The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1890-12-19
THE AMERICAN RAILWAY SYS-
TEN.

Corporate organizations to the num-
Der of 1,705 represented on June 80.
1889, the railway property of the United
States. These roads operated mileage
of 157. 1883 miles, employed O4,749
workers, and were capitalized at sos, 77S
per mile of road. Their total capitalize
alton was $9,015, 1884, of which $50
per cent. was represented by stocks and
bonds They kept in service 29,036 loco.
motives and 961 ,119 freight and passen-
ger cars, and 1871 roads representing
1873 per cent. of the total mileage, used
the standard gauge of track feet 9
inches.
These are the basic figures in the Sec
ond annual report on the statistics of
railways in the United States, for the
year ending June 80. 1889, now submit
ted by Mr.. Henry c. Adams, statistician
of the Interstate Commerce Commits
sion. The New York Erpress finds q vol
ume of highly interesting and valuable
tables built upon analyses of valuable
,ramifcations and reductions of these
statistics. They are demonstrably cor
rect and strongly significant They
show that the course of national devel-
opment has welded the railways of this
country into system of marvellous COM
pactness and uniformity. We find much
to marvel at, much to admire and not a
little to criticise in the management of
the railways of this country during the
last year.
We learn, for example, that Ameri-
can railways employ only 459 workers
per 100 miles of line. as against LAS
per 100 miles on English railways, and
this seems to show the superior efficien-
cy of American organization. Further
study reveals, however, that railway ac-
cidents In the United States are the oc-
casons of one death for every III en-
ployes and of one injury for every IL
men employed, whereas the CORES
ponding figures for England make it APP
pear that one person is killed for every
S75 and one injured for every 15S men
employed. This Is highly discredita-
BILE comparison and seems to show that
our economy is purchased at the price
of safety to life and limb. The casualty
statistics for passengers only emphasize
the severity of criticism against casual
ties in the United State. During the
fiscal year of 1889, 80 passengers have
been killed and 2,l46 passengers iniur-
ed On American railways, or one passen-
ger in every 1923, 13S was killed and
one in every 22O,O24 was injured. For
the year 1888 the rate of casualty in
England to passengers from railway ac-
cidents was one passenger in 6,932, 1856
killed and one passenger in 527, 577 in
jured.
The complications Of the railway prob
lem are suggested by the disclosure that
while the gross earnings of the railways
for 1889 were $685., Sl6, 129 and the aver
age net earnings per mile OF line were
S2,0S7 81 per cent. of railway stock
paid no dividends and 1919 per cent. of
railway bonds paid no interest. The
establishment of fixed rules for the reg
ulation of our inland transportation is
another difficulty to be considered in
measuring the advantages and manage
ment of our stupendous railway system,
with its multitude of contracts and di-
versity of territory. But none can study
these statistics without the profoundest
respect for the organizing and execu-
tive genius of American railway men.