American citizen. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1864-1890, 1878-05-25
The Railways of the World.

The Prussian Bureau of Statistics has
lately published some interesting data
regarding the railway system Of Europe
during the decade ending with 1876
The facts brought out in this report are
worth comparing with the record OF
our American railroads.
1t appears that at the close of 1876
the aggregate length of European rail-
ways in operation was $4,000 miles,
against 1900 in 1865. For the last
named year the total length of iron road
in the United States was computed at
600 miles; but IL years later these
figures had more than doubled, this
country being credited in 1876 with n, :
500 miles, an amount nearly equal to
the combined exhibit of all the Euro
pean States. If we look at the ratio of
track to area, we find for each district
of 80 square miles an average length of
one mile of rail in Europe, against nine
tenths of a mile in the United States.
On the other hand, the railway facilities
of no country in the world approach the
proportion of track to population pre-
sented by the United States. If we take
10000 inhabitants as a unit of measure
ment, the average amount of rail pro-
vided for their use in Europe is only
about three miles; and in the most ia
vored parts, namely, Sweden. Switzer-
land or Great Britain and ireland,
is about six, five and half, and Eve
miles respectively, against the astonish-
ing quota of seventeen and half in the
United States. In word, the railway
advantages of this country are, relative
ly to our population, more than three
times greater than those of the opulent
British islands, and more than four
times more extensive than those of Bel
GUM, the most densely peopled section
of the Continent. tfet3 # =
As for the capital represented in rail-
ways, we observe the total amount in
vested in Europe is computed for 1865
at five billion nine hundred million dol
lars, which sum had risen a decade
later to ten billion eight hundred mil
lions. At the latter date (1875) the
whole capital expended upon railroads
in the United States was estimated at
four billion six hundred and fifty million
dollars. These figures indicate an aver
age cost of about $118,00O per mile in
Europe, and nearly $50, 900 in the Unit
ed States. We may here mention that,
as regards the expense of railway build
ing, British India seems to stand mid
way between Europe and American. In
1865 Hindostan had some two hundred
and fifty million dollars invested in
$3.50 miles of track Gan average cost of
some $75, 900 to the mile), while in 1877
$500 miles had been constructed with
an aggregate outlay of five hundred and
forty million dollars, showing slightly
increased mean disbursement.
If we turn now to rolling stock and
business, we find the comparison, as
might be expected, extremely unfavora-
BILE to this country. Thus the whole
number of locomotives in 1875 on Eu-
ropean roads was 39,621, against 49,
500 in the United States. At the same
date there were nearly $1,000 passen-
ger cars in Europe, while less than a.
600 were run on American roads. 1t
may be said these figures are delusive,
because our coaches are more capacious,
but the fact is that the number of per-
sons transported by rail in 1875 was one
billion twenty-three millions in Europe,
as against one hun bred and sixty-eight
millions in the United States. We re-
mark like disproportion in the freight
account. At the same period the whole
of freight cars on the European
lines was 936, 200, transporting up
ward of five hundred million tons of
while the American re-
turns show but $4,000 cars, and a
of less than one hundred and
sixty eight million tons.
The gross receipts of European rail-
ways in 1865 were nearly $500, O00, 900,
and this income was almost exactly
doubled 10 years afterward- passenger
traffic at that time being credited with
"a per cent, and freight business with
go per cent. of the whole revenue. At
the same epoch (1S75) the gross earn
ings of railroads in the United States
were about $500. OOO, 900, to which total
freight contributed u per cent. 1t is
curious fact that working expenses have
increased in Europe and diminished in
the United States during the decade I'M
der review. Thus, in 1865 it cost on an
average 46 per cent. to run a European
road, and 10 years later nearly 55 per
cent, while the amount absorbed by the
same disbursements in this country has
dropped from 68 40 per cent. to 63
ITO in 1875. If, from the data previ-
ously cited, we deduct the running ex-
penses,. we find the net earnings of
European roads in the last named year
were $3.50, 0OO, 900, while American lines
showed an aggregate profit of $780,
100000. In other words, the
revenue available for interest
on the capital employed in
construction was 4 $40 per cent. for
Europe and A lilo for the United States.
On the other hand, in 1867, while Euro
pean lines earned very little more than
at present, American railroads returned
a net profit of 8 $40 per cent. Even
the railways of British India now earn
8 4-1O per cent, or little less than our
own roads; whereas, ten years ago, the
ratio was nearly as one to four. Final
ly, we may state that the largest gross
receipts furnished to the mile of track in
oil 60 n M