Wilmington daily commercial., 1873-01-21
Total expenditures Of both r'ds,
$3.50 2Is lb

The gross receipts as compared with those OF
1871 show an increase Of four 100 per cent
while the expenses were less than those OF 1871
| by four 25-lO0 per cent. ii.'.
The miles run by locomotives wore 065 517
in 1871, and l,2O3, COZ In 1872, au increase OF "a
per cent. During the year the operating expep-
SOS were charged with new stations and rolling
| stock to the amount of SIT, 900 which ia canal
| to eleven per cent of the whole amount of tbis
| account The new rolling stock consists Of two
locomotives, eight passenger cars and one hun
dred'and forty freight cars. The old rolling stock
% WAS replaced ny new to considerable extent.
| The passenger trains have been generally 6tted
with air brakes and all cars built within a few
years past, have been fitted with warm water
heating apparatus. All Of your passenger and
baggage cara have, for several years, been fitted
with the Miller platform, and your track with
Wharton switches and ef-adj justing steel frog a.
and no rails excepting Of steel or with steel
heads, have been laid in it. SO often as the
non rails now IN the track require renewal, we
intepd to substitute steel rails therefor
Experiments with block and road crossing aio
mails were commenced early in the year, and are
still in progress. ''N
The Peninsular system of railroads tributary
TO your road has been extended ,by the conAtruc-
tion of the Worcester Il Somerset Railroad from
Newtown ON the PocomOke River to the Eastern
Shore Railroad, distance OF nine miles and of
the Worcester Railroad from SNOW Hill, four
moke Rail Road.
The construction Of the new road of this Com
pany between Philadelphia and Chester was suf-
neentY YsS SdTsniisd GSsi II Fl Ii A4T W BE- e sse s RS
anticipated. Several causes have worked to-
gether for this result. Since the COM
mencement of the work the cost of labor has in
creased over 20 per cent, and much of the ma
terial has become enhanced in value by still
larger per centage. The contractors were en-
barrassed by strikes and the decentralization of
labor and the Company was Obliged to assume
much of the work. which had been ooyered Inv
the Tho land dam ~
very large, and part of the line near Gray's
Ferry was reinquished in favor of better but
more costly one. 1t has been thought judicious
to build more aud larger station houses than
those originally planned, and to provide substi-
tutes for several grade crossings.
It's too early to measure the effect to be pro-
dnced upon the business Of the Company by the
existence OF the new line. But as already sew
eral associations have been formed to improve
the lands contiguous to it, aud largo invest
ments made for the purpose, there is good
reason to expect that We shall have eventually
local traffic commensurate with the cost OF the
new line.
In view OF the large outlay on the new line
and of the other new Investments made by this
Company, IL was found necessary to issue and
sell five hundred thousand dollars of six per
cent. londs payable in 1892, which was satisfao-
torily done.
Since the close of the fiscal year, a serious ac-
cident happened to one of our passenger trains
near Edge Moor resulting in the loss OF two
lVes ana tne INJURY OF htteen persons more or
less seriously. II was caused by disobedience or
neglect OF the long established road rules OF this
Company, on the part Of a conductor, who finding
his locomotive power failing, sent signalman
back, but not until following train was in dan
gerous proximity. That conductor had been in
the service of this Company for nearly nine
years, and was promoted to conductors grade
more than four years since. He had earned the
appreciation OF the public, and the con-
fdence Of your executive officers by general
good conduct and once, at least, by prompt
obedience Of the very road rules which in this
case he disregarded, he averted serious acci-
dent under circumstances similar to those which
resulted 30 sadly In this case.
With the exception Of one passenger
slightly injured in 1867, on the night OF
the 10Th of August in consequence of the de-
structlon OF a cuyert by freshet, no casualty
has happened to passenger upon your road
unless As consequence OF his or her own act,
during eight years next preceding November,
1872. During which interval this Company
transported more than 44S 900 900 of passengers
one mile, ,or equivalent to more than 500 600
persons over the whole length of the road.
In conclusion, your Directors take pleasure in |
stating that they believe the road and it's busi-
ness to be in a safe and prosperous condition.
Per Order Of the Board,
ISAAC HINoKLEY, President.