Delaware Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1843-1874, 1866-01-29

diligent corresr ondent for the following est
mates of the passenger travel, that will be car
ried over our road when completed.
WILMINGTON.
THE WILMINGTON AND READING Rail
ROAD AS A PASSENGER ROAD.
Most estimates of the receipts from passen
gtri on new road, are found when brought
to the test OF experience, to be mere guesses
and OF little value, except to show that the
guesses are most frequently too low, particu-
larly in The department Of way travel.
In attempting TO estimate the passenger traf.
tc over our road, the first fact that strikes us
i'i that it traverses u distance OF SO mileu
through one of the most populous districts OF
Pennsylvania and Delaware. Terminating At
/ either end in railroad leading to Philadel-
nha and passing Ia it's route :hree others land
likely to be connected with d fourth by a short
branch,) oil leading towards tho same city, 1t
occupies geographical position that will rem
der it the most convenient route for the local
travel along its line, tending towards Phila-
celpbla, Baltimore, rvaoiusi W sse os.~-s~ al
Wilmington. AT the came time the citizens Of
Reading, Mauch Chunk, Pottsville, Allentown,
Bethlehem, and all that part Of Pennsylvania
lying TO the north OF these points, travelling
towards Baltimore, Washington, or further
South aud those OF Baltimore, Wilmington,
and the Peninsula, bound IN the opposite di-
rection towards the North and North West, will
fad it the shortest and quickest route to their
| respective destinations. This will insure for
it q through travel of no inconsderable impor-
tance When we consider these facts, and see
that the Baltimore Central R. R., with no i'm
portant terminus except the villags of Oxford
| carried in 1854, IA 6d4 through passengers,
may we not allow for our Road, with its much
better prospects, an equal amount of through
travelP This, at cents per mile, would pro-
duco revenue of Sal ,966.
| In searching for data from which TO estimate
the local passenger trade, have taken the traf.
fic OF three Pennsylvania Rail Roads, OF about
equal situation as regards the population of
tue districts through which they pass, except
that none fthem have any material msnufac-
turing interests along their lines, hut traverse
almost strictly agricultural regions. These are
the Philadelphia and Baltimore Central R. r.,
the East Pennsylvania r. X. and the Reading
aud Columbia r. R.
The 6rst begins at Oxford in Chester County,
Ia village OF about q 900 inhabitants J and runs
distance of 81 miles through the counties OF
Chester and Delaware, ending in connection
with the Media Road 1t carried ia 1864, IA
GA through passengers for which it charged
cents per mile, and received from them a reve-
nue. of 3,6ls.92. 1t carried s426 way pas
sengers at ~ cents per mile, from which it
received S3I 5Sl 10 or Is cents apiece show
ing that il carried them an average distance
oi l3 miles.
The East Penna. Railroad commences at
teadinR, and runs Sc miles through the coun-
ties OF Berks and Lehigh, to Allentown. Like
the Baltimore Central IL has DO important
manufacturing interests along it's line, but be-
ing n through route between New York and the
West, it has considerable through travel. It
carried IN 1864, 80, ,522 through passengers, at
3 Cputl min nd vad tham 4aA
S92 and carried ss, ,673 way passengers, at
ceniB per nile, and received from them $780,
O63.59 or an average of 343 cents apiece, show
lne that they travelled an average distance of
III miles.
The third road is the Reading aud Columbia
which runs 40 miles through the counties of
Betks and Lancaster. 1t was only open for
travel months in 1864, and carried in that
time 1894 through passengers al cents per
mile making $le7o 40; but during the same
period it carried 59,346 way passengers, st 81
cents per mile, and received from them $ls,7l3
II, or ~ cents apiece, showing thatthey trav-
eiied an average distance OF l3h miles. This
number OF way passengers, 80, $40 for months
would in iicate a way travel of 67,79l for the
hrst yesr. have no doubt, however, that it
would come fully up to the travel of the other
two roads during tha second year.
These examples afford fair indication of
e"S why tiaNel thtouRn lhe thtckly 8ettled hg
riUultural districts of Eastern Pennsylvania,
averaging about q ,bss passengers 10 the mile
OF road. This however, is much less than the
average way trnvel of the roads through the
lhical9 peopied manufacturing regions The
Leh,gh Valley Railroad, for instance, TO miles
IN 'ength, carried in 1864, 421, 1888 way pas
sengers, at 81 cents per mile, and received from
them S206, 772l0, or an average O. AS cents
apiece, showing the average distancs travelled
by each 10 have been l3d miles, and the num-
Der carried to the mile OF road to be gill.
The North Pennsylvania, running 5b miles
through Berks, Philadelphia and Lehjgh coun-
ties, and terminating in Philadelphia, carried
IN 1864, bs6 252 way passengers, at q cents
per mile, and received from them $l9l, ,426, or
80 cents apiece, showing the average distance
travelled by each 10 be l2i miles, and the sv.
erage number 10 the mile OF road to be 10 Gle.
The West Chester and Media, traversing
heavy manufacturing region and. terminating
in Philadelphia, in 1864 carried 32s,45G pas
sengersan average distance Of l3 miles, ma
king the average number to the mile of road
to be l2 693.
From the statistics thus cited we are enabled
to CLEAN few facts of an interesting charsc-
ter. The first is, that upon the local Railroads
in the ihickly populated counties in Eastern
Peunsy ylysnis, The average distance travelled
hy way passengers is ID miles, and that the
number varies in proportion to the length OF
the road. In the strictly agricultural districts