The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1895-04-16
AN AMAZING INDUSTRY.
Hon. Chauncey NJ. Depew Gives Some n
teresting Railway Statistics.
Especial Correspondence

O@-~-@D~~01N
Especial Correspondence.I
BUFFALO, April SIN the course Of
a recent address before the Railroad
branch of the Y. NJ c. "A, not yet
given out for general publication, Mr.
Chauneey M. DepeW pres scented some in
teresting statistics, showing very clear
ly the dominant position of American
railroads.
There are 400, 900 miles of railroad iii
the world, of which about half are
within the boundaries of the United
States. This enormous mileage has been
created practically within the last half
century, and it has virtually revolution
lied the business of the world and
mankind's mode of life.
''In 1885," said Mr.. Depew, sit cost
about 20 cents per ton per mile to get
the products of the farm, the mine or
the factory to market, and for 100
mile haul just about the whole value of
the product, but by the Introduction of
railroads the cost of carriage has been
reduced to 2 cents per ton per mile on
the average in Europe and eight tenths
of a cent per ton per mile in the United
States.
''The usual result of reduction of
price is that somebody suffers, but the
reductions in the cost of living caused
by the railroads, which have made it
possible for large populations to exist
where none existed before, have not cost
the world anything, but have been a
clear contribution to mankind by the
construction of the railways. It has
been demonstrated that the railways by
the reduction of the cost of transporta-
ton since 1850 return to the people of
the United States one-half OF the total
amount Of their stock and bonds as a
dividend every year.
There are employed on the railroads
of the world about ., 600, 900 of people,
1000, 900 of them in the United States,
orc ne man to every 70 of the population.
But there is another feature of these
statistics-a marvel in mathematics, a
romance as we'll as a reality. The car
rying power of the world is the measure
of the prosperity Of the world. The car
rying power of the world by rail, canal,
steamship and sailing vessel marks
whether the people can live comfortably
or whether they must emigrate or starve
by reason of lack of employment. You
suspend for three months the operation
of the railways of the United States,
and within that time two thirds of the
people of the United States would die
of starvation. Ten days more of railroad
paralysis last summer during the Debs
strike would have made hundreds of
thousands of people suffer for food, al
though they had the money to purchase
the supplies they needed. There were
abont 80, 600, 900 of tons carried upon
the oceans last year. About 10, 600, 900
of tons were carried upon the canals of
the United States. About ii. 600, o00,-
900 tons were carried by the worlds
railroads, OF which 8, 600, 600, 600 were
carried on the railroads of the United
States. In other words, the railroads of
the United States carried more than all
the steamers, the sailing vessels and
the railroads of all the rest of the world.
There never was in the romance of fig
ures such another magnificent tribute,
such a superb monument, to the pros
perity of eur own people,
CHARLES APgLEREE