The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1892-12-12
RAILROAD FACILITIES.
Statistical Report Of the Interstate
Commerce Commission.
LARGE INCREASE OF MILEAGE
During the Past Year-Great Number OF
Casuaities-Passengers Carried-Gross
Earnings-The Greatest Activity In
Railway Building I'm the Southeast.

| WASHINGTON, Dec. 12.-The fourth Sta
tistical report OF the Interstate Commerce
Commission, prepared by its statistician,
Mr.. Case, which has just been submitted,
gives a complete epitome of railroad prog
ress in the United States for the period
covered.
Railway mileage in the United States on
June 80, 1891, mot counting double
tracks,, was 163, ,402.74 miles.
Connecticut had to every one hundred
| square miles of territory over 20 miles Of
| track; Delaware 10 miles; Illinois IS
miles; Iowa Is miles: Massachusetts, %
miles; New Jersey q miles; New York is
miles; Ohio 10 miles; Pennsylvania 22
miles. The only countries in Europe
which have an excess OF ten miles per 100
square miles are Germany with IL miles;
Great Britain with 16 miles; France with
IL miles; Belgium with 2S miles; Holland
with IL miles and Switzerland with IL
miles.
No country in Europe Sweden alone ex-
cepted, has ten miles of line per 10000 in
habitants, while in this country but two
states have less than 10 miles of railway
per 10000 inhabitants.
The increase in railway mileage during
tho year was 4, ,s05 miles. This is less than
The Greatest Activity
in railway building seems to have been in
the states lying south Of the Ohio and
east of the Mississippi.
The number of men employed on rail-
ways in the United States during the year
covered by the report was 7S4, ,2S5, being
an increase OF 34,9S4.
The extent TO which organized industry
has increased the efficiency OF labor is
shown by the fact that every engineer,
during the year, has carried 369, OF pas
sengers one mile, and 2,329,639 tons OF
freight one mile.
The total capitalization OF the railways
OF the United States was $3.50 d70 ,0l5, or
t6O,9 ,9i2 per mile OF line. This shows an
increase in outstanding capital OF ;602 per
mile OF line, as compared with the previ-
Gus years report.
The gross earnings from operation dur
ing the year were 81 ,0e6, 762, 1876, or g, sol
per mile OF line.
Operating expenses were s73l ,SS7, 1893, or
1858 per mile OF line, leaving a net income
from operation OF 1884, ,s73 ,5O2, or s2263 per
mile OF line. The net income per mile OF
line was less than the net income of the
previous year by s37.
The number OF passengers carried dur
ing the year was 531, ,1si, ,9SS. The number
ot tons OF freight carried was 675, SOS, ,3o3.
The report shows that Casualties during
the year were greater than in any pre-
vious year covered by reports to the COM
mission.
The Number Killed
during the year was 1929, and the number
injured was 80, ,SSi. OF these totals, the
number OF employees killed was 2660 and
he number injured was 26,140. The num-
ber of passengers killed was 293, and the
number injured, 2972.
This report emphasizes more strongly
than previous reports the necessity of leg
islstion compelling railways to adopt
train brakes and automatic couplers, and
also suggests that some steps be taken be-
sides the adoption of the train brakes 10
prevent the frequency OF casualties from
fnlling from trains and engines.
The large number killed and injured |
from collisions also brings prominently |
into notice the necessity Of some extensive |
use of the block system in the handling OF |
trains and a more per ect application of |
I he principle of personal responsibility in /
Z he case OF accidents. An investigation |
'uto the matter OF handling trains il rec
1t is recommended that express compa-
nies and water carriers engaged in inter-
state traffic be required 10 make reports to
the interstate commerce commission sim
liar 10 those now made by railways, and
hat persons, companies or corporations
owning railroad stock used in interstate
,ref,ic should be obliged to make annual
reports 40 far as may be necessary for a
statement OF the kind of rolling
stock used bv railways.