The daily Cairo bulletin. (Cairo, Ill.) 1878-1???, 1883-03-27
THE DAILY BULLETIN.
Ouriosities of the Railway Census,

Ourl0SltleS OF tle halfway uoueus'
According to the census railway re-
turns for 1880, there were l,l65 COM
panies, having inround numbers, $1,000
miles of railways in operation in this
country-an aggregate almost equal TO
track extending four times around the
world.
The cost of this gigantic system was
nearly five thousand six hundred and
sixty millions of dollars, of which about
two-lifths has been paid for and tho
companies are in debt for the balance.
In the good time coming when this
enormous debt Of over three thousand
millions of dollars is paid off, and the
interest thereon ceases, it is probable
that railway speeds will be improved,
travelling rendered safer and the charg-
es for freight and passage reduced.
The mortality upon our railways is
frightful to contemplate. According to
the census returns, the killed and
manned for the single year of 1880
formed an aggregate OF S,2l5 persons.
If the companies were compelled by
law TO pay an average of say five thou
sand dollars for every person killed or
injured, only short time would elapse,
probably, before this dreadful account
would be reduced almost 70 nothing,
There are very few railway accidents
that might not be prevented if real care
were exercised and the best safeguards
adopted The passage of law sub
iecting every company to the payment
of Il substantial fine for every accident
that takes place upon its property would
doubtless stimulate the managers TO
give more attention to the safety of life
and limb than they do at present.
The demand upon our inventors for
the discovery of new and better means
for saving life and preventing accidents
upon railways increases every year. in
ratio even greater than the augmenta-
ton of tracks, because the population is =.
more rapidly increasing, and the presen
railways are not employed at anything
like their full capacity.
The freight carried in 1880 was two
hundred and ninety-one millions of tons,
for which the railways charged Log cent
per ton per mile, and made profit oil
90 cents per Ton per mile
The number of passengers carrie?
was tEo hundred aud seventy millions,
for which each paid an average of 2.33
cents per mile, and the companies made
a profit of 0.62 cents per mile If the
passengers are counted by weight al
lowing II passengers to the ton, then
the receipts of the companies for their
two-legged freight was 81. 62cents pcrton
per mile and their profit was S.6S cents
per ton per mile. This large profit, when
set opposite to the small amount of SO
cents profit per ton realized from dead
freight, seems to indicate that great
field is open to the genius of railway
managers in devising ways and means
no encourage the people to travel.
The haulage of our railways now en-
ploys over seventeen thousand locomo-
tiveS, and the aggregate cost to run
them, such as fuel, water, oil, repairs,
and engineers, is about ninety millions
of dollars, or not far from five thousand
dollars wear for each machine The
item of fuel alone is thirty-three millions
of dollars. The larger portion of the
fuel is wasted; much of it is blown out
Of the smoke stack unconsumed in the
form Of smoke aud dust. There is a
grand chance for inventors to improve
the locomotive by discovering means to
lessen its wastes and expenses. The
same remarks apply to the other
branches of the railway rolling stock,
consisting of over twelve thousand pas
sengcr ears and about four hundred
thousand freight cars. In the year 1880
ii cost the railway companies tifty-hye
millions Of dollars for repairs for rolling
stock /, it not possible for inventive
genius to study out some new mode OF
construction that shall reduce this emo;
nous loss?- Scientific american.