Lexington weekly intelligencer. (Lexington, Mo.) 1871-1887, 1886-08-07
RAILROADS IN MISSOURI.
From the St. Louis Republican. !

lEIOm tuC Obs Aooso
The eleventh annual report OF the
Missouri railroad commissioners, just
published, embraces operations for the
calendar year, 1885. 1t shows thirteen
new organizations with 274 miles OF
new road built, making 5,Ol7 miles OF
railroad in the state, 1913 miles OF which
was narrow-gauge-three feet. Inc
total mileage has been nearly douoleo
since 1871, when it was 2,5oO. Ihe
total stocks OF railroads represented by
mileage in Missouri is 1929 1882 900; and
the bonded debt, represented in Mis-.
souri, is $117 ,229 900, making a total
apparent cost of S246, 552 900. This
shows an average cost of $52,33l per
mile. The total gross earnings for the
year we're $2S,O54, 703, of which So
zoo, 900 was from passengers, $l9. l6S,-
900 from freight, and $2,1s5 600 from
other sources, showing an average OF
S5,917 per mile. The aggregate ex-
penses were $17, 1876 900. The net earn
ings, therefore, were SIC, 1858, 900, or
S2,247 per mile. These earnings are
tor only 4,SOS miles of road, there be.
ing no returns from the remaining 10y
miles. The gross earnings Of all the
roads in the state have increased from
sl5, 271, 900 in 1876 to $2S,054,OO0 in
1S85-nearly doubling in ten years.
In 1878 there were thirty-One coun-
ties in the state without a mile of rail-
way. AT the close of 1885 the number
had been reduced to fourteen-Carter,
Cedar, Dallas, Douglas, Hickory, Nc
Donald, Maries, Ozark, Perry, Pemi-
scot, Ste. Genevieve, Shannon, Stone
and fancy. There is now one mile OF
railroad to every thirteen and q half
SQUARE miles of territory and to every
800 inhabitants.
In addition to building ga miles OF
new road during the year other impor-
tant improvements have been made;
1922 miles of old track were relaid with
steel rails, making the entire steel
mileage 3,OS5 miles, or IS per cent. OF
the whole; S37 miles OF track were
ballasted with broken stone or gravel;
1858, 977 crossties were used IN renew
al; fifty-eight spans of iron truss or
girder bridges were built: seventeen
wooden truss spans were renewed, and
14,440 feet of trestle renewed. The
equipment of the roads is, for the most
part, excellent, that of the principal
lines being equal to the equipment OF
the best roads of the country.
There are $4,000 men employed in
railway service in the state. The num-
Der of persons killed on the roads dur
ing the year was 147; severely wound
ed, $40. Of the killed and wounded
81 were passengers, 431 we're employees,
and 2O4 were other persons.
The commissioners admit the incom-
pleteness of the report, and. ascribe it
TO the meager and insufficient returns
received from some OF the roads, aud
recommend that legislation be enacted
that will compel the roads to furnish
complete information of their condi-
ton. A large proportion of the COM
plant brought to the attention OF the
commissioners arise from the grant
ing of rebates and determinations
made il rates and transportation facili-
ties, and the report discusses these and
kindred matters at length, concluding
with the recommendation of a law,
plain in its provisions, and providing
prompt and easy enforcement, prescribe
ing severe penalties applicable to the
party receiving as we'll as to the party
granting rebates and dlscrimina-
tons. The report shows clear
ly by citations from the con-
stltution and statutes that railways
in Missouri are highways and railway
| companies commentaries, and that
nothing is needed but an enforced OBJ
servance of this principle of law to set
tie the determinations forever.