The Emporia news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1859-1881, 1875-10-29
RA1TROaD BUILDING.

RAILROAD BUILDING.
The first section, (twenty-three
miles) of the Baltimore and Ohio
railroad was opened to traffic in
1880. at the close of 1874 there
were in the United States 1858
miles in operation. The greatest
number of miles constructed in any
one year was 1910. in 1871. In 1874
there were only 1910 miles built.
In the four years, 1869 to 1872 in
elusive, the enormous amount of
q, 4SO miles was constructed.
II. v. Poor, says: ''That
such q check sould have been
suffered was inevitable, for with
the mania which for sever
al years prevailed throughout the
country upon the subject of the con-
strnction o: railroads, it could not
be otherwise than that numerous
lines should be built where no adj
equate provision existed for their
support. As soon as this was seen
TO be excessive, distrust naturally
took the place OF The almost uElim-
tied confidence which had prevail
ed" There are seventeen different
widths of gauge in use in North
America, ranging from three feet to
six feet; the old seven feet track
having long since been taken up.
Most of the Northern and Western
roads have adopted the four feet So
inch gauge, while most of the
Southern roads are five feet. What
is known as the narrow gusge, is
three feet, although in the British
Provinces, three feet six inches is
mostly used.
The heaviest rails in use are sixty
eight pounds per yard, the lightest
twenty-ei eight.
The standard weight on broad
gauge roads is fifty six pounds and
for narrow gauge. thirty pounds per
yard.
| In proceeding 10 CONSIDER tile
COST OF RAILRoAs
it must be borne in mind that the
actual cost in cash cannot be ascer-
tanned exactly, from the fact that
reported cost of roads is made up of
the capital stock, and the debt,
bonded and floating. AS regards
the capital stock it is seldom paid
mp, sometimes none of it, aud the
funded debt Is counted at its face,
and there are no means of knowing
how much cash was realized from
it. But for the purpose of compar-
ing the relative cost of broad and
narrow guage roads, the data before
US are sufficient, and are mainly Ia
ken from Poor's Railroad Manual,
brought up to Jan. 1st, 1875.
For the purpose of comparison
have taken four roads in Kansas,
Missouri and Nebraska, all of the
standard gauge, well built, aud ag-
/ gregating LIS miles in length, and
find that they cost, upon the basis
given above, S56, 2l4,0S6; averaging
S50,416 per mile.
Of the narrow gauge roads there
are no official reports from Kansas
or Missouri, and / have taken for
purposes of comparison, roads in
Canada, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Wis
cousin and Utah, amounting to BOG
miles, and as near an average in
cost of construction as possible, and
find that the 306 miles cost 50, 750,-
SIG; averaging SS,9SS per mile. A
part of these roads are three feet and
a half gauge, and three-fourths OF
the distance is laid with forty pound
iron. On the other hand, the Den
yer 81 Rio Grande road, probably
the most expensive narrow gauge
road on the continent, has
cost, capital stock $4,000 per mile
and a funded debt of $2,4I0,O00 for
l63 miles of road, average cost $24,
$50 per mile.
These figures furnish the best data
attainable of the relative cost of the
two kinds of road, and in all in.
, stances include cost of construction
and equipment.
: On the first of January, 1875
there were 1875 miles of narrow
gauge railroad in operation on this
continent, divided among 81 lines
the longest 2IS miles, aud the short
est two miles and half.
Among all these roads l have
looked in vain for single ont
which has not earned more or les
over and above all operating ex
penses, and interest On the debt
\ From the many select the follow
} ing, showing length of line, aud ne
? earnings over current expenses
:. Name of Road. Length. Net
Earnings
Bingham Canyon, Utah, 90 &c., $780,
Parker 81 Kansas City, Pa, 10lz 7S,2I4.7
Denver q Rio Gande, Col, 1853 1S3, $3.50
Mineral Range, Mich, l2X AZ, 1886
Montrose, Pa % l0,524.0
e toronto q n. L.s Canada, 2lS 96, 1888
= Here are 452 miles of road, witt
S476, 4S7.2S net earnings for the yea
t 1874. This would pay the interes
on $4,000 per mile at seven pc
cent, and leave clear net profit o
: $16OOS7. %.
= select the last mentioned road
= as being the longest narrow gaug'
s in existence, and because it wa
z built mostly with cash, having
y bonded debt of little over So, 900 pc
: miIe,and give its operations more il
e detail. It is built and equipped il
;, first class style, is of three and
= half feet gauge, forty pound iron
n has fWniva InennVOfiuoa and 90R % =