Washington sentinel., 1855-05-19
From the Scientific American.
Amcrtcam Raflroadls.

American HailroAds. gYrt.
The railroads of the United States embrace an
amount of condensed labor, in the form Of capital
which is truly astonishing. In 1928 there were
three miles in operation; at the present moment
there are twenty thousand. In that year there
was only one railroad on our continent, now there
are three hundred and thirty nine. We have be-
fore US the recently printed and excellent Report
of the New York State Engineer, John Clark,
esq, for last year. in which find it stated that
there are 2723 miles Of track i'll operation, with
500 miles Of a double track, making a total of
1896 miles in the State Of New York The whole
length of railroads completed and projected is
4,436 miles, The amount of stock paid in is S69,-
473,45S; and The funded debt S68, ,230, 1897, max
ing the total amount expended Sl37, ,704, ,455-a
vast sum. There are 66S locomotives in use, and
s,Sl6 passenger and freight cars. The passenger
trains have rnn ,O24, ,lS0 miles on 3,437 miles Of
road, and the number of passengers carried
amounted to about ten millions. Out of this
number, one was killed for every $4,000 who
travelled, and one injured out OF every 333 600.
In 1853, one passenger was killed out OF every
100000 and one injured out of every 425 900.
The safety to life in travelling last year, there
fore, was greater than the year before. This is
pleasing and the more as it s recorded that
not one passenger lost his life from causes beyond
his own control, although the distance travelled
by each amounted to 39z miles. This is high tes-
timony to the safety Of New York railroads and
their mode Of management during the past year.
1t is certainly for their own interest to be very
careful and employ none but competent persons,
for we find that the New York and New Haven
Railroad paid no less than S297 $3.50 for damages
to persons and property. II
The greatest amount Of destruction of life was
that of persons run over while walking on the
track, the number of such being no less than 66,
and IS injured Our railroads, as we have ad-
yocated for years, should all be fenced in. Al
though last year was one of great depression in
Al, H., of nfrnrc
amounted to SO, 600; thus showing that our peo-
ple-come good or bad times--must he abouf, to
s'push along, keep moving
'The expenditures of these roads, last year,
rather battles us to understand. TO: maintenance
of way the increase was 6O per cent, and for re-
pairs Of machinery 25 per cent: thus showing
that there has been lack Of economy somewhere.
We commend the subject of contracting with en-
oineers for running the engines, making repairs,
&c. This has been found to work economically
on English roads during the past year, and we
cannot see why it may not on our ROADS. 90 100
The amount of wealth embraced In D,UUU
miles of railroad, ut $4,000 per mile for con-
gtructon, would be $400, ,OOO 900; yet il is fact
that much Of this is debt, and owed IN Europe
Every effort should be made to liquidate It, Tor
any public work, deep in debt, affords sorry
theme for congratnlation, however grand and
areat the work may be. Thus we find that the
New York and Erie Railroad cost $33, ,439 ,43l;
S25, ,l26, 1863 of which is debt
The character of our railroads, SO far as it re-
lates to their management, suffered greatly last
wear by enormous frauds, perpetrated by those
who had the principal management OF them. AT
the present moment there are but a perry few in
our whole country which pay their expenses ana
interest on stock and debt.
Our country is well adapted for the building Of
railroads. at a small cost, in comparison with the
English roads, and yet numerous sums nave been
thrown away for want of skill and knowledge in
construction. ,
The greatest amount of expense is incurred IN
the building of bridges tunneling, deep cuts, and
the filling of ravines
improvements will yet be made on machinery
TO rednce the cost of constructing railroads and
also the running expenses. Indeed we are posi-
five that the suspended purchase of w. IL.
Brown. noticed on page l56, this volume Scten-
fi6c 9D,ericau must greatly reduce the cost OF
many heavy works. such as the building OF piers
in Golfer dams, &c. We have seen a model OF
this apparatus, weighing only five ounces, trans
port weight of IS pounds, with great rapdity,
over span of 81 feet, and made to deposit and
take il up, at any point in the whole span. tits
our opinion that it is of the best engineering
Inventions of the age, and we haye been informed
that il is soon to be employed on the Troy and
Greenfield Railroad, where the great tunnci is 10
be cut through the Green Mountains.
Our railroads must learn to save more in fuel,
oil, and in construction. great expense OF fuel
can be saved by substituting coal tor wood burn
ing engines. On our iaiiroads west Of the Ale
GAMES, especially, there'is no good reasD. what
ever why they should not use coke tor fuel, as
there is such an abundance of coal throughout the
West.
Those connected with and deeply interested in
our railroads should use great efforts to retrieve
their character A spirit of enterprise is search
ing out and adopting new improvements, and
rigid economy in every department, are required
TO place them upon proper and paying Level.
We hope that the present year will be propitious
in bountiful fruitage and harvest, so that pros
perity may again beam upon every department OF
labor and Industrial interest, and by great in
crease of freight and passengers to our railroads,
add to their income, and enable them to improve
their shattered condition.