The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1894-07-20
Railroad Men a VAST Army

Nearly a billion and a quarter OF dollars
went into the Golfers OF the $50 rail-
road corporations in the United States
during the year which ended June 30,
1898. SAYS the New York Times. Most OF
this immense sum was derived from car
rving 5s3 SO 6l2 passengers li,229 l0i 0Si
miles, and AS. ll9. 4S2 tons OF freight 49,
5ss III, S5J miles. on lio.rl miles OF ran
road These statistics of the Interstate
commerce commission. just issued AT
Washington. become vastly interesting
when they deal with the personnel OF
the companies in the aggregate because
they tell OF the legions OF men whose
existence depends on the prosperity OF
this vast adjunct to commerce ana CIVIL
cation. These 1880 railroads were the
mainstay OF S73.6O2 employees OF an gtaues;
so that one person in every ninety OF
the population depends for nVellhoou
on a railroad company. To EQUIP ene
plant" without which not one enplOye
could earn a days pay. capitalists invest
ed $40 800 90 90, and received slOo,92sSSo IN
dividends. or less than | per cent, AZ
though the gross earnings were sl,ZZO' .od.-
Si. The operating expenses were WI
92l.299
To carry all these passengers and move
the freight required 3i.7sS locomotives, or
which s.957 were for passenger trains, ana
4.s02 for switching. The road engines drew
81 1884 passenger cars. and l,Of.aU frelsht
cars This TRANSFORMATION service gave
living 10 nearly 10000 men. The superin-
tending clerical work and othe aVoca-
lions Of the higher employees, gave incomes
TO 1884 persons. 25S2l2 were employed on
the ways and structures. and 1884 me-
chanics and others were paid TO look after
the rolling stock and other equipment.
II ia worthy OF note that the armies OF
men employed incidentally I'm industries
which are germane 10 railroading and on
which such service depends. are not fac
tors in these statistics.
inc Ia
these figures. For instance, II Is round
that each locomotive In the passenger
service drew in the year, Oh the average,
65,2S passengers, and travelled lo>s,ol
passenger miles Each freight locomotive
drew in the year 40.O62 tons 5.03l,SS9 ton
miles. Turning the figures another way
the number Of passenger cars TO each
million passengers was nfty-three, ana the
number OF freight cars to every million
tons OF freight was LIB. The aNeratS
journey OF each passenger was nearly
lwenty-tOur miles, and the average maui
per ton was a little more than 10 miles.
Passenger train mileage was 5S5,6lS, 40,
and freight train mileage sos, rs, $40. The
passenger service brought IN EJ49 per
cent. OF the income, ana the freight SER
vice 6S.23 per cent. Each l0O miles OF rail-
road in the United States was the source
whence 5l5 men obtained money 10 live.
~ Ii second tracks. yard tracks, and sid
ingS are taken into consideration, there
are more than Bob miles OF lines in
the country, Of which lO.C5l miles are
second traCn. me Increase OF muedge IN
1923 was nearly 4,yO0 miles, an increase
over 1912 of over LOO miles. The great
est increase was in the State OF Washing
ton. 55632 miles; Montana. 1896. Mime
sofa, i06.69; and West Virginia. 365 miles.
FOrty-twO companies in the United
States have a mileage Of over 1000 miles,
and twenty-six have mileage OF between
600 and 1000. Companies having a mile
age OF 80 miles or less number 902 The
fOrty-twO big companies controlled yS 3S5,-
"a mels Of line. leaving ISIS companies
controlling but APP of the total active
railroad mileage.
The accident statistics show 2.127 en-
ployes killed. and n 729 injured and 299
passengers killed and 1929 injured one
employe was killed to every 39D men
employed. and one was injured while
twenty-seven ESCAPED. Trainmen Jared
the worst, as 10 per cent Of them were
injured in various ways. AS 10 passen-
gers, one out Of nearly 100000 was killed
and one out 1888. $50 injured, or one killed
for each F5SS,J66 passenger miles run. and
one Injured for each 4io5,659 passenger
miles run.