The Leavenworth weekly times. [volume] (Leavenworth, Kan.) 1870-1880, 1878-09-05
Earning o lins.
DATE.

The operating expenses, including taxes
during 1877, We're 5447 yer cent. and ex
Guiding taxes i9.3I per cent. of the gros:
earnings.
During the year sixteen miles Of the
road were relaid with fifty-six pound stee
rails, and fourteen miles were relaid with
new iron. Eighty-6ve thousand new tie.
| were laid, and 200 tons Of rock used il
balissting the track. The rosd-bed and
bridges are IN better order than at the close
| of the year 1876.
new branch has been projected from
Florence down the Walnut Valley to the
south line of The State. This branch has
been constructed as far as FL Dorado, the
county seat of Butler couuty,-thirty-one
miles,-snd has been operated about twelve
months with fair results. This tine valley
is settling up very fast.
1t was not TO be expected that the lands
would sell freely until the Government
lands were taken up. The Land Commits
sioner reports that about 100000 acres of
Government lands were taken by actual set
lers along the line Of the road, in 1877.
This brings more than 5000 new families
on the line Of the road, and insures the rap
ID sale and settlement of the lands. The
ratio Of increase in the nine counties on
the lines Of the road in the Arkansas Val
ley is far in advance Of that of that of the
whole State.
The construction account, including roll
ing stock, al the beginning of the year 1877,
amounted to 50, 1897 new construction
or the year 1877, including rolling stock,
iSG5, SIS total, 81, So, $40.
Inclusive of leased lines, the earnings in
detail for the year 1877 were as follows
From passengers, S13S, $50; from freight,
81 ,SoS,2iS; from mail, So, 9s9; from e1-
press, $50 39i, from miscellaneous, S9,5ii
total, S2,619, 100; operating expenses, ST.
SIS ,2s5; taxes, sl36. SIS: insurance, "a
399; net earnings, Sl,2l9,60S.
The total charge TO the account of bridge
repsirs was 500 O23. of this amount $780,
.S1 was expended to repair damage caused
by freshets, and to provide waterways
found to be necessary by the extraordinary
high water in the Cottonwood river and
minor streams.
This treshet expense includes the cost of
building ,S22 feet of bridges. Of the latter
6l5 feet replace in various places, twelve
box culverts: 255 feet of bridging is for
wholly new waterways; and the remainder
Of this work repaired and replaced bridges,
washed away by floods. Three of these
bridges were renewed with thirty-foot grid
ers, resting on solid masonry.
The local business of the road was seri-
ously affected for the frst seven months of
the year by the anticipation that the coun.
try would be devastated BY gras.hopper..
Every county along the east of Pawnee was
thickly sown with their eggs, and ,h.re
seemed = probability that The wheat crop
would be destroyed. As q consequence.
lumber dealers and other merchants kent
their stocks a. low as possible, and there
was but q small movement of the commod-
tiles which make up the usual local bust
ness.
This line enjoys advantages poseee.ed ~
few Others, in the breadth of its tributary
country. From the vicinity Of Cottonwood
Station to the extreme Western settlemena.
Of Kansaa, this country ranges from seven