Staunton vindicator and general advertiser. (Staunton, Augusta County, Va.) 1858-1860, 1858-11-13
Cost Of Transporting Freight on che
Central Road

| certain the actual cost OF transportation on
the road, under the amount Of trade which
it carried the preceding year. Here, how
ever, at the outset, we encounter an impor-
tant difficulty The accounts of railroad
companies are seldom so kept as to show the
cost Of conveying freight separately from
that Of conveying passengers. Your road
forms no exception to the rule. am COM
PEELED, therefore, to seek an approximate
value Of this item; and to do so, [ shall as
sumo, in default of better data, that the
| transportation of three persons costs as much
as the conveyance of two tons the same dis
lance This estimate doubtless, is not
strictly correct; but careful inspection of
the details Of the business sufices to show
that it cannot be, Oh your road, very far
wrong. The estimates Of companies differ
materially on this head-some assuming
that the cost of conveying passenger is
equal 10 that Of conveying ton others d.
vide the expenses in the proportion of two
passengers as the equivalent of one ton !;
while others attempt to keep the accounts
/ separate and return equally variable results.
| take the middle point between these ex-
tremes as near approximation on this road
BY taking either extreme instead of this
middle point, the charge for the conveyance
Of merchandise from Richmond to Staun-
ton, 1876 miles, would be increased or d.
minished, depending on which Of the ex-
tremes we adopt, from one to two cents per
100 lbs This fact is stated for the purpose
Of showing the extent Of any probable error
in the charge Of the computed toll, resulting
from any error likely to occur in the esti-
mate Of the cost Of transportation, conse-
Guent on the uncertainty of this part of the
data.
The total expenses Of the Company for
the fiscal year 1857, we're 1919, 1912.
| The number of passengers conveyed one
mile was 6,O43, 53S, equivalent, by the as
sumption Of three passengers as equal in
cost Of conveyance Of two tons, to
Passengers, equivalent in tons 4,O2o,O28
| Tons Of freight carried enc nile 1884, 535
/ Business of the year, represented
| by tons conveyed one mile 1888, 56l tons,
| Now there are certain freight expenses
which do net increase in proportion as the
trade Increases, and others which do in
crease as the trade increases, but which are
independent Of the distance to which the
article is conveyed. Thus. the filing up OF
bitches, the washing Of slopes, the natural
decay Of the material of the road and its
structures. the effect Of floods and a part OF
the salaries Of the othiicels, all add to the
annual expenses, but they add just abou,
as much whether the tonnage be great OF
small.
The charges due to all such causes must
Of course be met by appropriations taken
from the revenue, though they are nol
caused by the trade. Before we can deter
mine the actual cost Of conveying any com
modify any distance, we must obviously de-
duct these expenses, which are independent
of the amount of the trade, from the total
expenses, to find those which are caused by
the trade.
estimate these constant changes for the
Central Road at $3.50 per mile per annum
or for the 1875 miles, at SIS, $50.
There is another class of expenses, The
value Of which depends upon the extent o.
the trade, but not on the distance to which
the trade is conveyed. I refer particular
~ W oAC UGpCb OK eHota, WHlCu diuOuutcu
last year to $40,OS1 60-10Q. I assume
that almost the whole of these expenses
are chargeable against the freight, although
in fact, the passenger traffic is liable for
very small portion Of them.
These two items must be deducted, in the
first instance, or S3l9,791 8:
Deduct, accordingly, the ex-
penscs independent of the
tonnage, or $4S,75O
Deduct, also, the expenses
Which are Independent of
the distance, or 40, 0S1 69,S31 &C
! And there remains fer the ex-
penses proportional to the
tonnage carried, and the
distance to which it is car
ried $3.50, $50 2:
If we now divide this sum, showing thu
expenses for the year due both to the a.
mount Of the trade conveyed, and the dis
lance to which it is conveyed, by the ton
mage Of the road, equivalent to 1888, SCI
tons hauled one mile, we shall obtain fol
the acreage cost Of conreyiny freight per ton
per mile z "a certs.
This, then, is the least average charge TO
which one ton should be conveyed one mile
I! The charge, however, even to cover the ao
tual cost Of transportation, must vary some
what with the character Of the commodity
as it costs materially more to convey som
things than others.
TO obtain the whole average charge ne
cessary to cover the expenses Of the Comp&
ny consequent on the conveyance of tol
of freight, we must first multiply the dis
tance to which the ton is hauled, by this av
erage, and to the product must be added tn
actual value of the depot expenses.
Tie depot expenses in 1857 were, as above
$40, O81. go.
The number Of tons conveyed last year wa
So S8 tons.
The depot expenses, to be added to th
charge for each ton, averaged, therefore
70 cents per ton.
In the practical application Of these re
suits, attention should be given to an excep
ton which it will always be expedient enc
proper to make.
y Some articles, I have stated, are actuall,
carried at greater cost and greater risk to tn
Company than others. Some articles ar
more difficult to handle, more liable to loss
or more exposed to theft, more difficult o
storage, more bulky in proportion to weigh
or moro exnosad To injury than others.