Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1885-10-27
IN THE RAILWAY WORLD.
DAsHES ALONG THE TRACK
AND CROSSTIES.

The Outlook for a Large Amount of
Railway COnstructiOn-SOme Interest
ing Computations as to Needs of the
Country for Mileage-117, 900 Miles
Required in the Next Eleven Years.
The promise of large amount of rail-
way construction which is held out by
the great activity in projecting and in
cooperating new enterprises, noted thus
far this year and still continuing, seems
to be sustained by the general improve
ment in business, the strong and main
tanned advance in the stock market, the
steady increase in population and pro-
ductiOn in the new West and South, and
the other signs of an ending Of the period
OF distrust in all forms of investment.
Mr.. Edward Atkinson, a statisticiau,
whose papers on the relations of railways
20 the people have attracted widespread
attention, makes some interesting COM
putations as to the railway mileage still
needed in each of the States and Terrific
ries. He .vides the States and Terrific
ries into five classes on the following
plan:
Glass l. is assumed to need very soon q rail-
way service equal to that of Massachusetts, at
the present time, to wit, l mile to 4 square
miles; class II. ODe-half as much, or ] to &,
class III. one-quarter as much, or to Is; class
A
the present territories, One-siXteenth, or !
mile Of railway to each 81 miles Of territory.
Class l. comprises Rhode Island, Con-
necticut, New York, New Jersey. Penn
sylvania, Delaware. Maryland, Ohio, In
diana, Illinois and Iowa. These II States
had Jan. 1, 1881, 39,975 miles OF railway
in operation, and, Judging by the past,
Mr.. Atkinson estimates that within 10 or
20 years from that date-or say by 1900
they will need 36, 236 miles Of additional
railway, bringing them on an equality,
as TO area compared to mileage, with
Massachusetts at that date-althOugh it
should not be forgotten that even Massa-
cnusetts is still adding TO her railway
mileage, and hence that the standard as
sumed for 1881 is constantly varying.
Class H., which is assumed to need only
half as much mileage IN proportion to
area as the foregoing, consists of New
hampshire, Vermont, Michigan, Wiscon-
sin, Missouri, Virginia, West Virginia,
South Carolina, Georgia and Kentucky,
and they are assumed to need q, 1879 miles
Of additional road In the time named.
Glass III. comprises Minnesota, Ne
braska. Kansas, North Carolina, Tennes-
see, Mississippi, Alabama, Arkansas,
Louisiana, Texas and Indian Territory,
with need assumed of 81, 472 miles more.
Glass ~. consists Of Maine, Nevada,
Colorado, Oregon and California, lacking
1862 miles.
Glass V. is composed of Florida, Dakota,
Wyoming, Washington, Montana, Idaho,
Utah, New Mexico and Arizona, needing
1883 miles in the time named.
This shows grand total OF 1T, Az
miles, which Mr.. Atkinson estimated
would be needed, in addition to the Its
miles in operation Jan. l, 1881, within
fifteen or twenty years, making q grand
total OF 200, 225 miles-tO which should be
added about 1000 for Massachusetts-eX
pected to be in existence in that time.
This to many seemed a wild prediction,
as it required the construction on the
average from $3.50 to 1880 miles for every
year Ia the next fifteen or twenty. MIR.
AtkinsOn's forecasting has, however,
been remarkably well justified by the first
four years of the period under considera-
ton, over 26 per cent. of the expected
mileage having already been built. If
this average is maintained the supposed
ll7,O00 miles and over will have been
completed in just about fifteen years.