Omaha daily bee., 1896-12-13
THE COLOSSUS OF RAILROADS
Fiftieth Jubilee of the Greatest Corpora
tion in the World.
NET EARNINGS OF $4,000 AN HOUR
Facts About the London and North
western Railroad, It's Enormous
Traffic, Capital, stock
and Profits.
NET EARNINGS OF $4,000 AN HoUF

This country is so indubitably impressed
with the belief that the hughest things in
the world belong in America that it comes
| as a bit of fresh news to learn that the
greatest business institution in existence lies
on the other side of the water and that it
| is merely one of the many railroad lines
which radate from London. The fact comes
| into notice from the celebration this year
by the London & Northwestern Railway COM
pany of its fftieth jubilee. This, the first
of the great railway lines to come into ex-
istence, is still the first in point of capital,
traffic and income among all the transporta-
tion companies of the earth. 1t began when
there were not a thousand miles of railway
yet laid, and it still maintains its primacy
then three hundred thousand miles of track
cover the globe as in a network OF steel.
At the present time the London & North
western has f120, 900 900 of capital.-$6O0,
900 900. And its stock-f100 per share. is
worth 600 In other words, the present
valuation of the line is close to a billion
and a quarter of dollars. There is no rail
way line in America which is worth one
quarter OF this, nor is there any American
line which has an income which will COM
pare for a moment with this great English
corporation. Very close to 100000, lit
tie short OF $50 900 900 year, is the princely
revenue OF this single railroad. With every
stroke of the minute hand of the clock 1t
has earned 800; when the hour hand has
made a single revolution $4,000 IS added to
its wealth.
Yet, whereas many American railway
systems have five, six an even seven thou
sand miles of traffic that of the London Il
Northwestern to this day Is only 1900 miles.
When it came into existence Just fifty years
ago 1t represented the consolidation of three
OF the largest lines in England and their
total length was only 400 miles. The ANAL
gamation brought together the London &
Birmingham railroad, which was partially
opened in 1897 the year of Queen Victoria's
accession to the throne, and completed on
September II, 1885, the Grand Junction from
Birmingham to a point on the old Liver
pool g. Manchester railway, opened on July
4, 1887; and the Manchester d birmingham,
which was never more than a Manchester
and Crewe line, thirty-one miles in length,
opened in 1910,
THE MAIN LINE.
or these lines the most important the
London & Birmingham was laid out chiefly
by Robert Stevenson, with the assistance of
his father in the earlier stages of the work.
Ii was intended at first to start from far
on the outskirts OF London at Chalk Farm
or Camden Town. about mile and a half,
then, from the outer residence portion of
the city. 1t was a neighborhood where fields
and market gardens were only Just begin
ming to yield before the advancing tide or
brick and mortar, which has long ago |
stretched far beyond them. But II was soon |
'ound necessary to reach farther into Lon |
Ion and an extension was made to the pres |
1nt Euston station. On this extension was II |
considerable gradient ana as the aristO- |
'ratic and exclusive residents near by could |
lot tolerate the idea OF locomotives kissing |
md putting past their windows this portion |
'f the line had to be worked by two sta
ionary engines. dragging endless ropes
round hDTiyDufal "a nj |
outside the station at the foot OF the in
line, This worked well enough for a few
months, but one day the massive hempen
able. two and a quarter miles in length,
ull seven inches in circumference and
Weighing entire nearly twelve tons, snapped
n two and one portion flying back, dashed
ut the brains OF a passenger. This was
efore the days that people had become
ccustomed to the railroad as an agency for
he decimat!on OF the population, and Eng