Morning journal and courier., 1884-01-23
Connecticut Railroad.

The Commissioners Annual Report-AnS
 sParaIiel Ronds'',-A Prosperous Year
 for Most of the Roads - Increased He-
 cefpts-A Busy Year for Hearings
 The railroad commissioners report for1883 was presented to the Legislature yesterday. Concerning the s'parallel' roads the report says: The "most bitter contest" of the year was between the New York and Connecticut Air Line and the Hartford and Harlem, whose routes conficted between New Haven and New York. The whole line of the former was finally approved November 20. and the time in which the construction of the road
 may be begun and ten per cent.-$23, 97O- of it's subscribed capital expended, extended to March 22, 1881. The course of theHartford and Harlem is not traced beyond the confines of the year; only few days ago, however Gas will appear by report of 18S4, the ap- proval of this route was also anounnced. The commissioners find the practicability of the general railroad law sustained by the ex- perience of the New York and Connecticut Air Line and the Hartford and Harlem. The defect existing in the fact of one man fur nishing the capital in the name of twenty . five persons is pointed out, but the defeat last year of the bill intended to remedy it by a tribunal is adjudged the right thing. The change in the location of the Merlden and Cromwell railroad is mentioned.
 The gross earnings of the roads were $16,- 234, 942 44-$7, ,O41. 937.O2 from passengers and $8, ,O03 ,51OO7 from freight. The in- crease in passengers receipts was $335, 632,- Al: in freight $626, ,631. 32. Forty-nine and one-third per cent. of the gross earnings came from freight-a little more than in
 1882 The gross expenses were $11, 89O,- 3s9 57, an increase of $1, 551, ,587.36, nearly double the increase in gross earnings,
 The New York and New England roads ex-
 penses increased $666, PA. IT; the New York, New Haven and Hartford roads, $732, ,498. "A.
 The latter reported an increased expenditure
 of $15O, 1000 for repairs of roadbed and track, $I45, 900 for repairs of bridges and $225,- GOO for fuel. The number of men employed in operating the several roads, lnclud-
 ing officers, is T., ,469, an increase of l, 51O.
 The net earnings after deducting the $1O.-
 552 15 deficit reported by the Shepsug railroad
 company, which last year increased its oper-
 atinR expenses about 36 per cent, by reason
 chiefly of bridge renewals, amounted to only
 $4, ,344, 552 ST, or $670, ,3O0.96 less than the
 preceding year. Eleven companies paid dIv- idends amounting to $2, 682, ,944-an average of ITS per cent on their capital stock. The gross earnings per mile q ,514 85 miles were operated) averaged $10,- 934 86, an increase of $495 02-the Norwich
 and Worcester and the Naugatuck earning
 the most; the Stamford and New Canaan the least The same roads averaged the greatest and least expense per mile, an average of $7, ,957. 56, an increase of $903. 37. The net earnings averaged $2, 915 35 mile-$506 29 less than the previous year. The average gross earnings per mile run was $1.40, fall ing of of three cents; the average net earn or Ro1IS FNP fupo 1kc Thn
 passenger mileage was 5,848, BIO miles, an in crease of 366, 527; the freight 4,372, 635, an apparent increase of 248, 789, but a real in crease of more because the Consolidated road includes it's switching mileage this year in the mileage of ''all other trains" The freight mileage increase on that road is IT per cent. instead of falling off of per cent. The average cost of maintenance of road per mile operated was $1,547.41, or $147.66 less than last year.
 THE OUTSTANDING INDEBTEDNESS
 There only remains one hundred and four miles of railroad in this State not laid with steel rails, ninety per cent. of the whole being so laid ''With steel rails costing now only $35 at the mills we are likely to forget that when first laid in this State they cost $176." The total amount of stock issued and out indebtedness reported was on September 30, 1883, $S8, ,O72. .031-. A The amount of stock is reported $56, 953 S25, an increase of $1, 236 S28.25, the stock of the New York and New England having been increased $635. 900, and the Hartford and Connecticut Western, $334.- 900; the $500, 900 capital stock of the Meri- den and Cromwell being added, and the stock of the Stamford and New Canaan, being $64, 171.75 less than that of the old New Canaan company. The outstanding indebt- edness amounts to S31, 118, ,353. 19. IncIud- ing the Meriden and Cromwell now in pro- cess of construction, the total length of all the roads in the State is 973 46, which is about eight tenths of per cent. of the total length of the railroads in this country The length of the double tracks is 40 miles, and that of the sidings 246, making total of 1860 sim gle track miles, an increase of sixty-one miles. The balance sheets of the companies show construction accounts amounting to S75, no, 698 46; equipment accounts. $9,- O34 511. O1; and other permanent invest ments amounting to $2, ,174, 393. 31-a total of $87, 3O3, 85S.11, including the permanent investments of the Hartford and Connecti- cut Valley and the Stamford and New Canaan railroad companies which are not classified, with cash and cash assets of $9, 327, ,875.88.
 CONDITION OF THE RAILWAY RoADBEDs.
 In referring to the condition of the roads the commissioners find on the Air Line that ''the long piling near New Haven has been renewed and most of it entirely rebuilt'' This is the piliug that was serious Iy injured lately by the elements Repairs to the Connecticut Valley include stone abut ments at Maromas on which it was proposed to build an iron girder bridge. When all the 700 tons of steel rails, mostly put in, are laid the entire main track will be of steel. The Connecticut Western is filling up it's trestles at Tariffville, Twin Lakes and Chapin vile. Only four miles of iron rails remain on this road in Connecticut The expense of building bridges etc., on the extension to the Hudson river has absorbed large percentage of the gross earnings. The Housatonic road has spent $5000 rebuilding it's Bridgeport lock and bought two locomotives and two drawing room cars One hundred thousand dollars have been spent on the road to run from Meriden to Cromwell, distance of 10 miles, and it's completion is expected by next summer. The NaugRtuck road s building 8 double track, putting up iron bridges and reducing it's curves. Two hund- .ed and forty tons of steel rails have been put town on the Derby road, Over $21.OO nave been expended in the filling of the open y five feet long, and thirty-seven feet ex- reme depth, at Wopowaug, including the building of two heavy bridge abutments | nore than fifty feet in height, and at Davis brook, three hundred feet long, and fifty five | eet in extreme depth, with a long arch cul FCEb dAo AOAEJ OIAuSo dOubEnoHbS- 4hoS0 l re nearly completed, and the fill | Dg of the north end of the Der | y piling has been commenced. Two | niles of steel rails have been laid on the Col insville branch of the Northampton road. 1 There have been no special permanent inn on the New London Northern. l The New England is using it's double track i 'etween Hartford and Newington, Burnside nd Vernon and between WiIIimantic and | Jhewink. The rest of the line easterly 0 the Connecticut State boundary will prob. ply be completed this year. Thirty-four To- i omotives. thirteen elegant passenger cars K baggage cars, 370 coal cars and twenty inc caboose cars have been added to he rolling stock. Ten iron girder bridges ave been substituted for wood and heavier teel rails have been laid. ''In addition to hese extraordinary improvements the track nd road bed of the main line and branches ave been maintained in excellent con ition, and the trains have been run with Ut loss of life to any passenger. unless we xcept young Griswold, employed in the re- room at Waterbury, who was iding on a free pass and stood near an open GOT of the baggage car at the time of the lainviIIe collision -" The Consoli- ated road has rebuilt the east end of the os Cob bridge of iron at cost of $85, ,OO0, pent 10000 in strengthening the