The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-07-27
THE COUNTRYS RAILWAYS.
THE INTERSTATE COMMERCE. COM
MISSIONS ANNUAL REPORT.

Statistics Showing the Operation
Physically and Financially of All
the Railroads In the United states
During the Year 1so5-Thrce-
Quarters of a Million People En-
pIoYed by Them and Nearly
Eleven billions of Dollars Capital
Invested.
The eighth statistical report OF the in
terstate commerce commission. prepared
by its statistician, being the complete re-
port for the year ending June 30. 1885, for
which a preliminary income account was
issued I'm December. has just been submit
ted.
In the introduction OF the report the sta
tistician calls attention to three special
features: First. the showing OF compar-
ative figures where possible for the five
previous years; second, the compilation of
operating expenses for two years. one
summary being based on the revised
classification of operating expenses. tax
ing effect July ], 1894, the other on tho
classification followed from 1857 to that
date; and third, the compilation of a ta-
BILE showing revenue and density Of traffic
for roads whose gross revenue exceeds
100000. Reference is made to the effect
of the continued business depression, and
the large number Of receiverships. on
June 80. 1895, 1863 roads were reported IN
the hands Of receivers, showing net de-
crease Of % during the year. The roads
under receivers operated 37,S55S0 miles Of
line. which shows decrease OF 2.963.0i as
compared with 1894. The railway capital
represented By these roads was nearly ST.
500, 900, 900, or about 22.2O per cent of the to-
tai railway capital IN the United States
The total railway mileage in the United
States on June 3d. 1895, was l8O.6oIH miles,
an increase Of 1852 miles, or 90 per cent
being shown. The increase In 1894 was D.
247.4S miles, or LII per cent, which was
the period for which reports have been
made to tho commission. The territory
and states In which the increase in mile
age exceeds 100 miles are Arizona, 247 Al
miles; Illinois, 1870 miles; Pennsylvania.
1890 miles; Maine, 1896 miles; Texas.
110.41 miles; and Montana 1853 miles The
aggregate length Of ali tracks in the
United states on June 30, 1886, was 236, :
S94.26 miles. Included In this total track
mileage were 10,639.96 miles OF second
track. 97525 miles Of third track, 1912
miles of fourth track and 3,8S8.46 miles OF
yard track and sidings.
Inc NUMBER Oh railway corporations on
June 30, 1885, was ! 1865, Of which lob main
tanned operating accounts, and 800 fnan-
clal accounts. During the year IL roads
were abandoned. 3 merged, 30 reorganized,
and % consolidated. The classification OF
railways on the basis OF operated mileage
shows that AZ companies, each operating
more than 1000 miles, operate 1O0,7l47i
miles of line, or 5567 per cent. Of the total
railway mileage; "a roads with an operated
mileage ranging from 600 to 1000 miles OPP
crate 18S96.40 miles, or 10.45 per cent; Y
roads with an operated mileage rang
ing from 400 to 600 miles OPP
crate II, 1770 miles, or 6.18 per cent; 20
roads with an operated mileage ranging
from $50 to 400 miles operate IA, 6695 miles,
or 7.9i per cent; and 97i roads with an
operated mileage under go miles operate
IS, 77O.53 miles, or 1877 per cent. 1t thus APP
pears that 1873 roads, or 1905 per cent. Of
operating companies operate 145, i55.l3 miles
or 1924 per cent, of total mileage in OPP
Grafton. From an inspection of the COM
parative summary from which these fig-
ureS are obtained, however, no very great
changes IN classification are noticeable.
From the summaries given pertaining
to the equipment Of railways, 1t appears
that the increase in number of locomo-
tives in service was 207, the total number
on June 80 1895, being 1868. OF this num-
Der 1888 were passenger locomotives, TO-
OH were freight locomotives, $40
were switching locomotives, and
5S8 were unclassifed. The number of cars
Of all classes reported. being those owned
by railways, was 1,27O561. which indicates
a decrease Of 1871 as compared with tie
previous year OF the total cars reported,
1911 were in passenger service. 1876, 119
were in freight service, and the remainder,
Al $3.50, were cars used by the reporting
companies in their own service. There
was an increase of 81 in the number Of
passenger cars, and an increase OF l ,433
in cars assigned to company's service,
but cars in freight service decreased 1850
The number of men employed by rail-
ways shows an increase of 1926, as COM
pared with last year, the number Of en-
ployes being 785,034 on June 30, 1895.
The amount Of railway capital on June
30, 1895, is shown to be SO, 1855, 203, 125, or
$50, 800 per mile of line The increase dur
ing the year was $18s, 729,3l2. Railway
capital was distributed as follows: The
amount Of capital stock was 81, 961, 258, $685.
Of which 81, POI, 68, 35l was common stock,
and 1883, 561 ,305 preferred stock: the fund
ed debt was 5,4O7, 114,313, classified as
bonds, $4659, S73 54S, miscellaneous obliga-
lions, $445, Az, income bonds, s246, 03, 956.
and equipment trust obligations, $55,9l5,-
327; the current liabilities amounted to
$6l6, $50, 1856. OF the capital stock out
standing, ST. 1901 ,17S, or 1851 per cent.
was owned by the railway corporations,
as well as $437, JS 81, or 9.39 per cent. Of
bonds outstanding. These figures show
an increase in tho corporate ownership Of
securities, probably rather due TO railway
consolidation than to the strengthening
Of reserve funds.
70. 05 per cent of the total outstanding paid
no dividend. and $904, 436, 300 or 1850 per
cent. of funded debt, exclusive Of equip
menrtrust obligations, paid no interest dur
ing the year covered by the report. In no
other year since the organization Of the d.
vision of statistics has so large a percen-
tage of stock passed its dividends, or ex-
cept in 1894, has so large a percentage Of
funded debt defaulted it's interest OF the
stock paying dividends. $50 per cent. of
the total stock outstanding paid from to
per cent; 5.39 per cent. of this stock
paid from 5 to per cent;
AL per cent. paid from to per cent.
and 399 per cent paid from to per cent.
The total amount of dividends was Ss5 2s7,-
5f3 which would be produced by an aver
age rate Of STA per cent. on the amount
of stock on which some dividend was de-
clared. The amount Of bonds paying no
interest was 1924, 702 293, or 13.4l per cent:
of miscellaneous obligations, S54, 498 2Ss. or
1924 per cent; Of income bonds, s225, 235,
619 or 9152 per cent.
The number Of passengers carried by
A. 4