The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1894-10-18
Industrial and Commercial.
NINE, MILL AND RAILROAD.

NINE, MILL AND RAILROAD.
The Mayfield breaker of the Hillside
Coal and Iron company is said to be
one of the most complete mining
plants and largest in the world, and
is owned by the Erie Railway COM
pany. Recently electric plants have
been placed in the mines for lighting
them and for power to move the cars
and elevate the coal, doing away en-
tirely with mule power. The miners
are greatly pleased with the new or
der of things, as 1t enables them to ac'
complish more and with greater ease
than when working with miners lamps,
while it greatly lessons the danger of
explosion. 1t is stated that a man can
now load seven of the cars used in
mine with the new facilities that cleo
tricity affords as quickly as he could
three with mule power and miners
lamp.
1t is not unlikely that permission will
be asked by the trolley companies OF
the next Pennsylvania legislature to
carry only the lighter class of general
merchandise freight. If this bill passes,
and is allowed to apply to local traffic In
i'ti NANASot ~ NAiAb 90 liiV 'NcNtNhNi1~a
shrewdly points out, mean revolu-
tion in the manner of handling such
traffic, and the blow will be heaviest
upon local express and transfer com
panies. 1t would, of course, necessi-
tate the construction of special cars,
but the returns would undoubtedly JUS
tify the expenditure. Indeed, the haul
ing of trunks and other luggage in a
large city, would prove source of big
income. 1t is not known how soon the
movement to secure these privileges
will be centralized, but that the effort
to secure them will be concentrated in
a single body or organization is now
generally admitted.
Two new railroads into West Virginia
are now projected. Several West Vir-
ginia and Pittsburg capitalists are in
terested One line will connect with the
Baltimore and Ohio at or near POINT
Marion, running up the Valley of Cheat
river twenty-five miles to KingWood,
where it will met the Tunnelton, King
wood and Fairchance narrow gauge
railroad, which runs south to the main
line of the Baltimore and Ohio. The
other line will tap the Baltimore ana
Ohio somewhere between Point Marion
and Fairmount, probably at Morgan
town. 1t will be over forty miles long.
The country to be tapped byboth of these
lines is rich in iron ore, timber, lime
stone, glasshouse sand and the best
coal and fire clay.
Much has been said of late about the
badness of the past nine months in n
railway sense; but the concentrated
figures of the Railway Age put even
this patent fact in a new and decidedly
more vivid light. The total number of
roads for the period from Jan. to Oct.
J. 1894 to go under receiverships is 81.
These represent 6254 miles of track, a
funded debt of $lS5, ,07S, 800 and a capital
stock of $l76, 900 or total indebted
ness in all of 1861 ,656, 800. The work of
TeorganiZing bankrupt roads by means
of foreclosure and purchase for new or
ganiZations has gone on very rapidly
this year. During the last three months
10 roads, with 3,1S7 miles of line, ana
over $lS0000,000 of bonds and stock
have passed through this process, nine
of them going toward making up the
new Southern Railroad company
which is founded on the ruins of the
Richmond and Danville and East Ten
nessee, Virginia and Georgia systems
Added to previous figures for siH
months they give total of 81 roads
aggregating 4,503 miles and represent
ing nearly $257 100000 of securities
which have appeared under new names
and ownership during the nine months
Just past. The foreclosure record OF
the entire year 1898 is already largely
exceeded in number of roads, mileage
and capitalization by that for the nine
months of 1894, and the total for the
II months is likely to surpass that OF
all but two or three years in the las
twenty.
The outlook for the anthracite Goa
trade is more encouraging and the
trade has begun to show signs of i'm
provement during the past week, hav
ing been more active than for somt
time past. The cooler weather has
given q fresh impetus to the business
and stimulated the consumption of Goa
for domestic uses, while the demand fol
manufacturing and steam heating pur
poses has also increased. The curtail
ment of production continues and is al
ready beginning to have an influence OF
prices, which rule much firmer, and al
advance in circular prices is not nov
improbable.
The new Ebensburg and Black Licl
railroad, which has just been com
pleted, was inspected by Presiden
Roberts and other officials of the Penn
sylvania railroad, and it is eXpecte,
will be open for traffic in a few days
1t opens upon one of the richest btu
minous coal fields in the state.
MINOR INDUSTRIAL NOTES:
OF every 100 miles of railway in tn
world Al are in the United States.
There are 5,466 railway surgeons EN-
ployed by the railroads of the Unite,
States and Canada.
c. w. Parkton and NJ. +. Haldemar
of this city, will build a wagon repai
shop in Stroudsburg.
The agricultural resources Of tn
United States are equal to supporting
population of 100000, 0OO
Every day there is made in the Unite
States one glass Of beer for every mar
woman and child in the country.
The Pittsburg chamber of commerc
censures the Traction company for run
ming cars at an illegal rate of speed.
j. S. Eaton has been appointed trave
ing messenger agent of the SOuthe