Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1892-11-10

We are ansier obligations 70 Hon~Elvard
s.. MosIey, secretary to the infrrssAs< coas-
merce commission for = cops Of the third
ANIMAL report on the statistics OF railways
Of the Tnftei States volume Of ~
pages, embelIished With several maps ani
siiasrsms, and containing very compiefe
indiees. The report has been prepared ~
Nr.H.nry C. isIan.s, -fafistieian to the com
MISSION. ami Is . rork Of great and pr
r,ancas valse upon one of the most irlpor.
tsut business concerns of the country
An Interesting feature Of this report IS
that which relates 20 the physical improve
ment of the railroad system Of the United
States whieis has taken place within the past
ten or a dozen years This Improvement may
not be appreciated bs the general public and
vet il i no, only an Improvement OF which
they are the direct beneheiafies, but the
iu,yroyement Is a most important factor at
the pre.ent cost AMI future pre5ss OF all
railroads. The DAYS Of this great in
praveuen. in the railway system of the
counsry found it an age Of iron, and left il
an age Of steel uf the total traekage in
the United States in fssa, $3.50 miles
vas steel ami II .95g iron. whereas to-day
IA 3l miles out Of the total 2ii Gs3,
or SIS per cent are laid with steel
rails. The price of steel rails has come
down with their increased use. but even 10
the beginning when they cost much more
than tbey do at present, IL vas obvious that
their greater lasting power more than made
good the difference in cost between them
AMI iron. iron rail. are 30 rapidly passing
out of use, that before long they will be IN
known on any line of any consequence
Carefully managed roads are already dis-
csr.ling them for turnouts aB'l small local
branches.
Asa result of this improvement in rails
there has been a corresponding improve
ment in rolling stock not possible in the
days Of the iron rail. Locomotives today
are built Of vastly greater weight and pow
er than were deemed safe to run over iron
rails and the same is true of cars both
freight anil passenger. Improved rails
and rolling stock have made il posi-
Bile to run trains at much higher
speed than was safe twelve or fifteen years
ago, anil not only without taxing the public,
but Ut rates much below those charged in
the DAYS when the roads were literally iron
WAYS. While the total trackage of the
I United States has just fallen short of doub-
! ling in the past twelve years, the number OF
! locomotives is more than twice what it was.
! Passenger cars are twice as numerous, and
the freight service, which called for 332 10
cars in 1877, now requires J.. ,304, and all
these have much greater capacity than was
I common fifteen years ago. The Engineer
| ing News estimates that in eight years, or
since 1883. there has been a gain in the
| efficiency of freight ears of 30 per cent,
besides a gain of 81 l-2 per cent. in the
number of ears hauled per locomotive.
These figures are very instructive to
many, but an ocular demonstration would
be even more so to most people. If a
| standard locomotive, a standard freight car
! and standard iron rail of 1877 were placed
! side BY side with the latest standards OF
each of today, the great physical and me-
fchanical development of the past fifteen
| years would come home to even the dulles'
| observer. Thanks to this progress, the
American railroad system as whole will
soon lead the world in the speed of its trains
as it now does in the extent of its trackage