Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1882-12-31
The Manitoba and Northern Pacific
Alone Recer ding an Increase OF
Over Seven Millions.
OVER A HUNDRED IRA
Leaving and Arriving Daily at the st.
Paul Union Depot.
IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CITY,
Showing that the Manifest Destiny Of
st. Paul Induces Railroads to Pay
Her Tribute.

At a. m. each week day there are eleven
passenger trains at the union depot plat
forms in St. Paul to leave within twenty
minutes for Lake Superior, for Manitoba.
for Montana, for Dakota, for Nebraska, for
Iowa and for Wisconsin and Illinois. Dur
ing each week day the number of passen-
ger trains arriving and departing is near
one hundred. and the number of passen-
gers going through the depot has often e1-
ceeded ten thousand III day. The
first train ever made up in this city, the To-
connective and cars of which were brought
here on a river barge, made its first trip, of
only twelve miles, only twenty years ago.
In place of that one railroad of only twelve
miles, the railway system of ST. Paul, at
this time, measured by adding the separate
lines over which solid trains are run from
this city, covers over 1900 miles of track.
In this the railway builders of tho North
west have not more than kept up with the
settlement of the country and the estab-
lishment of productive industries. Often
their engineers have staked lines far into
the unoccupied wilds of the border, but the
track-layers have always found the hosts
of emigration pressing on before them.
for settlements is but part taken up.
Within the lines of our railroads there are
millions of acres of rich lands which have
never been stirred by the pillow, and just
beyond their lines are the front ranks Of
advancing settlements just entering upon
virgin areas,where in another twenty years
there must be thousands of miles of rail-
ways and hundreds of thousands of inhab-
itants. The men of st. Paul of to-day have
seen the birth and growth of great indus
trial empire. Their children will share
in a growth in comparison with which
the great Northwest of to-day may seem
as small as now does the great Northwest
of twenty years ago.
RAILROAD BUILDING.
Since the GLOBES review of railway pro-
gress and business year ago, 1904 miles of
main line track have been added to the
railroads Immediately tributary to st.
Paul, of which total 341 miles has been laid
in Minnesota, 1872 in Wisconsin, 266 in
Dakota and 275 in Montana. For reasons
apparent to those who are observing the
course of events in the world of business
the prospects are not at this time as favor
able for new lines as they seemed to be
a year ago, yet it may be confidently an
ticipated that the additions to the st. Paul
system of railways the coming year will
not fall much short of the total of this
year. The Chicago, st. Paul, Minneapolis
& Omaha company will complete its North
track. The st. Paul, Minneapolis & Manitoba
company will lay the track on its branch
to St. Hilarie, % miles. and will extend its
Grand Forks western road into the turtle
mountain country, about 1877 miles. The
Northern Pacific company will extend its
Fergus & Black Hills branch about 25
mills into Dakota, will extend its James
town Northern road about 25 miles, will
extend its Fargo Southwestern branch 80
miles, will build branch in the National
park 62 miles, and will complete its trunk
line, $50 miles. These three companies
are wealthy and have already provided
the means for the construction of
the coming year. Other construction
contemplated and probable, is the extern
sion of the Green Bay road to St. Paul. a
line from Rochester to st. Paul and the
Grantsburg branch of the St. Paul & Du-
luth.
INCREASED TRAFFIC..
A notable feature in this years review of
the railways is the large increase of their
traffic, as compared with the last or any
previous year. The n orthern Pacific. with
1,475 miles of road, has increased its gross
earnings $2.336.OOO; the Manitoba. with
1909 miles, shows gain in gross earnings
of $3,92O.OOO; the St. Paul & Omaha roa,l.
with 1,1sS miles, shows gain of $34S, 900,
and the st. Paul d. Duluth, with POS
miles, gains S367.5CO. These roads
are almost wholly employed with
business of the country which has its COM
mercial emporium in this city, and their
increase of earnings is a fair measure of
the rate of development of the country
north and west of st. Paul. These rail
roads are already prosperous, and with
assurance of greater traffic year after year,
are regarded as exceedingly good invest
ments. as appears in the advanced value
of their securities.
CHANGES.
The most important changes which have
taken place among the railroad companies
during the year were the reorganization
of the Minneapolis Saint Louis
company in the interest of the Chicago.
Rock Island 81 Pacific company. and
the reorganization of the Chicago. st.
Paul d. Omaha company in the interest of
the Chicago & Northwestern company.
Through the first the Rock Island com pany
was enabled to extend its operations to St.
Paul AID Minneapolis. and through the
second the Northwestern company was en-