The age-herald., 1897-09-09
Miles of railroad

Tons Of freight
 Fg't. mileage ..93, ,SS5, ,S58,6s4 S,567, ,77O, ,SO1 Pass'ngrs card 595,120,756 529, 756, 259 Pasg'rs mfage13, ,044, ,4S0, ,243 12,609, 0S2, 551 Earn'gs firm it $770 013 $74S, 7S4.4 Earnings from pas
 Senger5 $265, ,3l3 25S $260, ,929,14l Miscellaneous earn
 ings.... ..... $Ss. .s94.754 s7,ss1 ,245 Total gross earn
 ings. ~ ..s1, 1,125, ,6s2, ,025 $1, ,O92, 1895, ,4S7 Net earnings. $332,3Ss,756 $S2S,196,454 Earrings per ton
 per mile.. 0.S21 cent O.S39 cent
 The share capital corresponding to the mileage completed at the end of 1896 equaled $5S7S 1S7, ,S1s, against $5,1S2,- 121, ,9s9 in 1895, the increase equaling $191 ,o65S S20 the rate of increase being 3.7 per cent. The funded debts of all the lines at the close of the year aggre- gated s5, ,461, ,S56, ,5ss, sum s179,oS5,969 less than the aggregate bonded indebted ness reported for 1895 ($5.6 ,942, ,56O, a decrease of IT per cent, this decrease in bonded debt being the first result of the many congratulations that have recently been undertaken The other forms of indebtedness of the several companies at the close of the year equaled $444, ,449,- s69, against s41S505,e92 for 1895, an in-
 
 capital and indebtedness, exclusive of current accounts, of all the roads mak- ing returns equaled at the close of the year $11,279, 1886, an increase in the year of $37, FPS over the total of 1895 ($11 ,241 ,569,65S), the rate of increase for the year being .94 per cent. The cost per mile by the amount of their stocks and bonded Indebtedness, qualed $59,732, against s60,1sS for 1885,
 The gross construction in railroad dur ing the calendar year 1S96 represented by the new construction within the twelve months, was 1,99672 miles. The net Increase in mileage during 1896 was 1888 miles, bringing the total for the whole United States up to 1S2,60O miles January l, 1897.
 The earnings of the Louisville and Nashville railroad for the fourth week in August showed a decided decrease from the two years previous. The earn ings were $567, 100, a decrease from the same period of 1896 amounting to $S,137; for 1895, 22,750. An increase over 1894 and 1893 is shown In the former $7, ,42s and the latter $7s,25O. The earnings for the same week in 1896 were $72,O2O more than i'll 1897.
 The total earnings for the month of August were $1,77O,44O, showing an in crease Of $120,153 over the same period in 1S96 in 1895, $43,7S1; in 1894, s7S,274; in 1893, $247 305 The earnings for Au- gust, 1892, were $146,935 more than in 1897.
 For the fourth week in August the freight earnings were $3S3,02O, the pas senger earnings s14S,SS5 the miscellane- ous earnings $35 695. The decrease in freight earnings from the same period last year was $22, ,OO1. An increase is shown in passenger and miscellaneous earnings.
 A four-cylinder locomotive just put in service on the Glasgow and Southwest ern railway is described as follows: Tt was built from the designs of MT. James Manson, locomotive superintendent. The engine a1as a leading truck and four coupled wheels feet 91s inches in di- ameter It has two outside cylinders of 12-ineh diameter by 24-inch stroke and two inside cylinders of 141a-inch diameter by 26-inch stroke. The outside cylinders are served by balanced slide valves actuated by rocking shaft, the valve chests being on top of the cyln- aers; while the inside cylinders have valve chests between them in the usual English way. As the outside cranks are arranged opposite to the inside craks, they balance each other. The most note worthy feature in this engine is that, although there are four cylinders, there are only the usual two s:ts of valve gear, eccentrics, etc. The heating sur face of the tubes equals 1094 square feet, and that of the fire box Ill square feet; total heating surface 1205 square feet; fire-grate area, IS square feet; working pressure, 165 pounds per square inch; weight of engine, 108,640 poun1s; weight of tender, 67,200 pounds; total 175,S40 pounds in working order. This engine hauls the Scotch express trains worked by the Glasgow and Southwestern con- pany in connection with the Midland company, but no reports of it's perform ance have yet comae to hand" gl
 For some time changes in the traffic department of the Baltimore and Ohio Southwestern have been pending. It is believed that these changes forecast a consolidation of the traffic departments of the Baltimore and Ohio and the Bal 1 timore and Southwestern, after the re- organization of the former has been ef- fected. It is rumored in railroad circles that the two lines will be operated prac- tically as one. While the Baltimore and Ohio Southwestern is a distinct corpora tion from the Baltimore and Ohio, the lines, so far as through traffic is con- cerned, arg practically operated as one system. The Baltimore and Ohio owns all the common stock of the Baltimore and Ohio Southwestern, and through this ownership controls the election of directors and officers of the latter road.
 Georg= H. Randolph. general traffic | manager, will leave Cincinnati and go to New York as the representative of the Baltimore and Ohio and the Balti- more and Ohio. Southwestern on the board of managers of the Joint Traffic association. succeeding Col. Oriand Smith. who will retire. There will be !