The morning news., 1897-08-17
our RAILROAD MILEAGE.
IrreguIarIy Distributed Over the
Country and Growing UnevenIy.
From, tba New York Sum

Country and Growing UnevenIy.
From the New York Sun.
New York is the first of the states in re-
spect TO population, Pennsylvania is sec
ond. Texas is the largest of the states,
California is the second largest Yet
neither New York, Pennsylvania, Texas
nor California stands first in respect of
railroad mileage; that distinction belongs
to Illinois. The railroad mileage of Hi
nois exceeds 1O,6OO The significance of
that figure may be understood when 1t is
known that the railroad mileage of Russia
is only q, 600. Second in the list of states
in railroad mileage is Pennsylvania. New
York comes sixth, Kansas, Iowa and Ohio
being ahead of 1t: Kansas has a railroad
mileage of $500, Iowa of $500, Ohio Of $500
and New York of $780, The railroad mile
age of New York, small as it is by com
parison with that of some other states is
large when compared with that of some
European countries. The mileage of
Spain, a nation of 100000 people, is only
1900, anD that of Portugal is but 1900
though the population is three-quarters as
large as that of the Empire state. Mon
tana, with an area of 1900 square miles
has only 200 miles of railroad while New
Jersey, with only 1880 square miles. has
2,2OO miles Of railroad Utah and Mime
sota-are almost exactly of the same SIZE
and the little difference which exists be-
tween them is in favor of Utah, but Min
nesota has only 1900 miles of railroad,
while Utah has 5000. Nevada and YER
mont have almost to a mile the same rail-
road mileage, but Nevada has an area Of
10000 square miles and Vermont an area
of only 1000.
The total railroad mileage of England
is l4,0O0 less than that of Illinois and In
diana together, and the total mileage Of
the United Kingdom, England, Scotland
and Ireland (there is a larger railroad
mileage in Scotland than in Ireland), is
less than that of New York, Pennsylva-
MIA and Ohio. The disparity between the
states in the matter of railroad building
is increasing for new lines are being push
ed constantly in some sections of the
country while others are neglected. In
Connecticut, for instance. the present rail-
road mileage has increased less than 100
in the last seventeen years though in the
same period the railroad mileage of Flori-
da has increased from 518 TO 1900. Vir-
ginia has doubled its railroad trackage
since 1880; so has Kentucky; but Washing
ton state has increased its mileage in the
same period from 2S9 miles TO 1850 miles.
1t Is supposed popularity that there has
been less railroad development in the
south than In many Of the northern states.
but the contrary is true. From 1880 10 1895
the railroad mileage Of the Middle At
lantic states-New York, New Jersey,
Pennsylvania, Delaware and Maryland
increased 20 per cent, and that of the five
north central states-Qhio. Michigan In
diana, Illinois and Wisconsin-60 per cent.
But in the same period the railroad mile
age of what are called the Mississippi val
ley states-Louisiana, Mississ ippi, Alaba-
ma, Kentucky and Tennessee-increased
1OD per cent, and the railroad mileage Of
the South Atlantic states-Virginia, North
Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, West
Virginia and Fiorda-increased 120 per
cent. The average cost of constructing
a mile of railroad is $4,000.