, 1889-11-07

Total. 30 states. .... 22i 3,3l2.l
"These figures, of course, only par
TALLY represent the work of railw
construction which has been IN progress,
as grading is going on or has been com
ploted on numerous other lines upon
which track has not been laid, while
many of the roads covered by the table
are in progress of further extension.
The remaining three months OF the year
will be marked by the rapid laying
down of rails on numerous lines upon
which the slower preliminary work has
long been going on, and we take no risk
in predicting that more than 100 miles
additional track which are required to
bring the aggregate to 5000 miles will
be reported laid by the end of the year.
When it is seen that the average length
of the lines thus far completed this year
is less than 10 miles and that the num-
Der OF roads actually under construction
Is, as has been intimated, much larger
than the number upon which this table
is based it will be understood that the
addition of but few miles on the aver
age by each company mans very large
aggregate.
at is also u notable fact that this new
construction Is not confined to special
localities throughout the country, but ig
III progress i'll almost every state and ter.
ritory, the only exceptions being the
three small Eastern states, Vermont.
Connecticut and Rhode Island, little
Delaware, the railway depressing state
of Iowa, the mountain-fenced state of
Nevada and the territories of New Mex
leo and Arizona. In each of these how
ever, several new roads have been pro-
jccted, and some of them will have new
track TO report by the end of the year
But IL is significant that the great and
wealthy state of Iowa, in the heart of
IN t~tF q
desiring development by means of rail-
ways, is the only one of the Western
states, with the exception of rock-bouhd
Nevada, in which not a mile of new
track has this year been laid and that
only thirty-six miles were added there
last year out of the 1000 miles and more
laid down in the rest of the union.
When the Iowa politicians compare the
complete silence in respect to railway
building which has characterized their
own state with the activity which has
been going on in almost every other
part of the country, and even in the lit
tie conservative New England states.
they must have some doubts as to the
advisability of their policy of railroad
suppression.
has been witnessed in the South. In
eleven Southern states, counting Texas
as such, the track laid this year already
aggregates 1873 miles, or nearly As per
cent of the total. Georgia leads the
country thus far with an additional 23s
miles on twelve different lines. followed
by Texas with 179 miles, Virginia with
176 miles, Tennessee with 10 miles,
North Carolina with 147 miles, Mis-
sissippi with 40 miles, Kentucky with
1877 miles, and so on. Aside from the
Southern states, Washington territory
thus far makes the largest showing,
2l4 miles having been laid on twelve
lines, and this will be very considerably
increased before the end of the year
The greatest number of new roads IS re-.
ported from Pennsylvania, where 1872
miles have been already laid on fifteen
lines, with much more in progress. The
New England states, together with New
York and New Jersey, have added 235
miles, and have several enterprises un-
der way.
Last year. was one of great activity,
and yet nearly half as much mileage has
been laid in the nine months Of this
year as in the whole of 1888. The year
1887 with nearly 1900 miles, 1886 with
about 500 miles, 1882 with 1850 miles
and 1881 with $500 miles will very likely
continue to stand as unequaled exam
pies of the possibilities of years wosk
In now construction. But 1880 has
already surpassed the total OF 1885, and
before its close will have exceeded that
of 1884 and will not have fallen very far
short of 1888"