Delaware tribune. [volume] (Wilmington, Del.) 1867-1877, 1876-01-27

ierest received, ................... IA, $50 81
Net earnings after deducting all ex-
dividends were paid as follows:
No. b due Jan ., 1873, per CT, $3.50 80
No. 56, due July 1, 1875, per Ct 46i, 40 -
Total dividends paid, ...,........., .s923. A2o.oo
Residue of net earnings after paying
" ' sss s suu, si50oi. Va. piacsitc the renewal
fund.
1874, show an increase OF tl04, Ats. 80, or about
So per cent, and the operating expenses. taxes
included. show an increase over those Of 1874 OF
s2s, 1851. so, or about 6-10 per cent.
The passenger receipts were less than those
OF 1875 by $2l.Os7.ss, and the increased receipts
from other sources we're 1928. 5l3.7.
The freight derived from the Peninsula Of
Delaware and Maryland in the form Of fruit
and other perishsble commodities, was very much
larger than that OF any preceding year. The
quantity of peaches alone moved by this COM
pany amounted to 9077 car loads. or 4,53s, GIL
baskets, while of other perishable fruit we
moved 10, 2s2 TONS Of which Z, S14 tons were ber-
ries alone.
The strawberry crop, which prior to 1871 never
exceedet dive car loads per day, in 1876 ut times,
amounted to over 72O tons per day, requiring
more thsn ninety cars to move it.
The annual and largo increase in the area Of
land dev0t I'D to fruit culture near our road and
its feeders, whilo promising well for the future,
proves the correctness Of our course for the
past, in moving fertilizers to the Peninsula At
about cost, and ii transporting perishable pro-
duce to market with great despatch and care,
and at the same time at rates low enough to en-
courage the producer.
The peach crop being 80 much larger than any
former one, WAS evidently too large for the
markets which hitherto took tho whole of it,
and for the first time portions Of it were sue.
cessfully placed without change of cars in Bos-
ton and other eastern cities, ~ well ~ in Bufa-
10. Chicago, Cincinnati, and other Cities both
east and west of the Ohio.
The practicabity of transporting fruit to dis
tint markets successfully being now established,
the risk Of over production, hitherto threaten
ing producers, and consequently our own bust
ness, il much lessened.
The earningsiof tho road from business other
than local were much reduced by the sharp COM
petition carried between the Trunk Lines
during much CT the year. and the importance
It's immediate feeders, to which your Board has
for many years been keenly alive, was never be.
fore more plainly manifested.
The work OF rebuilding the Susguehanna
Bridge in iron has been prosecuted as rapidly III
WAS deemed necessary by our consulting and
resident engineers. Six spans, or one half of
the whole, excluding the draw, have already
changed from wood to iron as circumstances
may require.
Iron bridges have been substituted for wood
en- ones at Trainers and ut Stanton. At the
latter place, irst-class double track iron bridge
has taken the place Of the old wooden single
track bridge.
In acct = lance with the practice OF preyiou
years, the cost Of the above work, and som,
other outlay for construction or extraordinar,
repairs, WAS charged to the renewal fund Sc
aside for the purpose from the earnings Of 1874
viz: