The record-union., 1895-06-24
THE COUNHRY'S RAILWAYS.
What the Interstate Commerce Com
mission Says
or Their Condition, Equipment, Value.
Service, Earnings, Expenses
and Accidents.

period, for which preliminary income
account was issued in December, 1894
has just been submitted, of which the
following is an abstract.
In the introduction of the report es-
pecial attention is called to the peculiar
conditions affecting the operation of rail-
ways during the year covered by the re-
port First. the report covers the last
four months of the Columbian Exposi-
ton, during which time there was an in
creased passenger traffic. Second, 1t
covers period of widespread and un-
precedented business depression. Third
on June 80, 1894, 1872 roads, operating up
wards OF Il, 600 miles of line. and repre-
senting about one-fourth of the total
railway capitalization, were in the hands
OF receivers. The effect of these condi-
tions is apparent in nearly all of the
hgures presented.
MILEAGE.
The total railway mileage in the United
States on June 30, 1894, was us, 70S. 90, al
increase during the year of 2, ,247. rs miles
The increase during the previous year
was T., ,S91.55 miles. The percentage OF in.
| crease in 1894 was less than for any pre-
y
made to the commission. and it is not
| probable that the year ending June 80,
1879, Will show much Improvement. The
f.! State OF Pennsylvania shows an increase
of 5000 miles; Florida, 234.o2 miles;
North Dakota. 1854 miles; Ohio. 184.02
miles; Georgia, l62. II miles, Maine, l25. 90
miles; Missouri, lZ0.5l miles; West Vir-
ginia. 1l7.56 miles, and Minnesota, l16. 40
miles. The States OF Kansas, Maryland,
Massachusetts,, Nevada. New Hampshire,
North Carolina, Vermont, Virginia, and
the Territory of Arizona, show slight de-
creaseS III mileage, due to remeasure-
ments and Abandonment of lines, aggre-
eating l53. Y miles. The number of roads
abandoned was sixteen. The total mile =
age OF all tracks was 233. 533. 67 miles, which
Includes 10, 1880 miles Of second track
953. l6 miles of third track; 1909 miles OF
fourth track, and Il, 66l.67 miles Of yard
track and fidlngs.
CLASSIFICATION OF RAILWAYS.
The total number of railway CORPORA
tions on June 30, 1894, was 1924, an in
crease during the year of y. OF this
mum ber 40 were independent operating
companies, and $40 maintained separate
operating accounts The number OF
companies maintaining financial ac-
counts only was S04, of which 334 were
operated under lease for fixed money
rental; 43 were controlled through tie
ownership OF stock by the operating COM
pany; the remaining 81 returned no in
formation as to the form of control. The
numbe OF roads not III operation was II.
OF which ~ were independent roads: IL
were subsidiary roads, parts of systems,
anG were private roads. In addition 10
the roads already referred TO there were
IS private roads operated in connection
with logging, milling and mining indus
tries. The movement of consolidation
during the year Sn the basis of mileage
involved has been greater than for the
year previous; 10 roads, representing
l,134.64 miles, have been merged; y
roads, representing 2,35l.99 miles, have
been reorganlZed. and Ii roads, repre-
| senting l, ,590.3t miles, have been consoli-
dated. classification of railways on the
basis of operated mileage shows that Al
roads, each with mileage OF over 200
| miles, operate 100, 541.29 miles of line or
$50 per cent OF the total mileage of the
| country; % roads, each with mileage
af over 60O and less than 1000 miles, ope-
rate H.9lS35 miles of line, or 1908 per
cent of the total mileage; % roads, each
with mileage of 400 aud less than 600
miles, operate IL, 74 miles of line, or 6. 81
per cent. of the total mileage; 42 roads,
with mileage of over 80 and less than
400 miles, operate Is, 50S. 81 miles of line,
| or 7.56 per cent of the total mileage, and
| 9O7 roads, each with mileage of less than
2o0 miles, operate the remainder of the
mileage, 81, 26 miles, or 10. 54 per cent.
| OF The total mileage. From this it will
be seen that 80 roads, representing the
first three classes, operate 1890 per cent.
of the entire mileage OF the country.
EQUIPMENT.
On June 80, 1894, the total number of
! l0nA ,Nfir
ing the year of 704. OF these 9,Sg3 were
passenger locomotives; 10000 were
freight locomotives: 5,0S6 were switch
! ing locomotives and 5l3 were unclassi-
fed. The total number of cars reported
was 1,27S,07S. OF these, 33,0lS were in
passenger service; l,205, l69 were in
freight service; aud 39,S9I were caboose,
derrick, gravel, officers, pay and other
| cars in the company's service. These
figures do not include cars owned by
shippers or private individuals. The
| increase in the number of cars during
the year was 4, l32, as against an increase
OF 5S,S54 during the previous year. This
falling off in the ratio of increase is due
to the fact that the railways have during
the year destroyed a large number of old,
worn out cars. The number OF passen-
| gers carried per passenger locomotive
was 62 639, and the passenger miles per
passenger locomotive was ,444, 400. The
number of tons carried per freight loco
motive was 81 900, and the ton miles per
| freight locomotive were 4,0l6, 755. With
the exception of the item of passengers
carried, these figures show a decrease in
! the efficiency OF locomotives. The num-
Der OF passenger cars per 200, 600 passen-
| gers was 53, and the mum Der Of freight
cars per 100000 tons of freight was l,SoS
! During the year 1879 locomotives and
80, 3o6 cars were fitted with train brak es
and l,l97 locomotives and 81, IS6 cars were
| fitted with automatic couplers. While
! the gain in the use of both these safety
appliances Is largely in excess of the in
crease OF equipment during that year, it
cannot be considered as showing a
marked tendency toward compliance
with the law. as 74.S0 per cent. of the
| total equipment is still without train
| brakes and I2.Il per cent. without auto
matIc couplers. The law requires that
ali equipment shall be supplied with
these safety appliances before January,
1898, while it requires that all cars shall
be provided with grab irons or hand
holds and draw bars of standard hight
/ by July l, 1895.
EMPLOYEES.
The total number of railway employees
on June 80, 1894, was 49, ,60S, q decrease.
as compared with the number on June
80, 1893, of 81, 1894, or 1916 per cent. This
| Is smaller numb Der employed than in
any year since 1890. This decrease is, of
course, due to the heavy falling Oft in
traffic and the endeavor of the railroads
to economize. On the basis of four per-
sons being dependent on each wage
Garner, it shows that over one-third OF q
million Of people have been deprived of
their regular means OF support The
class of employees showing the greatest
decrease are track kmen, the decrease of
this class being 29, 443, or 1854 per cent;
the next largest decrease is Is, $50 or Is 81
per cent, for laborers and other unclassi-
fed employes. Inc decrease in en-
ployes assigned to general administration
| = G3A Id y in MI,