The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1889-01-03
NEW RAILROADS FOR 1883,
More Activity IN the South IMAM
Ever Before Known. -
Interstate Commerce Law Helps
The Small Roads.

New YORK, January 1.-The Engineer
inc News of this week will say: Since
January l, 1883, the total amount OF ran
way constructed in the United states mas
been 6,43O miles. This new track has been
laid on 286 different lines, which were
built by 100 different companies. Inc
new railway construction for the year IN
the Now England states amounted 10 lo'
miles, divided among nine companies IL
New York, New Jersey, Maryland ana
Pennsylvania, 173 miles were oonstrueseu
BY twenty three companies. In onio'
Michig an, Indiana, illinois and Wisconsin,
S3S miles were built by thirty-one com
panies. In Virginia, West Virginia. North
Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia
and Florida, 1,1O7 miles were
constructed by forty-two oompa-
MES. In Alabama, Mississippi,
Tennessee, Kentucky and Louisiana, 946
miles were built by thirty-oDe companies.
In Missouri, Arkansas, Texas, Kansas, Col
orado, New Mexico and Indian Territory,
1904 miles were built by twenty nine COM
panies. Ia Minnesota, Nebraska, Dakota,
Wyoming 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 companies. In Canada
fourteen companies have built sixteen new
lines, whose total extent is 355 miles. In
Mexico the two principal American sys-
| tens, the Central and National, have been
active in construction and have laid track
on 1876 miles of extensions.
A LARGE SHOWING.
The 6,43G miles completed in the pa
year in the United States, while it is only
half recorded for 1887, and but two-thirds
of the mileage built in 1885, is still alarge
showing for year in which confidence ID.
railway investments have received such
serious checks.
! Kansas still stands at the head of the
I list of states with 523 miles, and is fol
lowed by California with 465, Georgia
with 319, Kentucky with $751;, Washington
territory with 300, and Alabama with 3O4.
Taken as whole the south has shown
more activity, compared with that of the
north, than ever before.
A noticeable difference between the ex-
tensions of 1883 and those of the two pre-
ceding years is that very few of the
former are Important as competitive lines,
while in 1886 and 1887 the great feature
of the work was the construction of lines
to compete for the traffic between Chicago
and the two centers, Kansas City and S..
Paul
COMPETITION ONLY LOCAL.
As well as the new competing route for
the Trunk line traffic via the Sault Ste.
Marie, msny of the extensions of 1888 com
pete, indeed, with older lines, but the com
petition is of only local Importance, and
In general is of local development rather
than competition, which has been the
spur to railway building during the past
year.
A great contrast between 1888 and the
two preceding years is seen in the owner
ship of the extensions. The tyentv-six
companies that built 9,O65 miles in 1887,
or nearly " per cent of the whole mile.
age, built only 2,518 miles this wear, or
only ~ per cent of the whole. The cur-
rent belief that the interstate commerce
law tends to force the local roads to con-
'olidate with the great system is hardly
corroborated by the large number of local
lines built in 1888.