Seattle daily post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, W.T. [Wash.]) 1881-1888, 1884-08-12
the RAILROADS OF TINE rsrrsp
STATES.

Inc following resume of the railroads
Of the United States aud their busines.
10 copied or gathered from the introdnc.
tisn TO " Poor's Manual ~ for 1884. and
shows in compact form at once .bs
character and enormous extent Of Abe
railroad business of the country:
The total mileage at the close of the
calendar year 1888 was l2I ,592 miles
oIo3 having been constructed within the
year. The total length of comolet~d
road at the close Of the Companies IA.
cal years was 10 $50 miles. The aver.
age mil. age operated during the year
was llo,fl4. The amount of share can
ltai issued by the several companies uu
70 tne close OF their respective fiscal
years was q, 7OS ,060.5S3 an increase
from the previous year Of $207. GA 759
The funded debts Of the several COM
panies amounted to 1886 040 363. an
Increase from the previous year OF
S2l9, ,497O O6O. Their floating or unfund
cd debts amounted to 1872 $40 .3t5.
an increase of SCI, ,l99. .383 frsu. the vre.
vious year. The total increase of share
capital and OF funded and q fi1atins debts
from the previous year equsled x477,-
I2l,Ao The total ameunl of all liabil-
tiles at the close of 1883 was x7.4g5.47l..
oil. The total per mile for comple,sd
mileags was $62.l76. The total of stock
and liabilities for 1882 was &7,0l6. 7JO.-
lO9; per mile. $6l ,303. The total for
1851 WAS 81, 6,278, ,565, ,052 the amount Der
mile, $G0,645. The total for 1850 was
VI, 4U2,U3o,Z5 per mile, $5s, ,624. The
total for 1879 was k4,S72. .017,5l7; per
mile. $57, ,73O.
Ii 10 TO be observed that although
since 1873 the actual cost Of construc.
ton per mile has steadily diminished,
very few expensive lines have been built,
and during the last half of that period
the cost OF all construction material
being unusually low, the apparent coat
as represented by share capital and debt
has steadily increased. the increase of
cost IN the four years since 1879 a. rep
resented by share capital and debt
squa S4446 per mile, and for the whole
number of miles, l20,5s2. constructed.
a fetal Of $536, 1874, 1872.
The gross earnings of all the roads
for their several fiscal years of 1888 were
1873, ,772,924, an increase from the pre-
vious year Of $53, ,563,0 ,025.
VI the gross receipts x2l5, ,2S7 .S24 were
received from passengers, x549. .756,-
695 from freight, and $5S, 49,
400 from miscellaneous sonrces. The
net earnings for the year were $685., 6,9il,-
SS4, an increase of $2l, ,t6i ,052 from the
previous year. Tn, amount of interest
paid WAS $l73, l39, ,064, an increase of
$lS, ,S43, ,684 from the previous year. The
amount OF dividends paid was $l02,-
052, ,5l8. an iucrease Of $2l, l,lli from the
previous year. The percentage in 1888
of gross earnings to investment was
1898 per cent; in 1882, liza; in 1881,
Ills; IN 1850. .36; in 1879, 1880. The
percentage of net earnings to invest
ment in 1888 was 4.49 per cent; in 1882,
4.sl; In 1881, 4.56; in 1880, 5.04, and in
1879. 10 per cent. The earnings per
mile OF all the railroads operated for
1888 were, gross $746i net, $o05i; in
1882, gross, $7377; net, $3005; in 1881,
gross, x75t8; net, $3978; in 1880. gross,
$7475: net, x33lS; in 1879. gross, $6652;
net. S276i.
The mil 20 of line owned and operated
are shown in groups as fellows: