Delaware State journal and statesman., 1866-01-26

II $4,000
yenient route for the local travel along 1T.
line, tending towards Philadelphia, Bnlti-
more, Reading West Chester and Whining
ton. At the same time the citizens Of Read
ing, Mauch Chunk, Potlsyillc, Allentown,
Bethlehem, and all that part of Pcnnsylya-
MIA lying TO the north Of these points, tray-
elling towards Baltimore, Washington OF
further south; and those OF Baltimore, Viii
mington and the Peninsula, bound in the
opposite direction towards the North and
North West, viii find it the shortest and
quickest route 10 their respective deslina.
tions This will insure for it a Mrovgl
travel of no inconsiderable Importance
When we consider these facts, and see that
the Baltimore and Central Railroad, with ne
important terminus except the village oi
Oxford, carried in 1864 14,6l4 Mrougd pas
sengers, may we not allow for our road,
with its much better prospects, an equal
amount of through trayelY This, at three
cents per mile, would produce revenue of
S21 ,oG6
In searching for data from which to esii-
mate the local passenger trade, have taken
the traffic of three Pennsylvania Railroads,
of about equal situation as regards the popu-
lation of the districts through which they
pass, except that none OF them have any
material manufacturing interests along their
lines, but traverse almost strictly agricultural
regions These are the Philadelphia and
Baltimore Central Railroad, the East Penn
sylyania Railroad, and the Reading and
Columbia Railroad.
The first begins at Oxford, in Chester
County, "a village of about 1900 inhabi-
tants,) and runs distance of 81 miles
through the counties OF Chester and Della
ware, ending in connection with the Media
Road. 1t carried in 1864, 14,8l4 through
passengers, for which it charged cents per
mile, and received from them revenue OF
$l3,6ls.9s. 1t carried 1926 way passen-
gers at 81 cents per mile, from which it re-
ceiyed $S7, 5sl.7o, or 45 cents apiece; show.
ing that it carried them an average distance
of 13 miles
The East Pennsylvania Railroad com.
mences at Reading, and runs 80 miles
through the counties OF Berks and Lehigh
to Allentown. Like the Baltimore Central.
1t has no important manufacturing interests
along its line, but being through route
between New York and tue West, ii has 1.
considerable through travel. 1t carried IN
1864, So, 552 through passengers, at 8 cents
per mile, and received from them Ss4, ,g99;
and carried sS,G73 way passengers at cents
per mile, and received iiom them $50, ,0G3, 80,
or an average of 34s cents apiece, showing
that they travelled IN average distance oil II 3
miles.
The Third Road is the Reading and Co.
lumbia, which runs 40 miles through the
counties of Berks and Lancaster. 1t was
only open for travel seven months in 1864.
and carried in that time ,399 through pas
sengers, at cts. per mile, making 81 $40, 40;
but during the same period it carried 80. 346
way passengers, at 81 cents per mile, and
received from them S1s,7l3 81, or AZ cents
apiece, showing that they travelled an aver
age distance of 10! miles. This number of
way passengers, 80, 546 for seven months,
would indicate a way travel OF CT, 701 for
tho first year have no doubt however.
that it would come fully up to the travel OF
the other two roads during the second year.
These examples afford fair indication OF
the way travel through the thickly settled
agricultural districts of Eastern Pennsylva-
mia, averaging about ., $50 passengers 10 the
mile of road. This, however, is much less
than the average way travel of the roads
through the thickly reopled manufacturing
regions. The Lehigh Valley Railroad for
instance, 20 miles in length, carried in 1864,
4ST,e3s way passengers, at 81 cents per mile,
and received from them 5000, 772. 10. or an
average of As cents apiece, showing the
average distance travelled by each to have
been 3!.miles, and the number carried to
the mile of road to be Gill.
The North Pennsylvania, running 50 miles
through Berks, Philadelphia and Lehigh
Counties, and terminating in Philadelphia,
carried in 1864, $50, 2s2 way passengers at
70 cents per mil, aal received from them
Sl9l 1926, or SO cents apiece showing the
average distance travelled by each to be
l2t miles, and the average number to the
mile of road to be 1906.
The West Chester and Media, traversinn
a heavy manufacturing region and termi.
mating in Philadelphia, in 1864 carried 32s.
456 passengers an average distance Of 1s
miles, making the average number to the
mile of road to be 19, G33.
From the statistics thus cited We are ena.
bled to CLEAN few facts of an interesting
character. The first is, that upon the local
Railroads in the thickly populated counties
in Eastern Pennsylvania, the average dis.
tance travelled by way passengers is 10 miles,
and that the number varies in proportion to
the length of the road. In the strictly agri.
cultural districts it will average 2, $50 to the
mile of road. In the manufacturing districts.
like the Lehigh Valley, it runs up to Gill.
In those roads terminating in a large city.
like the North Pennsylvania, it reaches
lO,66l, while in a road through a manufac.
turing district and terminating in Il large
city, it may reach 1858, like the West
Chester and Media
The district to be traversed by the vii
mington and Reading, is fully as populous
as those traverscd by the three first roads
cited, and it is not purely agricultural dis.
trlct, but one of considerable Importance as
o manufacturing centre. viii it not, there.
fore, be safe to estimate its way passenger
trade at the average of the local roads in thc
strictly agricultural districts 1850 to the
mile, or at 1879, 45O passengers, carried a dis
tancc of 10 milesP
This, at 3 cents per mile, will give
us for the leaN pAssenger TRIVIAL 4