Chicago eagle. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1889-19??, 1893-02-04
VAST INTERESTS.
Some Figures and Comparisons maae by
Poor's Manual eff Railroads.

Poor's Manual of the Railroads of
the United States for 1892 contains
as usual vast amount OF informa-
ton inaccessible from other sources.
Some of the figures are mere words,
however. unless comparison is made
with familiar amounts. 1t appears,
for instance, that there were 10, COL
miles of railroad track in the United
States at the close of 1891. This
would nearly encircle the world seven
times if laid in straight lines. If all
the tracks were laid between Chicago
and New York there would be over
200 complete through lines between
the cities. They would take up
ground space over half mile wide
and about 900 miles long.
The liabilities of these lines amount
10 $40, 1875, 626, 04l and their total as
sets to $11,110, 335, 276. The rail
roads of the United States owe more
than six times as much as the gov
eminent but hold property worth
1914, 100, 235 more than their debts.
According to the Vanderbilt stand
ard $1,000 is not a great amount Of
money but it means comfort in old
age to almost anyone. If every man,
woman and child Of every age, sex or
previous condition Of servitude in
Chicago were to make an outright
present each Of 81, 900 in cash to the
railroads, it would just about pay
their debts. Poor's Manual doesn't
say so, but other figures show these
vast assets and liabilities involve the
bread and butter Of over six millions
Of persons in the United States. One
person in eleven in the United States
gains his living through railroads.
They furnish employment to more
persons than any other industry ex-
cept agriculture. 1t makes a person
wonder what in the world this vast
number Of people could have done for
a living had railroads not been in
vented.
1t appears there was total train
mileage during 1891 Of 631, POP, 376.
In other words, if the running of all
trains had been done by one train it
would have Travelled 831, POP, 1916
miles. This would complete the cir
cult OF the earth "a, 633 times a year,
or in the neighborhood of hundred
times day. The New York Central
flyer between New York and Buffalo
made the distance of 436 miles in 425
minutes. Had the hypothetical mile
age train started on a parallel track
with the New York Central train
when it made its worldbeating rec
ord it would have logged around the
world and passed the New York Cen
trail train nearly forty times before
the latter reached Buffalo. The hypo-
thetical train would have made forty
times $4,000 miles while the more
than a-mile-a-minute flyer was max
436 miles. Pretty fast travelling,
shat.
During 1891 there were $50, OILS, 500
people carried distance of 1896
925, 239 miles by railroad in the
United States. That is equivalent
to every human being in the United
States having Travelled 200 miles by
railroad during the year Have you
ridden your share? Suppose every
person in Chicago, including Captain
Streeter and Commodore Yattaw, had
each shouldered ton of miscellane-
Gus stuff and started around the
world with it. Grant that every
centenarian and babe in arms within
the city limits was able to carry the
ton equally with the balance of the
1899, 99S people. Grant also that
they could carry the ton nearly two
and half times around the world
during the year AS result of these
two drains on the imagination you
will have the equal of the 81, 210,-
1874, 523 tons of freight carried one
mile.
Railroads showed revenues Of $457,-
504, 066, with balance Of $40, $50, 722,
during the year. How much of this
balance is profit is question which
the payment Of floating debts, vouch-
ers, commissions and rebates can
alone decide. Probably not half and
possibly not tenth of the forty mill
ions of balance can be counted as net
profit.