The Emporia weekly news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1881-1889, 1889-01-03
NEW RAILROADS.
The Present Year Makns a Very
Modest Showing.
Only One Half the Number of Miles
Built last Year.
The Bulk of the New Construction
Only Local Branches.
Kansas. as in Everything Else. Leaves
all Others Behind.

NEW YORK. Dec. 2s.-Engineering
News this week will say: Since Janu-
airy /, 1888, the total amount of rail-
way construction for the year in the
New England states amounted to 1877
miles divided among nine companies.
In New York, New Jersey, Maryland,
and Pennsylvania 176 miles were con-
structed by twenty-three companies.
In Ohio, Mic higan,- Indiana, Illinois
and Wisconsin s3S miles were built by
thirty one companies. In Virginia,
West Virginia, North Carolina,
Georgia and Florida 1IO7 miles were
constructed by forty-two companies.
In Alabama, Mississippi, Tennessee,
Kentucky, and Louisiana 946 miles
were built by thirty-one companies.
In Missouri, Arkansas, Texas, Kan
sas and Colorado, New Mexico and
Indian Territory 1904 miles were
built by thirty-nine companies. In
Minnesota, Nebraska, Dakota, WyOm-
ing and Montana $50 miles were built
divided among twelve companies.
In Washington Territory, Idaho.
Oregon, California and Utah 937
miles were built by twenty-five COM
panies. In Canada fourteen compan-
les have built sixteen new lines whose
total extent are 355 miles. In Mex
leo the two principal American syS-
TENS, the Central and the National,
have been active in construction and
have LAID track on 495 miles of extern
sion.
The &, 43O miles completed in the past
year in the United States, while it is
only half that recorded for 1887, and
but tWo-thirds of the mileage built in
1886, is still a large showing for year
in which confidence i'll railway invest
mentS has received such serious checks.
Kansas still stands at the head OF
the list of states, with 523 miles, and is
followed by California with 465, Geor-
gia with 3l9, Kentucky with 351, Wash
ington territory with 800, and Ala
bama with 304.
Taken as a whole the south has
shown more activity, compared with
the north. than ever before. The only
very long line built during the past
year was the extension of the Chicago
Kansas 81 Nebraska, a division of the
Rock Island system. TO Colorado
Springs, 29S miles in length. Most o.
the grading on this line was done this
season, but on very large proportion
of the longer lines built during the
year much of the grading was done il
1887. This in part accounts for thC
amount of construction for the year
Plans made and partly carried on
during the previous year had to be car
ried through to avoid loss. A nOticea
able difference between the extension
of 1888 and those of the two preceding
years is that very few of the forme
are important as competitive lines
while in 1886 and 1887 the great feat
ure of the work was the construction
of lines to compete for the traffic be
tween the two centers, Kansas Cit,
and st. Paul, as well as the new com
peting route for the trunk line traffic
via the Sault Ste Marie. Many of tn
extensions of 1888 compete indeed witt
older lines, but the competition is 0
only local Importance, and in genera
it is local development rather thai
competition which has been the spur t
railway building during the past year
A good contrast between 1888 anC
the two preceding years is seen in tn
ownership of the extensions. TIL
26 companies that built 1905 mile
in 1887, or nearly ~ per cent of tn
whole mileage, built only ISIS mile
this year or only SO per cent of tn
whole. The current belief that tn
Interstate commerce law tends to fore
the local roads to consolidate with tn
great systems is hardly corroborated b
1.-THE large plumber of local lines built il
1888. 1t seems indeed open to compe
ting lines, does not handicap the grea
systems which are seriously affected b
competition and leave almost uI
touched the small local roads which i
the limited field are monarchs of a
the extensions of the Rock Island AT
most noticeable. 1t has built this yea
1872 miles. The Santa Fe which bull
the enormous amount of 1,729 mile
last year has the modest record hi
year of only ia miles, only tenth O
| It's last years record OF the Ouhe
Chicago systems, the Northwestern Ia
built 100 miles, the Burlington 10
miles, the Illinois Central 80 miles an
the Chicago. Milwaukee s. st. Pau
which has suffered badly from both tn
rate wars and the short wheat crop
only five miles. The st. Paul, Mime
apOlis 81 Manitoba has built 312 miles
the Northern Pacific 80 miles and tn
Southern Pacific 237 miles. In the cas-
the most prominent line is the Cana
dian Pacific extension towards its fu
ture terminus in the province of NeN
Brunswick.