The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 1850-1873, 1870-01-21
Railroad Progress Of the Country In
1869.

In reviewing the history of our national
development during the year now draw
ing to close, no one element of our ma
terial progress is more noticeable than the
rapid extension of our railroad system
throughout all parts of the country. At
the beginning of 1869 there were 42,272
miles of railroad in operation in the United
States, and at the present time there are
at least $4,000 miles finished or 10 an ad-
vanced stage of construction. Tin every
State and Territory we find the people
busily engaged in the important work Of
laying the foundations of future railroads,
some of local and others of national i'm
portance. The number of these enter
prises now under way is not far from 300.
Each State in the Union has, on an aver
age, seven or eight separate railroads now
in the course of construction. Maine has
8; New Hampshire, 4; Vermont, g.; Mas
sachusetts, 5; Rhode Island, 5; Connect
cut, z; New York, IL; New Jersey, Z;
Pennsylvania, 80; Delaware, 5; Mary
land, Z; West Virginia, (the Chesapeake
& Ohio) and probably others; Ohio, 12 !;
Indiana, 12 Illinois, 12; Michigan, 13;
Wisconsin, s.; Minnesota, q; Iowa, 13;
Missouri, 12; Nebraska, 3; Kansas, 9; Ar
kansas, 8: Texas, 4 i; Louisiana, 4 Missis-
sippi 3; Alabama, 6; and in the southern
Atlantic States at least 20 great works are
reported in various stages of pro-
gress-some lately undertaken, and
others in a forward state of COM
pletion. Many of these roads are hun
dreds of miles in length, tapping richly
fertile and hitherto undeveloped agricul
tural districts and drawing within the
busy circle of the worlds activities and
industries sections before inaccessible,
that at no distant day will add many mil
lions annually to the material wealth Of
the nation. A very moderate estimate
gives the aggregate length of the roads
now in progress at not less than $4,000
miles, the greater part of which will be
opened to business within the next two or
three years.
So rapid is the extension of our railroad
system throughout certain sections of the
West and South, as yet but partially de-
veloped and thinly settled, that it has
been feared by some that these great en-
terprises were being pushed to compile
ton in advance of the commercial re-
quirements Of the country; and that
to the withdrawal from the uses of COM
merce, of the many millions needed for
purposes OF construction and equipment
might be attributed in great degree the
spasms to which the money market has
been subjected from time to time during
the past year.
We do not consider this fear well ground
ed, however. The purchase Of govern
ment bonds for the sinking fund is con-
stantly throwing large sums of money on
the market to seek investment, and the
inducements offered by the railroad COM
panies for the purchase of their interest
bearing bonds, is attracting considera-
Bile share of this unemployed capital.
There is more reason to fear that the ac-
tive competition among the agents of rival
enterprises has led, in some instances, to
unwarranted statements and extravagant
promises concerning the prospective
business and earnings of certain
roads now in contemplation or already
building; but the purchaser finds his best
guarantee in the character and reputation
of the agent, as no house of good standing
port of any false or exaggerated state
whose bonds it is negotiating.
To those who have carefully and intelli-
gently studied the progress of railroad
COIstl uCliou uuiLiS luC l'dSt hfO J yOoio, IL
is evident that our capitalists are fully i'm
pressed with the necessity for building
better and more substantial roads than
were formerly deemed necessary. The
foolish policy adopted in former years, of
using only the cheapest materials and
performing the work Of construction in
hasty and imperfect manner and at the
smallest possible cost, has led to evils
which have gradually, but surely, worked
out their own cure S3te1. rails are now
being manufactured at home and imported
from abroad in large quantities, and are
rapidly superseding iron rails, notwith.
standing their greater cost; improved
joints of various patterns, nearly all pos
sessing merits peculiar to themselves, are
replacing the cid fashioned chairs, which
afford but little security against breakage,
and marked improvement is noticeable
in the quality of the rolling stock with
which all of the new and many of the old
roads are equipped. The accommodations
now offered for passenger travel on our
principal through roads to the west are of
the most superior order; and instead of
the hard riding and uncomfortable cars
formerly employed, we have coaches fitted
up in style of unrivalled elegance, and
provided with every convenience essen
tial to the comfort of the travelling public
All these are gratifying evidences of the
substantial progress of the nation toward
higher and more perfect civilization, and
in them we also find bright promise for
the future of the railroad interests of the
country.-Americdn Railroad Journal.