The Emporia weekly news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1881-1889, 1888-01-05
SURPRISES all OIh-rs.

CHICAGO, Lee. ZS.-1n0 halfway
Age to-mo ROW will say: 1.-THE year
1887 has surpassed all other years in
the extent of railroad mileage con-
structed. When, six months ago, the
prediction was made in these columns
that the total mileage for
the year would not be less than
10, 900 miles, with the likelihood of sur
passing the record of 1882, the year of
greatest railway construction in the
history of the country, 1t was
not generally believed. But the fig
ures obtained by careful investigation
throughout the year and confirmed by
official information prove the predic-
ton to have been more than war
ranted. Our returns show that dur
m InR 1887 Of no neM 1eSS m shan i tfsct
were added to the rail-
way system of the United States, no
account being taken of this or of
hundreds of miles of sidetracks built,
nor of the thousands of miles
of main line tracks relaid.
While the search has been
unusually thorough and the totals cor
roborate the record kept from week to
week it is not improbable that some
scattering additions may yet be re-
during 1887 nearly, if not quite,
Is, 900 miles of new main line track
were constructed. When, in 1882, dur
ing period of extraordinary activity,
II ,56S miles of new railroad were built,
it was generally believed that
these figures would not again
be equalled. In the following year,
1888, the new construction fell to 6,74i
miles, and in 1884 to 3,S25, and in 1885
fn H0Q VniInO Tho 1000
Witnessed W ~ considerable i iI Teo
vival of activity and 1900
miles of new road were built. A re-
capitulation of the construction in the
different sections of the country shows
that the greater part of this prodigious
increase of railways has taken
place in a few western states.
New England and New York. contri-
butte scarcely anything to the grand
total. The great middle states add
very little, and in the southern states
not as large as many anticipated, al
though Alabama presents fine record
with over 500 miles. Georgia adds 230
miles, Florida nearly 200 and Ken
lucky and North Carolina each little
less than that. The northwestern
states including Michigan, ulineis,
Iowa and Minnesota, have shown very
considerable activity, but the
great rush of railway building has been
in the central belt west of the Mis-
souri,. Kansas leads with the
total of 2,O7O, Nebraska comes
by Texas with I,OS5 miles.
Then in order come the following:
Colorado, 618; Dakota, 76O; Michigan,
700; Montana, 6I6; Missouri, 554; In
dian Territory, 400, and so on. Four
states and two territories namely Kan
sas, Texas, Nebraska, Colorado. Dakota
and Montana, together show an addi-
ton of over G, 400 miles, or about one
half of the entire years. mileage of the
been built through comparatively
little grading and bridge Building.
But on the other hand many of the
lines have been very costly, for ex-
ample, those over the Rocky noun
tains in Colorado, the Southern Pacific
extension in northern California,
the Atchison. Kansas s. Chicago ex-
tension, the Northern Pacific work in
in Cascade mountains and others.
Moreover several of the companies
have purchased costly terminal IA
cilitieS in large cities, while nearly
all have made extensive purchases of
equipment. 1t is probably fair to as
sumo that tile total cost of roadway.
bridges, station buildings, terminal ia
cilities and equipment of these new
lines averaged S25, GOO per mile;
at which rate it appears that not far
from 1925 900. 600 have been expended
on the lines completed during the year.
The money which has thus
been expended has temporarily
employed large army of workmen,
and has also furnished permanent en-
ployment to another great armv prob
ably aggregating IS, 900 persons. The
railway mileage of the United States
at the commencement of 1887 was
stated to be 137 1856 miles. The extern
sion for the year here recorded in
creases it to $50. 40 miles.