The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1881-01-21
The Remarkable Activity in. Railroad Build.
ing

Last year was the most remarkable in the
history of the American railway business
The earnings of The roads were much greater
than ever before nearly all the lines west
Of the Mississippi River were brought to-
gether under connected systems while the
increase in the mileage was larger tina in
any previous year except 1872. Then our
| excessive railway construction was followed
by the financial crash of 1873 from which it
took the country years to recover.
The Financial Chronicle published attbe
beginning of December a table of the gross
earnings of forty three railroads for the
eleven months of 1880, compared with those
for the corresponding period of 1879 The
figures for 1880 we're $3.50, ,660,7s9, against
Si43, $40, ,O29 for 1879; gain of $36, $50 $50.
or nearly one quarter.
In 1879 the business of railroad construc-
tion, which since 1872 has received serious
check, showed great comparative activity.
The total number of miles of roads built
reached 4,72l, or more than double the ave-
rage Of the previous five years.
1t was this increase of railroad building,
| accompanied by vast augmentation of
traffic owing to the great harvest, that
revived the dropping spirits of the iron
manufacturers. Besides the rails needed
for the mileage added repairs were every
where necessary to meet the accumulating
business. Our production of pig iron was
accordingly greater than that of the year
before by about half million tons and it
found market at largely increased prices
The production even exceeded that of 1873,
the previous year of largest supply, by
nearly quarter of million of tons. We
manufactured of iron and steel rails nearly
the same amount in excess of the proiuc-
tion Of 1872, the year when railroad build
ing became almost mania. Their impor
tation, which had dropped off altogether in
1880 to 10000 tons, while Of all kind of
iron and steel we imported about half a
million tons, against about fifth of that
amount in 1875
But the activity in railroad building in
1879 was far exceeded by that of last year.
The addition to the railway mileage of the
United States for 1880 was, according to a
table compiled by the Railway Age, 7,207
miles; sn increase over 1879 of 2 1856 miles.
The number of miles added in 1872 was
about the same, $40.
The effect OF this increase on the iron
trade was of course very marked. The pro-
ducIion of pig iron rose from about two and
three quarter millions in 1879 to between
three and quarter and three and a half
millions in 1880; and our importation of pig
iron was about 100000 tons We produced
| 100000 tons of rails, aud imported about
275,000 tons. The new roads took about a
million tons of iron and steel, and there
was besides an enormous consumption for
repairs to the roads and rolling stock OF The
lines already existing. As consequence,
the iron trade has had the busiest year it has
ever known.
Ofthe Z, ,207 miles of railroad built in 1880
m ore than one halt, or 3 sos miles, were laid
in the States and Territories west of the
Mississippi. The rapidity with which rail-
road construction is going on in that portion
of the Union presages still greater in
crease in its population during the next ten
years than the census shows for the last
decade. Already in the region west Of the
Mississippi considerably more than fifth
Of the population OF the country is gathered
whereas in 1860 the proportion was only
about tenth.
The promise is that railroad construction
during the present year will be even larger
than that for l8S0.-M Y. San.