The daily morning journal and courier., 1894-12-29
CONNECTICUT RAILROADS.
TIE RAILROAD COMMIssIONERs'
 ANNUAL RAPPORT.

One Result of the Lat. sinAncial Depress.
 ion-suggestions and heoommendAtionn
 -Good Condition Of all the Roads, es-
 peciaily So of the Consolidated.
 The railroad commissioners of Con- necticut submitted to the governor on the 2Sth inst. their forty-second annual report covering the operations of the railroad companies for the year ending June 30. 1894. and their own proceedings during the present calendar year. They begin by saying: "The depression In all departments of business which has con tinued during the year for which this out forty-second annual report is made and which has caused our municipall- ties as we'll as our railroad companies to avoid unnecessary expenditures has been evidenced by less than the ayer- age number of demands for the atten- ton and services of the commissioners. In only two instances have any peti- tions been received from town or city authorities which might involve any expense to them, and the number of petitions from municipalities asking for action which would require expendi- lures by the railroad companies have been very few" and the records of the doings of the board for the year con- firm the statement. They express the opinion that more applications for their approval of the grade crossing of steam roads by electric railways would have been made except for the we'll known disinclination of the commissioners to permit such crossings. They call to mind the Legislation restricting grade crossings of railroads and highways be- ginning in 1849 and eliminating In 1889 with the prohibition of the construction of horse, electric or cable roads at grade across steam railroads and note what they regard as the abandonment in 1889 of the policy of the state in this re- spect, first by authorizing such cross- ings when approved by the commission CTS and next by the special authoriza- tion of such crossings in a great num- Der of cases. They say they have be- come satisfied that such crossings ought not to be allowed except under such regulation for safety as would be re- quired in the crossing of one steam road by another; and that therefore they have declined to give their approval during the year to any crossing unless agreements between the companies were made for such protection, and add:
 Of course such action by us has not been acceptable to the petitioners, and we have reason to believe that the com- ing general assembly will be asked to authorize such crossings upon other and less stringent terms. We believe such action ought not to be taken. In our judgment it would be far better to pro hibit absolutely the crossing of street and steam railroads at grade, and to provide that in all cases the one should be carried over or under the other, and, should 1t be thought expedient, provide that not only the municipality, but also the state, as well as the two companies, should be inciudef fin fthe japportion- ment of the expense of the separation of grades. Action of some kind should be taken at the next session of the leg islature, as no question more affecting the public safety Is likely to be present. ed. The near future is to see a greatly increased demand for electric roads in our state, and they cannot serve the purposes for which they will be de manded without crossing and recross- ing our railroads; and these crossings ought to be permitted, but only upon the same conditions of safety as new highway crossings are permitted-upon separated grades"
 They point out the necessity In the near future of change in the deflni- tion of "railroard company as defined by our statutes, to be company operat- ing by team power, and that of a street railway" as defined by Elliott, to be railway laid down upon streets for the transportation of passengers and not of freight. since, as the com- misstoners say, some railroad com- panies already make use of electric motors, and street railroads carry freight and have locations exclusively their own. They say that another ques- ton which the supreme court will have to decide before long is whether the construction of an electric road upon a highway with the right to carry freight is new and additional servitude for which the adjoining proprietor is en- titled for compensation, and express the opinion that the decision will de- pend on whether the court follows and accepts the reasoning of Chief Justice Storrs in the case in which he gives the decision of the supreme court that the | construction of a steam railroad on a l highway is such additional servitude, | or the reasoning of Judge Ellsworth in | the case deciding that the construction l of a horse railroad is not such a new servitude. The report contains the usu- al financial statements giving more in | detail what is thus summarized: The following are some of the prom inent statistical facts presented in the report:
 Total capital stock of companies re- porting, $90.006. .S40S8. Total funded debt, $44,414,061.04.
 Total current liabilities, $s, ,SSs, ,915.s1.
 Total miles of single track. including sidings and trackage rights, 4,050.14. Total miles of single track, excluding sidings and trackage rights, 3.02464
 Total miles of road operated, 2,335.95.
 Gross earnings. $32,444, ,313.3S.
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