Johnstown weekly Democrat. (Johnstown, Cambria County, Pa.) 1889-1916, 1890-03-07
A PROSPEROUS YEAR.
THE PENNSYLVANIA RAILROAD COM
PANY's ANNUAL REPORT,
LOSS BY THE JoHNsTowN FLOOD.

erty in the Conemaugh Nalley-The
Cost of Repair-I,nprovcmen Under
way-some Comparisons with Other
Roads.
The annual report of the Board of Di-
rectors of the Pennsylvania Railroad
Company for 1889 just made pubic
shows the gross earnings on the whole
system TO have been $122.917 337, or So.
40S, ,O44 larger than in 1888, and the net
earnings were $50, 106, 900, an increase of
So S34, 252.
These are the largest earnings in the
history of the company, remarkable
fact when it Is remembered that curing
the whole month of June, owing to the
Johnstown food, the main line of the
road was partly closed up. The number
of tons of freight carried was 122, 1U4, .1S,
an increase of II, ,220,274 tons, and the
number of passengers carried was 7S, 1885,
957, an increase of 4,126.S71. The lines
both east and west OF Pittsburs comprise
1914 miles.
or per cent, were paid and the balance,
$3,32S, GAL, was transferred to the credit
of profit and loss less deduction on ac-
count of the floods, 50, ,4S0, 954, The bal
ance to the credit of profit and loss was
therefore increased $939, ,GS7, and the
item now stands at 500 0G3.0j
That part of the report referring 10 the
loss of the company by the June floods
reads as follows:
ION the 31s' of May the extraordinary
rainfall began, and following nearly the
trend of the mountain range over which
your system of lines passes, caused an
unparalleled destruction of property, not
only upon your Main Line, but many Of
the other roads forming your system.
In the Juniata Valley three of the larg-
est aud most expensive double-track
bridges, two of which had recently been
rebuilt, were entirely destroyed, together
with several miles of track.
THE JoHNsrowN FLOOD.
"The greatest destruction both of life
and property took place howev
er on the western slope of the
mountain, in the Conemaugh Val.
ley, where reservoir Originally
constructed by the State of Pennsylvania
for its canal system) gave way, and com
pletely destroyed your road for distance
of over ten miles, including several large
bridges, and all the maChine-shops,
round-houses, and yard f,ciities at Con-
emaugh, at the foot of the mountain. the
destruction being so complete that il was
almost impossible to fix the location form
erly occupied by your property. Among
the property damaged and destroyed were
twenty.four passenger cars, 561 freight
cars, thirty-fOur locomotives, some of The
latter, notwithstanding their weight, be-
ing carried more than mile by the folce
of the food. While this loss of property
was appalling in its magnitude. yet it was
more than overshadowed bi the great dc
struction of life and properly in the man
ufacurng city of Johnslown, short dis
tancc below Concmaugh, in the same
valley.
In addition to the destruction of pIor-
erty on your Main Linz, many of the
largest and most important bridges on
the Philadelphia and Erie road were en-
tirely destroyed, while en- the Emira and
Williamsport line Qeased to the Northern
Central Railroad Company several miles
of railway, including many bridges were
washed away.
The total amount expended to. Dec
ember 3lsl, 1885, in repairing the loss
caused by the foods to your system was
S3, ,47j, 1851, leaving still considerable
sum TO be expended to restore it to its
original condition. This outlay does not
include the indirect loss from the sus-
pension of traffic and the serious Interrupt
uon to the working Of your entire system
caused thereby.
The services of as many Of your Off
GERS and employees as could be spared
from your system of lines both east and
west Of Pittsburgh were concentrated
night and day upon the work of repair
ing these disasters aud Notwithstanding
their magnitude the movem mt Of
traffic was resumed within eight days.
Too much credit cannot be gwen to them
for their skill, energy and unremitting
devotion 10 this work, to which is largely
due the fact that your properties were
able to recover SO promptly from The
serious disasters which had oycrlakcu
them.n
CONTEMPLATED IMPROVEMENTS.
The improvements under way include
locomotive shops at Altoona, Il bridge
over the Ohio river at Pittsburgh, the
Construction of the cutoff from Down
ington to point near Trenton and IA new
line from Downington to Lancaster via
New Holland, important improvements
on the New York water front, and large
expedltures to avoid grade crossings in
Philadelphia and other cities
The business of the Philadelphia. Will
mingIon & Baltimore, Northern Central,
Cumberland Valley, and other auxiliary