San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1895-12-19


tion the following extract is OF con-
= siderable interest:
;, One of the results OF the railway
races to the north, which aroused
so much popular interest in this
country, was the awakening OF a
. spirit OF emulation on the part of
, the engineers and directors of two
OF the best built and equipped rail-
roads OF the United, States--the
New York Central and the Lake
Shore and Michigan Southern.
Races were accordingly organized
from New York to Buffalo and
from Chicago to Buffalo, with the
intention of lowering the British
record, and the satisfaction was
naturally great when it was an
nOunced that in railway speeds, as
in so many other recent contests,
our prominence was gone. Not
that this was contest in the
strict sense Of the word, the condi-
tions under which the runs were
made not being similar. What is
OF great interest, however, is the
magnificent performances of the
engines that hauled the American
trains, which were much heavier
than those of our northern lines,
although, on the other hand, the
gradients are probably much more |
favorable. No such work as this |
was in 1898 by the famous New |
York Central engine 999, the per-
formance Of which was largely dis.
tanced on the recent run from
New York to Buffalo on September
ii last, while still later a break of
Sc miles on the Lake Shore was
made in hour, 10 minutes, 46 Sec
onds, or at rate of 1921 miles an
hour by the ten-wheeled engine
564, on October 26, which reached
maximum speed Of 97.2 miles
during the run. Such perform
ances as these inspire a profound
respect for first-class American
railroads and locomotive builders,
and no little respect for the cour-
age Of drivers and passengers
RAILROAD EARNINGS.
Railroad earnings are furnish
ing an interesting object lesson
just now. There is a feature about
them which ought to appeal to
every man in commercial life with |
a force hard to be resisted, even if
his thoughts did not rise above his
own personal interests. Indeed, we
can not see bow the facts disclosed
week by week can fail to lead to q
general consensus of opinion in IA
vor Of greater liability hereafter
in the treatment railroads shall re- =
ceive from state and federal legis. !
lators and railroad commissioners. '
Take, merely as an illustration, =
the figures of Pennsylvania sys- :
tenn made public recently. They !
tell us in brief that this property !
increased its earnings in October .
on the lines east Of Pittsburg and ..
Erie, as compared with October, =
1894, $423,2SO.0S; that in the same q
month it spent for repairs, new :,
new work, wages, etc,
on the same lines, $3.50, 1852 more :
than in the same month a year
ago. In other words, the road in =
this one month Of October contri-
outed toward increasing the indus a
trial activity Of the country about y
S329, 300 more than 1t did last Oc- =
tober, thereby turning public all ""
but about $4,000 Of its additional .
receipts.
Since the lst OF June the increase
IN gross earnings Of the Pennsyl-
vania on these same lines has
been 50, 540,730, and the increase in n
expenses $2,0S8, 1913, showing that a
all but 1852, 1877 OF this additional J
amount went directly back to the r
people, and has been conspicuous p
source of the renewed business G
activity which first became so G
manifest near the date last men, p
toned. Nor is that all; it should n
DO added that the Pennsylvania v
road has likewise during the period
referred to, in accordance with its E
constant practice, spent a very n
amount OF its net Il
earnings on work and materials g
for improvement of the property a
and in this way, too, the public II
has received larger benefit than b
1t did year ago, by reason of the a
better income. II there ever was b
a case in complete correspondence Q
with killing the goose that laid the i;
golden egg, it is to be found in the |,
policy which has @
tended to destroy the prosperity Of 8
these wonderfully fertilizing in I
struments. h
LOWER RATES FOR UPPER BERTHs. t
The agitation recently begun in
railroad circles to secure a reduc. Y
fion In oh rro Sor Dnllr,an aloo. | =