer's original notes would say that they are not attainable, but it is quite probable that the Commission may find them among the archives of the Government at Washington.
Road mileage of the Union Pacific Railway consolidated and auxiliary lines.
i
Union Pacific Railroad, Union Division (A):
Miles.
Mainline: Council Bluffii to Ogden................................    1,033.34
Branches:
Broadway, Council Bluffs__________________ _________   1.65
Omaha Junction Switch to junction with Chicago, St. Paul,
Minneapolis and Omaha Railway____________________   2.44
Niles Junction to Coal Mines_____________________......37
Almy Junction to Coal Mines_________________________    3.21
--------         7.67
Total, Union Division_________.....___............_____   1,041.01
Kansas Pacific Railway, Kansas Division (N):
Mainline: Kansas City to Denver_____________________________       638.93
Branches:
Wyandotte spur___________________________________   2.08
Enterprise spur____________________________________    1.95
--------          4.03
Total, Kansas Division__............._______............       642.96
Kansas Pacific Railway, Leavenworth Branch (O), Leavenworth to Lawrence....................___________.....____..........__.......        34.00
Denver Pacific Railway, Cheyenne Division (U), Denver to Cheyenne.                106.09
RECAPITULATION.
A) Union Division........___________........_________......_____   1,041.01
N) Kansas Division............______................................       642.96
O) Leavenworth Branch_________________________________________        34.00
U) Cheyenne Division...........____................................       106.09
Total, Union Pacific Railway consolidated________,_____________   1,824.06