The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1897-10-14
Interstate Commerce Commission
Files Its Ninth Statistical
l Report.
Eighteen Roads Taken Out of the
I! Hands of Receivers--Capital
and Earnings.
Compensation Of Employees De
i creased---Killed and Injured
| Increased.

WASHINGTON, Oct. 1.-The 9th sta
tistical report of the interstate com.
anerce commission for the year ended
June 80, 1896, gives interesting infor-
mation concerning the mileage, equip
ment, number of employees, capitalize
ton and valuation, accidents and earn
fngs and expenses Of railways in the
United States for the year named. One
hundred and fifty-one roads, represent
ing 80, Ats miles of operated mileage,
were in the hands of receivers on June
B0th, 1896, a decrease of Is from the
previous year. The capital stock rep
resented by the railways controlled by
receivers was $742, 597,69S and the
funded debt was 1899, 1888, 766. The
total railway mileage on June 80, 1896,
was 1872 76, an increase Of 2,119, for
the year, Georgia showing the largest
increase, namely, 233 miles.
The number of locomotives in service
was 81, $50, and of cars of all classes,
a, 297, 649, an increase of 251 locomotives
and 27,OSS cars. Of the total cars and
locomotives, 44S,S5 were fitted with
train brakes, and 545, $50 with auto
matte couplers. The number Of freight
locomotives fitted with automatic
couplers was 1878, out of total of TO-
B5l, and the cars in freight service
fitted with train brakes was 379, 058, out
of q total of 1,221, 1887.
Compensation of Employees.
An interesting feature of the report
is summary showing the amount OF
hn
pioyes of the United States who aggre-
gate S26,6 500. The aggregate compensa.
tion amounted to over 80 per cent of
the total operating expenses of all rail-
ways, slight decrease from the pre-
)ceding year. Much data on the capital
fzation and valuation of railway prop
lerty is contained in the report. The
amount of railway capital, it is shown,
was SIC, $3.50, S65, I'll, which, assigned on
a mileage basis, shows capital of $780,
go per mile of line, and if current La
Utilities be included as part of the CAPT.
tai, $63,06S per mile of line. The
amount of capital stock was So, 1896, 527,-
269, of which 1869, 956, 692 was preferred.
A fraction of over 70 per cent of the
capital stock paid no dividends. The
total dividends amounted to $S7 SOB, 371.
Passengers carried during the year
numbered 511, 772,737, an increase OF
over 4,O00,O 900 compared with the pre-
vious year, which, however, showed a
decrease of 80, 266, 1877 as compared with
1894. Freight tonnage amounted to
765, S9l, 1856, the largest ever reported for
railways in this country and an increase
of nearly 100000 Gross earnings
amounted to 81, 100, l69,376, an increase
of nearly $50, 900, 900, resulting in a net
income of over $50, 100000 larger than
the previous year.
Loss of Life Was Large.
Nearly 1000 employees were killed
and almost 10000 injured during the
year, an increase of 80 in those killed
and over 1000 in the number injured.
One hundred and eighty-one passengers
were killed and nearly 5000 injured.
The number of persons (other than en-
ployes and passengers) killed was A, 400.
and those injured 5,S45. These figures
include casualties to persons reported
as trespassers. For every 444 men en-
ployed on railways one was killed and
for every % men employed one was in.
jured One trainman was killed for
each l52 trainmen employed and one
trainman was injured for each 10 men
employed. The number of passengers
carried for one passenger killed was
2,S27, 474 and the number of passengers
carried for one passenger injured was
178, 1872.