The Morris County chronicle. [volume] (Morristown, N.J.) 1877-1915, 1878-10-19
$ MANY INTERESTING FACTS.

PaFaGraphs from Afahy Sonrcess Showing
the PrU&resss Of the WorIa,s Practical
History During the Current sYeats
Together with Valuable Scientific and
Statistical Data. tFs
Herewith are gathered together many
OF the most recent facts in science and
industry, and interesting and valuable
statistics relating to various depart
ments of human activity. They are all
obtained from sources which afford a
guarantee of their correctness Z 81
Mr.. William H. Vanderbilt says that
"the railroads now existing in the
United States, if crowded to; their full
est capacity could do four times the
business Of the country" M
The gross earnings of all the railroads
in the United States, reported for 1877,
were $4T2, 909, ,272, decrease of $24,-
348, ,678 from 1876. This is the smallest
gross earning since 1872, when there
were some Is, 600 less miles of railroad.
The net earnings for 1877 show a de-
crease OF only $l5, ,476, ,055 compared
with 1876, due to increased economy of
operation. Dividends fell off SO, 483,
356, and were less than IN any year since
1871, when there were 80, 900 miles less
road in the country. No dividends
were paid on any of the railroads in
eleven States. The reduction in rates
continued through 1877, and, as it was
very general throughout the country,
was one of the principal causes Of de-
creased earnings. n $500 sisyq;
Statistics show that person had in
France, in the time OF. the diligences,
chance of being killed in making SOC, 900
journeys, and of being hurt once in
making 80, 900. On the railways, from
1872 to 1875, the chances were reduced
to one death in $4,000, 900 Of journeys,
an injury in million. w@S<
During 1877, the total number of per-
sons killed in the working of the rail-
ways of England, Scotlandiand Ireland
was l, 175, and the injured 3, 705. OF these
12e killed and 1,2S3, injured were pas
sengers. OF the remainder, 642 killed
and 2, 163 injured were officers or ser
wants of the railway companies Or of
contractors /; and 407 killed and 259 in
jured were trespassers or suicides, or
other persons who met with accidents
at level crossings orfrom miscellaneous
IhuSODs AA0 UOUdl AuuuDCI III DHSS0u&6I
journeys, exclusive of journeys by sea-
son-ticket holders, was 551, 593, 654, or
about 13, ,000,0 more than in the pre-
'yious year. Calculated on these
figures, the proportion of passengers
killed and injured in 1877, from all
causes, were, in round numbers, one in
4,377, ,727 killed, and one in 429,-
924 injured. In 1876 the proper
tions we're one in 1872, $40 killed and
in 285, 1857 injured. OF officers and ser
wants employed by railway companies
or contractors, there were 642 killed and
2, 1853 injured in 1877, against 673 killed
and 1900 injured in 1873.
One of the largest plows ever built
has been constructed for the Chicago,
Milwaukee and st. Paul railway COM
pany, to be used in ditching for railway
construction in Iowa, and to be drawn
neither by horse, OK, or mule, but by a
locomotive. 1t will cut'a furrow thirty
seven inches wide.
The aggregate production of anthra-
cite and bituminous coal in Pennsyl
vania to July of this year amounted to
9, ,391, ,334 tons, as compared with -,
1877, ,648 tons in the corresponding period
of 1877, showing decrease of 2, ,296,314
tons this year. ~ 81 ~
Anthracite coal is beginning to be
mined in the vicinitk of Sonora, Mexico,
within seventy miles of the coast of the
gulf of California. If this coal possesses
even half the value claimed for it, says
the Pottsville Mining Journal, and if it
shall prove to be Of any considerable ex-
tent, theimportance of the discovery to
the Pacific coast. may be placed second
only to that of gold itself.
The latest census shows the popula-
ton of Japan to be 34,338, 4D4, a steady
and large increase since 1875.
The fifth publication of Benin and
Wagner's well-known I" Population of
the Earth y makes the. number of the
earth's human inhabitants for the cur
rent year |, ,439, ,145, 800, an increase of
IL, 900, 600 over the estimate of last year.
The increase is attributed partly to
natural growth, partly to exact knowl-i
edge dde to recent censuses. The dis
tribution of the population among shss
grand geographical divisions is as fol-,
lows: Europe, 312, 1898, 480; Asia, 831, :.
600, 900 F.; Africa, 205, ,2l9, 500; Australia
and Polynesia. 4,411, 800; America, 86,-
116, 600.
The annual production OF the sugar Of
the world has beenapproxina ,calcu-
lated as follows Bengal, China and
Siam, 300, 600, GOO lbs. British Colonies,
440, ,000, 900 lbs; Spanish Colonies,
47O, 600, 600 lbs; Dutch Colonies, 1907
600, 600 lbs.: Swedish and Danish Colo
nies, 20, 900, 900, lbs. !; French Colonies,
100, 900, 600 lbs.; France (beet), $780,
600, 900 lbs; Brazil, $4,000, 600 lbs;
Zollverein (beet) $50, 900, 600 lbs; Aus
tria (beet), It's, ,OO0, 600, lbs.; Russia
(beet( 100, ,0e0yO0O lbs. Italy and Bel
gium (beet), 200, 600, 600 lbs.; all other
Sources including the United States
400, 900, 900 lbs; total, 3.420,0 900, 900
lbs. The annual consumption Of sugar
per head by different nations varies very
considerably, as may be seen by the fol-
lowing figures, based on official data. In
the United States, SO lbs. per head;
England, 80; Scotland, 30; Holland, 16;
ireland, 5; Belgium, s; France, $685.
Spain, s. "a; Switzerland, 6; Portugal
s; Denmark, 5; Poland, 5; Prussia
(Z54lverein), 10; Norway and Sweden,
8; Italy, q; Austria, 2; Russia, /. Surely
there must be something wrong IN the
statistics thRtanake the, ayerage English
man eat more than four times more sugar
than a. FfenchmaI1.,, r~ = g-Srr ~ -s G
The greatest quantity Of paper Is used
in the United States and the smallest
quantity IN Scandinavia. Ita1y's con-
SUMPTION rs small; but that Of Russia Is
very much less, as might have been,ezs
pected from. the condition of her people,
form of government, and state of manu-
factures. The quantities used per head
of population in the principal countries
are given in the exhibition catalogue as
follows United States, 80. S.lbs. Ger
many, 1872 lbs; England, A1lbs. !;
FranceS 7.92 lbs; Austria Hungary,
SIS lbs; Russia, 1.98 lbs; Italy, 8. 08
1bs.; Scandinavia, IL lbs.;a Belgium,
l1.22 lbs. !; Switzerland, 1885 lbs. The
quantity used by the Spaniards is not
given, but as Italy's- consumption is so
small, the. Influences at work in each
country probably reduce the consuInp-
tion in the former country to an unno-
ticeable quantity. China is not is mem