The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1895-05-31
ABOUT OUR COUNTRY.
How It's Resources and Indus
tries Have Been Developed.
EARNINGS OF OUR RAILROADS.
Foreign and Coastwi-e Shipping tx
ports and Imports Teiegrsphs ana
Teiephones-weaith Of Nation.
New York Sun.

the area, population, agriculture. min
erals and manufactures OF the United
States Not Jess interesting are those
that relate 30 the transportation OF prod
uc;s. 10 railways. shipping and con-
rserce.
At the beginning OF 1sas there were
I'll .ess miles OF railway in this country,
which had cost nearly s1o.eso.eeo.ee rep
rasensing the growth Of little over SIX
~ years, and about four-nf1hs OF 10 that
OF thirty years. In the year 1880. while
our railways covered 1875 miles, those
OF all Europe did not reach 1900 miles.
In the single year OF 1857. nearly as many
miles were built here as the entire
amount IN operation Ia England ana
Wales. But, in proportion 10 the num-
Der OF Inhabitants the mileage or Aus
sralia New Zealand and Canada rs great
er than ours. the United States coming
in after these British colonies.
For the gear ending June 30, lSS, ae-
coriing to the report OF the interstate
commerce commission. our railways had
al aggregate length OF 49, S1 miles; cost,
on the basis of capital and funded DEBT
combined, So ST. s7s. $50 or $50 $40 per mile;
with gross earnings OF sI.ei.s.s.eS2, and
operating expenses OF seq. oas.s1 leaving
a net income from operation OF 1858. So
ssi income from other sources, N8, 49,
0si making siSS $50 rs total income; less
all deductions from total income. $Ss4.-
1872 i3s. making. finally. s161, 75s.5T OF net
income From this sum dividends were
distributed of $50 SIS 2d leaving, of course,
a balance or surplus of So. 3sS.
Again. the number OF passengers car
ried that year was 4a2. 49,, Sia. ana the
number OF tons of freight. sSs.ai,slI II
Is further stated that the average jour
ney per passenger was A0S miles, and
of freight 1874 miles; that the average
railway travel OF the Inhabitants was l1
miles each In the year, showing great
use OF railroads. while for each inhaoi-
tant ten tons Of freight were moved
about 80 miles OF the earnings 2. IL per
cent was derived from passenger and
s q per cent. from freight traffic. the
small remainder being charged other
wise.
The railway system Is held under 1,f97
corpora tons but operated almost entire
ly by TAI the tendency being toward ieas-
ing or consolidation. Indeed. forty COM
panies operated about Ala per cent. OF
the whole mileage. and ssventy-five
companies about 65is per cent, so that
one-tenth of the operating companies
control nearly two-thirds of the whole
system; these do about Ssi. per cent. or
the passenger and SD per cent. of the
freight traffic, receiving s0i. per cent. OF
the gross revenue of the system.
Much has been said against this sys-
actual cost OF transporting freight has
been reduced TO 1-ei7 cents per mile for
passengers and 10 ga per ton OF freight,
and the revenues were 2f5T and .9it cents
respectively To move a ton OF freight.
SAYS Mr.. Gannett, from Chicago TO New
York. costs about S. and TO move bar
rel of -four about 90 cents. so that ION
this basis tha entire yearly food supply
for a family OF five persons can be trans
al rail For ka Of
The capital stock and funded debt are
about equal, on the assumed cost of near
~ $1,000. 000.0 600 SO that dividends on rail-
ways in the aggregate average only about
per cent. Some pay three or four times
as much and others pay nothing on the
stock. AS to the latter. the fault may
arise not only from mismanagement or
"wrecking" but from premature build
ing. miscalcula ton as TO possible profits.
the desire 70 keep out rivals from given
territory. or the opening of a territory to
settlement, In which fortunes are made
by buying and selling land although the
railroad may not pay
For the year ending June b. 1890. there
were I'm service % a2s locomotives, q, 81
passenger cars, and a total of LISA, 1Ss
ears. OF 7is, 800 employees. 2.4Sl were killed
and .. sas Injured during that year. but of
492. 40. SS passengers only go were killed
and q As injured.
The merchant feet OF the United
States Is really OF vast dimensions. The
general impression. derived from the de-
cline In our foreign trade. may be other
wise. but that loss Is more than offset by
the increase Of our domestic trade ship
ping. The total tonnage of our vessels
in 1890 included 92S0s2 in foreign trade.
926. 25s in lake trade 2.sS5. $40 In coe0 wise
trade, and 1898, $50 in river traffic. Here
is a total tonnage Of 763s,y7s. while Great
Britain's Is but little larger. 7.9f5.s3s. Of
course, she greatly SURPRISES US in the
foreign trade. The number OF our yes
sells was 1850. the steam tonnage helnr
l.s2o sss the sailing i. 795. 44S. the unrigged
s.oi5.Sg7 The value exceeded se1S. 600 coo
and the feet employed lee. ss5 men.
In IND our country IL Is said. "sur-
passed all other countries in foreign
trade; It's Ships were more freaueutlv
seen In foreign ports" BUT soon after
SAYS Mr.. Gannett. Il began relatively TO
lose: his explanation being that the de-
veiopment 81 this continent and of home
Industries attracted capital by the larger
profits Il afforded. However, In 1876 Cur
tonnage IN foreign trade was about what
10 was In 1890. while In 1861 II had reached
the great total OF :, 4as Sai tons Then me
war hroke 1t down. and II has diminished
ever since, Mr. Gaunett adds that in
iSn the total tonnage OF vessels cleared
from American for foreign ports was IS
1855 or this but 405s. 757 tons vas
American; the remainder. I4OSe. fas bA,ng
represented by sailing vessels under for
eign flags. OF the latter. vessels renre-
senting 5.sS7.o5 tons sailed under the sag
OF the United Kingdom"
As 20 our commerce. Mr.. Gannett con-
clu1es that the Internal commerce in Isq0
excluding that by canal. reached the
colossal proportions OF SaOa 900 TONS
pa > 81 an
20 foreign trade. vessels aegreratir,, "a =
enAea tons entered with cargoes. and
about 100000 tons cleared. making about
g. 90 90. But our exports have q hlghor
average value per ton than the eorr1mod-
tiles transported from one part OF The
country "a another The annual product
OF our industries foots un AZ lsas, ,fa :
oea ooo.ero. OF which only about one-ten,h
Is exported. The figures for fSQs were 81 =
ol5. o,sA coo for exports and SSc7. 90 90 for
imports. the so-called balance Of trade
being then in our favor as /, had h4er
with scarcely an exception, for twenty
years.
Over n third OF our foreign trade Is with
Great Britain. our imports being ahout
SIS roo essl IN iSas, mostly manufactures
and orr exports sIqs CO.. oNa ~ more than
three 20 one. largely IN cotton. meat and
hrea4StUffs. Germany and France come
next. hut With imports largely in excess
The lis, 81 our imports n 1Sai vas headed
BY sugar. molasSes. &C. sos as SCI and
then followed successfully coffee iron
and steel manufactures. chemicals. AMI
50 on. Cotton ief orr exports a. $50 :
- SsS exclusive 90 cotton -1arufar.,.res
while meat AMI dairy products, 500 0I7 90
Ell came next and then wheat ard wheat
faIr. SfoSI * So. mineral oils cattle. and
81 or following. An enormous proper
ton OF our imports are manufactured ar
tlcie< and ~ orr exports agricultural
products Returning 20 the balance %