Morning journal and courier., 1880-01-16
The Railroads.

Annual Report of the Railroad COms
 mIssiOners-Advicet tO the Derby Road.
 The annual report of the Railroad Commis- sioners has been presented to the Legislature. Some defects in the railroads are referred to as follows: The need of better rails to dis place many defective ones on the Norwich and Worcester is reported. The Air Line is
 noticed neglecting to replace it's defective rails
 as rapidly as the Commissioners recommend
 ed. The Derby road is advised to fill up it's
 trestle work and piling into embankmsnts.
 Improvements on the Connecticut Western,
 the report says, have hardly kept pace with
 the depreciation, and the present managers
 have been hampered by the reconstruction
 scheme, which, instead of adopting foreclo-
 gure has applied the earnings to pay of old
 debts, though all needed for putting the road
 in condition. The Valley road has filled in
 some billings and others need filling. The
 Shepaug will soon need to renew some of
 it's bridges. The heartless and continued dis
 regard for the safety of freight brakemen is
 pointed out, and legislative interference is
 recommended. locomotive driver brake
 would obviate largely the danger to the men who must run over the tops of the cars to put on brakes. Regret is expressed that we atin have six companies which refuse to follow the recommendations made now year after year to use the Westinghouse brake The Naugatuck came into line last year. About 72 per cent. of the track in the State is steel raled. On the drawbridge question the Commissioners stand by their previous conservative opinion that, despite the wisdom of MT. Adams to the contrary, the way to prevent accidents at drawbridges Is to stop trains there. This reduces momen- tum The advocates of the best signal sys- tenn, arguing that machinery is less fallible than men, give their own case away in that very argument, for it is man who runs the engine, and he is liable to see wrong, or to | fatal. If he is bound to stop he cannot forget that, and, if he did, the brakemen would re- member it for him.
 The total earnings of the roads amounted to $11, ,012, ,25O.57, gain of $25, .39 over last
 year. Passenger earnings show a JOSS or $246, ,O8O, or nearly per cent, the Housa- tonic, Naugatuck and Derby alone making any gain. Freight receipts increase $532, 400. 50 | or II per cent. The passenger receipts are | 224 per cent. less than 1878. Gross expenses | were $6, 719, ,O05.67, an increase of $38, eos i; I but decreased percentage. Net earnings
 were s4, 2s6, ,9523s. Dividends $2, ,543, IT,
 ranging from 2 to 10 per cent. The total number of passengers was 9,538, ,056, and tons of freight 4,371, ,S45. The cheap excursion business as 8 means of increasing passenger receipts is recommended. Of changes of the year the report says: The changes which have taken place during the year in our railroad companies or their man agement have been the absorption of the | Hartford, Providence and Fishkin into the | New York and New England, which was mo- ticed at length in our last report, though oc- ! curing after the commencement of the fiscal year last past the contract between the New York, New Haven and Hartford, and the Bos- ' ton and New York Air Line railroad compa- nies for 99 years, by which the latter is, till | October next to receive per cent. of the | gross earnings of both companies, the terms
 to be readjusted then and every five years
 tie Naugatuck and the New Haven and Derby railroad companies, the lat | ter to receive twenty per cent. of | the gross earnings of the two roads, the terms
 to be readjusted every five years the failure | of the New Canaan railroad company to pay
 the interest due December 1, 1878, on its | mortgage bonds, and its surrender to the | trustee for the bondholders, and the termina- \ tion of the lease of the South Manchester
 railroad to the New York and New England. The building of no new road has been com menced but work has been resumed on the | forty miles of unfinished road of the New York and New England railroad company be- I tween Waterbury and Brewsters, with the promise that this portion of the road shall be | in running order by the first of October, 1s5o. | The articles or aSSoclatlOn or the NOW 1orA, | Connecticut and Eastern railroad company, @
 corporation organized under the general rail
 road law to build rsilroad from the New | York State line in Greenwich to New Haven has been filed in the office of the Secretary of
 State with the engineers report, profile and | maps, and contract for the building of the
 road Is reported to have been made, though we have no ofscial knowledge on the subject- no application having as yet been made to us
 for the approval of the location on any part l of the liHe.