The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1880-08-03

The advance sheets OF Poors Manual Of
the Railroads Of the United States are out,
and the book, which will be issued in
few days, is the thirteenth annual volume,
and the most complete OF the seres. The
Manual reports operations including 81
2S2 miles Of railroads out OF total OF 49,
497 miles. From the statement showing
the number OF miles constructed each year
since 1880 10 1879, inclusive, 1t 10 learned
that in 1880 there were twenty.three miles
in operation; in 1885, 1908; in 1880, 2,8O9;
in 1871, 3,5p5; in 1851 the number had In
creased to 10, 9S9; in 1866 to 22,ol6; in 1850,
to SO,6S5; in 1868 to 1929; in 1870 to
So, 9l4; in 1871, when there was built the
largest number OF miles in any one year
Il 800, to GO, 9S3, in 1878 to 70,27S; in 1877
to 79,OS9; in 1876 to sl,77G, and in 1879
to sG,497. Next to 1871 in point Of con-
struction comes 1870, when G,070
miles were built, then 1879 with ISIS,
with 1860 next, when 4,6l5 were
built, and in 1873 with 4,l07. SO that In
the five years between 1859 and 1873, 49,
O49 miles were constructed, equal almost
TO the total construction in the first TWEEN
ty.nine years OF railroad building from
| 1880 to 1859, when only rs, 7S9 miles were
In operation. The most marked feature
in connection with the increase oil earnings
continues 10 be the reduction OF freight
charges which has been taking place on
all our leading railroads for several years,
and in no years more notably than in that
which has Just closed. To show the
changes that have taken place in these re-
spects during the last seven years, the iol-
| following figures are taken, commencing
with the year 1873, that OF the greatest
prosperity In railroads prior TO 1879: In
ISIS thirteen railroads moved 40, 556, 002
tons OF freight. with II, 43S miles OF road.
In 1879 the same roads moved 81 ,092,54
tons, with 1881 miles Of road The re-
ceipts for these transactions in lS73amount-
ed 10 SIZE, 0040 CAS- in 1870 the amount was
SIG, 81 1852. 4 -,
1t will be seen from the above that
while there has been an increase in freight
moved OF 47.27 per cent, and in miles oil
road operated Of 20SS per cent the IN
crease in earnings from that source has
been only 1854 per cent. Freight istnow
moved atarate per ton per mile which
would five years ago have been regarded
as impossible. The percentage OF decrease
has been ~ 81 per cent-nearly equal "a
the increase In tons Of freight moved. The
reduction In rates during the year just
closed Is greater than in any one year be-
fore, except among few OF the trunk
lines during what was known as the wal
OF rates In 1866.
The freight earnings Of the roads giver
/ in the table were in 1878 about one.thirt
those OF oil railroads in the United States
and in 1870 about ope.tourth. Had thu
rates OF 1873 been maintained in 1879, the
receipts for the latter year, instead Of be
. ing as now, would have reached on thl
road named the sum Of $3.50, 6ls, sSs, ant
for the United States, Se2S, AL, S62. TIL
difference between the amount actually
received and that given above shows wha
has been gained bY the public in the op
!. erations Of our railroads alone.
Another significant fact shown by III
: tables 10 the reduction in both the tunde
and floating debts as compared with laI