The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1880-09-18
The Remarkable Activity in Railroad
Building.

MORE miles of new railroad were laid
last year in the United States than in
any year since 1873, the increase of
mileage being 4,721 miles. Statistics of
the new railways now in process of con-
struction, or which have been project
ed, indicate that the increase for tho
present year will much exceed that for
1879. They have been gathered by the
RaiIaOay Age.
That journal gives reports of 2S7 rail-
way enterprises undertaken or projected
during the first half of the year, which
show contemplated mileage of the
enormous total of over 10000 miles. OF
this aggregate ZOO miles of track have
been laid, 5000 miles are in process of
construction, and projects for the lay
ing of 10,850 miles are announced.
This railway building extends into al
most every State of the Union, and with
few exceptions the projected roads are
entirely legitimate, and their compile
ton is probable. The proposed lines
are, as a rule, intended to develop new
regions which stand in great need of
transportation facilities, and many of
them are built by strong companies as
feeders to their existing systems.
In Canada also there is promise of
activity in railroad construction. Ne
gotiations have been nearly completed
with an English syndicate, with the OBJ
ject of forming company with cap
ital of 100000, 900 to construct the
whole of the railway across British
North America to the Pacific. A land
grant of $4,000, 900 acres is offered as a
subsidy.
Our Mexican neighbors, too, are likely
to get during the next few years very
considerable additions to their railroad
system, though of the many projects
which have been discussed but few are
in a condition to promise substantial re-
suits. There are two, however, which
are actually to be prosecuted, and upon
which work has already been begun.
According to the Financial Chronicle,
both the Sonora Railway and the Mexi-
can Central Railway are now to be Wig
orously pushed forward to completion.
They are controlled by capitalists of this
country interested in the Atchison, To-
peka and Santa Fe Railroad, who have
organized the companies under the
Massachusetts law which grants author
ity to construct roads in foreign coun-
| tries. ..U.
The Sonora Railway is to run from
Guaymas, on the Gulf of California,
enthusiastically to the Arizona frontier,
there to connect with the Atchison,
Topeka and Santa Fe road, which is be-
ing extended to meet it. The subscrib-
ed capital is 81, 100000, and it is ex-
pected that eighty-six miles will be COM
pleted before the first of March.
The Mexican Central project EN-.
braces line from the City of Mexico
to Ell Paso, with branches to Laredo in
one direction, and to the western coast
in another. Already over million dol.
lars have been expended on it, and 3d.
100000 subscribed to the capital stock
A money subsidy of $4,000 a mile i:
given to the Mexican Central on the
portion of the line from Mexico to Leon
a distance of 262 miles. The remainder
of the line, from Leon to Ell Paso, is tc
be constructed according to a contract
which requires the final approval O.
the Mexican President.
The Southern Pacific Railroad, which
is extending its line to Ell Paso, has re