Evening star., 1897-03-18
B. AND o. RECEIVERS
Statement of the Expenditures Made During
Eleven Months.
Equipment and Facilities Bettered,
but the Road Not Yet Up to the
Standard Desired.

the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad company
! have spent about s7.o00,0O0 in improving
the property during the past year, they
have not yet brought it up to the standard
they have set for it to reach, and will ex-
pend other large sums In the near future.
Within the past few days the receivers
have prepared statement of expenditures
from March 1, 1886, to February L. 1897,
for additions to the plant, equipment of
the road and bctterments made thereon.
From this statement it is learned that a
total of almost seven millions of dollars
have been scent for locomotives, passen-
ger and freight equipment, extraordinary
repairs to equipment and expenditures
made by the engineering department in the
way of improvements to the maintenance
of way, structures, terminals. and the
construction of new alignments and mis-
cellaneous improvements. 1t is shown that
the bettermerts to locomotives amount to
$4,000; the new equipment, which includes
new dining cars and other passenger cars
and betterments, amounts to S6,OO0; the
new freight cars built by the road. and
the repairs TO those already in service,
amounted to STAT 900, the total being some
thing over s'50.DO0. The 5000 new freight
cars and the 10 locomotives which Were
added to the equipment last summer cost
about s3.30nDo0 III round numbers. The
extraordinary repairs to locomotives, pas
senser equipment and freight equipment
aggregate $1.34s,ooO the total expenditures
in the motive department being within a
few thousands of five millions.
Engineering and Construction.
The engineering department has also
spent a great deal of money. The differ
ence in the cos: of the new S5-pound rails
and that of the oiG 67-pound rails, which
were laid on the main stem, the Parkers
burg branch, the Washington branch, the
Plttsburg division and the Philadelphia di-
vision, amounts to s5S3,O00. The fasten-
ings for this rail cost sG5,3I2, and the new
frogs and switches S13J00, while the new
bridges that were erected in place of the
old ores cost in the neighborhood of $780,.
600 The sum of S5S.e00 was expended in
arching and improving tunnels. and the
miscellaneous improvements in the Pitts
burg harbor and for paving, erecting new
cranes, erecting new shops. stringing wires,
bulicing coal chutes. painting, ERECTING
safety gates, etc. reach S31,uJU.
Under the head of construction comes the
change of the line near Myers Hole, on the
second division. which cost about So, 900
the improvements in the Cumberland ter
minal sls2,6Do, the new work at Glenwood
s43O,Do the Locust Point extensions,
amounting to s6s.0O0. the improvements in
the Pittsburs yards proper which cost
ss1D0, the revision of the Seven Curves
s5oo,D, and the improvements in the yard
at Brunswick amounting to $4,000.
Then there are miscellaneous improve
ments. such as reducing and taking out
curves, raising dips, Strengthening the
track, improving stations and station
grounds. and in general bette.ments lines
east of the Ohio river. which cost approx
imately S19o.oO0. AT Harpers Ferry $685.
900 was spent in improvements. and the
sdings placed in certain of the lines cas-;
of the Ohio river cost $4,000
The total expenditures by the engineering
department have been s2.O27, ,293 43, and the
grand total that the receivers expended in
putting the Baltimore and Ohio in the front
rank of the trunk lines is 50, $50 211.17.
These figures do not include the DS 900
tons of s5-pound steel rails which were or
dered few weeks ago. and which will cost
in the neighborhood of S1.00,000.
A very large proportion of the seven mill
lions that have been expended have gone
to working men, as the character of the
improvements were such that the material
cost comparatively small sum- the great
bulk of the expenditure being for labor.
The Policy of the Receivers.
When the receivers were appointed they
found that in order to successfully COM
pete with other trunk lines it would be
necessary TO improve the general physical
condition of the road. The track was not
in frst-class condition and the equipment
was not sufficient to handle the business
that they felt the road was not only en-
titled to, but that could be legitimately Sc
cured by the expenditure of a little extra
energy on the part of soliciting agents
The problem that was to be solved was
not an intricate one. 1t was simply wheth-
er or not the road should be put in such
shape would reduce the cost of trans
portation and increase Its earning power
or to keep it IN the condition in which the
receivers found il and not attempt to aug
ment its earnings reduce its cost Of
operation. The receivers decided that the
best policy to pursue was that of building
up and to do it as rapidly as possible.
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