The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1859-01-08
Progress and Prospect OF Railways tn tae
United Stutcs.

|. UDAte<t StutcS-
We have compiled and printed in our inpres-
sion Of to-day tabular statement of the extent
ana cost Of the railways in the United States
The strides of the iron horse over our territory
are something wonderful In 1928 the only rail-
way in the United States was one Of three miles
in length. from the granite qusrries al Quincy,
| Massachusetts. to the tide water Of the bay
| Now we are operating twenty-eight thousand
two hundred and thirty miles Of railway
about one mile to every thousand OF our popula-
ton. The Quincy railway dates back to the be-
ginning of this century, and the cars were, as
matter Of course, drawn by horse power. Many
years after its construction, the Mauch Chunk
and Summit Hill Railroad, in Pennsylvania, was
built, and among others of the first OF this de-
scripti0n of railway were the South Carolina the
Baltimore aud Ohio, the Hudson and Mohawk,
the Ponchartrain, &C.; and onward to 1850 the
rate of construction gradually increased. From
that period to the present the building of rail-
ways has progressed at more rapid rate, and at
least three-lourths Of the total mileage now in
operation have been opened to travel and COM
merce within the past seven or eight years.
Thus, in comparatively short period. the net
work has expanded, isolated and LEGAL roads
have been connected, and the whole brought into
something like system, and by the indomitablc
energy Of our people condition been cOnsum-
mated such as the world has never before seen,
and to which the old countries Of Europe, where
wealth has most accumulated, have failed to
approach.
The progress of railway building in the seve-
raj States, and in groups of States is exhibited in
a supplementary table, which gives the mileage
in operation at the end Of each successive quin-
quennial period, commencing with 1929 and end
ing with 1859. An additional table gives the
aggregate mileage for the whole United States at
the commencement of each annual period. These
tables afford sufficient data to trace clearly the rise
and progress Of the whole railroad system Of the
country and its separate parts, and present. ALSO
but indirectly, an diplomatic outline q the pro-
gress of settlement aud developement in the
several States. The cost Of construction and
equipment Of the roads in operation amounts TO
the enormous sum Of S1,050, 655, S70-showing
the average cost per mile to be $37,175.
The New England States have open 3,717
miles Of railway; the Middle Atlantic States,
6,4S6 miles; the Southern Atlantic States. 4,555
miles, the Gulf States, 1875 miles, the Southern
interior States, 1892 miles: the Northwestern
States, 9,l9l miles; aud California 22 miles
Ohio stands in advance Of all the other States in
regard to the extent of railways open-2,97S
miles. Next comes Illinois, with her 2,774 miles.
NaY %ho ;of Lor
2,7ls miles, and Pennsylvania fourth. with
her 1855 miles. OF the New England States,
Massachusetts takes the lead, with |, 1927 miles
while Virginia occupies the like position among
the Southern States, with her 1,G42 miles. The
railways of the New England States stand
nearest to completion-3,13 miles being open
ont of total length of 4,l63. OF the $3.50
miles Of road in the Middle States, 1854 miles
are open. The South Atlantic States have 1926
miles open, out of 5,937 miles The Gulf States
have only about three-tenths of their roads
built ,527 miles out of 5,144. The South in
terror States have about nine-twentieths of their
roads built 1858 miles out of 4,1O2. The
Western States have three-ffths of their roads
built, l9l miles out of ld903; and California
has only about one-sixth Of her roads built--22
miles out of 1872 For the whole United States
the roads open stand in the proportion of about
nine-fourteenths to the entire length of the
roads. -
The future Of railways in the United States is
one of grand proportions. AS yet the system that
the course of events indicates as necessary to
commerce and travel is only partially CON-
pleted The Alleghanies have heen scaled, and
the Mississippi and Missouri brought into con-
nection with the Atlantic and the great North
ern lakes and Upper Mississippi "a short inter-
ruption excepted) have their waters connected
with the Gulf of Mexico via New Orleans and
Mobile. But west oftbe settled States the whole
territory is as yet painless waste. Beyond lie
our Pacific territories rapidly filling up with a
thriving agricultural, mining and commercial
people. These portions Of the Union must be
connected, not only at one point, but at several,
nience of the settlements that will be made
within the zones which intervene. -
Basing a calculation for the future on the pre-
sent ratio Of mileage to population, and csti-
mating an Increase of the population on the
average rate for the past fifty years Uhrty-three
and thirdpe cent in ten years. we havs,the fol-
lowing igures:-
1850 1870 sS saf s@s 4 So ss9 mites
ls1o...,,..,............ Al ,22s s6t ll,22s "
lsso. ...,.......,....... 1911 81" 4,eIl
ls9o.................... 13foO5,ios $500
lNo..........t....... "I,IAliol 9I,Isl "
But who shall say that such mileage, vast as
"a L. will moi no exc,adadS JIithor,o fho v,-o