The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1894-06-16
Railroads in the United States.
From the New York sun.

There are more miles of railroad track
in the United States than in all other coun-
tries of the world combined. These are
the figures
United States, IT., 1000 miles; Europe,
Asia, Africa, South, Central, and British
America, and Australia, 167 900 miles.
The number of locomotive engines in use
on American railroads is $4,000. The
number of passenger cars is 25,0GO. The
number of mail and baggage cars is 5000,
and the number of freight and coal cars is
100000.
As respects mileage, the Atchison, To-
peka and Santa Fe stands at the head with
1925 miles operated; next comes the
Southern Pacific with $500, then st. Paul
with 6,0S3. Louisville and Nashville A.
700, then Northern Pacific, 4, 400, Chicago
and Northwest 1890, Rock Island $500,
Illinois Central 1900, Pennsylvania $500,
New York Central 200, and Baltimore
and Ohio, Wabash, and Erie with 900
each.
As respects the volume of gross receipts
the Pennsylvania stands at the head with
S13O, 600, 900, the Southern Pacific second
with $50 100000 and then New York
Central with S45 200, 900, Delaware, Lack
awana & Western with S30,000,000, At
Gibson, Topeka x Santa Fe with $50, OOO,-
900, and St. Paul, Northern Pacific, Bal
timore & Ohio, Chicago & Northwest, and
Erie with S25,000,000 to $50, 100000
each.
The railroads of the United States carry
in year 600,00Q,000 passengers, and
transport 500 100000 tons of freight. The
disparity between the two branches of trans
portation is much greater here than tits in
Europe, for the foreign railroads carry
twice as many passengers as do the rail-
roads of the United States, whereas the
earnings from freight or "goods" trains, as
they are called abroad, just about balance.
In this country the earnings from freight
business are about three times greater than
from passenger business.
The gross Indebtedness, stock and bonds,
of the railroads of the United States is in
excess of $40, 600, 000, 900, and is increas
ing at more rapid ratio than the mileage
of the respective roads. The Atchison,
Topeka & Santa Fe stands at the head Of
all the others, with gross indebtedness of
1925. 100000. Then comes the Northern
Pacific with S235 900 900, the Pennsyl Iva
MIA and St. Paul with 5000, 900, 900 each,
Philadelphia and Reading S195, 100000.
Union Pacific S1S5, 900, 900, Chicago and
Northwest S175 100000, Erie $40, 0OO,-
900, New York Central and Hudson $780,
100000, Baltimore and Ohio and Lehigh
Valley $40, 900, 900 each, Wabash S135,-
900, 600, Missouri Pacific and Southern
Pacific S12O,OOO,OOO each, exclusive of
floating debt, Chesapeake and Ohio S41S,-
900, 600, Illinois Central $4,000, 900,
and Rock Island and Lake Shore $780,,
900, 900 each.
The railroads of the United States earn,
from all sources of revenue, about 81 ,2OO,-
900, 600 in a year. About two-thirds of
this is disbursed in expenses, and the bal
ance, $3.50 100000 represents the net
profit. Two-thirds of this, however. goes
to pay interest on bonds or guaranteed
stock leaving about 500, 900, 600, or one
twelfth of the whole amount earned, for
the payment of dividends and for necessary
improvements.
Up to the financial panic of July, 1898,
the tendency of the large railroad systems
was toward absorbing the small ones, but
since the beginning of the era of receiver
ships many of the large systems have been
dismembered so that there are actually
many more separate railroad corporations
than there were year ago, though there
has been no increase in railroad building