The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1881-02-19
The Remarkable Activity in Railroad
Building.

| 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 Missis-
sippi River were brought together under
connected systems; while the increase
in the mileage was larger than in any
previous year except 1878. Then our
excessive railway construction was
followed by the financial crash of 1872,
from which it took the country years to
recover s re# gIir
The Financial Chronicle published at
the beginning of the December table
of the gross earnings of forty-three rail
roads for the eleven months of 1880,
compared with those for the correspond
ing period of 1879. The figures for 1880
were $3.50, $50, 789, against S143, $4,000
for 1879; a gain of 1856, $780, 600, or
nearly one-quarter.
| In 1879 the business of railroad con-
struction, which since 1872 had received
. serious check, showed great compare
tive activity. The total number of
miles of road built reached 1921, or
more than double the average of the
previous five years. 20 HlAlu
1t was this increase of railroad build
ing, accompanied by vast augmenta-
ton of traffic, owing to the great
harvest, that revived the dropping
spirits of the iron manufacturers. Be-
side the rails needed for the mileage
added, repairs were everywhere
necessary to meet the accommodating
business. Our production of pig iron
was accordingly greater than that of
the year before by about 100000 tons;
and it found a market at largely
increased prices. The production even
exceeded that of 1873, the previous year
of largest supply, by nearly 100000
tons. We manufactured of iron and
steel rails nearly the same amount in
excess of the production of 1872, the
year when railroad building became
a mania. Their importation, which
had dropped off altogether in 1873, rose
to $4,000 tons, while of all kinds of iron
and steel we imported about 100000
tons, against about one-fifth of that
amount in 1878. -.a.
But the activity in railroad building
in 1879 was far exceeded by that of last
year. The addition to the railway mile
age of the United Statesfo 1880 was, ac-
cording to table compiled by the Rail
a0Gy Age, 7,207 miles; an increase over
1879 of 2,496 miles. The number of
miles added in 1872 was about the same,
1910. Ha 'a 'H' :
The effect of this increase on the iron
trade was of course very marked. The
production of pig iron rose from 2,750,-
900 in 1879 to between 3,250,O0O and
3,5OO,O00 in 1880, and our importation
OF pig iron was about 70O,0 900 tons. We
produced 100000 tons of rails, and
imported about 275,000 tons. The new
roads took about 100000 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.
OF the 7,207 miles of railroad built in
1880 more than one-half, or 3,S68 miles,
were laid in the States and Territories
west of the Mississippi. The rapidity
with which railroad construction is 90
ing on in that portion of the Union pre-
sages still greater increase in its popula-
ton in the next ten years than the CEN
sus shows in 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 the railroad con-
struction during the present year will be
even larger than that for 188O.-New
York San.