Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1898-10-29

ElS II1O'O6A1<sD Ml1@L1SItS Sr
CAPITAL-MORE THAN ONE MIL
LION AND A QUARTER OF CARS
IN SERvICE-ONE HUNDRED
THOUSAND NEW CARS NEEDED
EVERY YEAR-AvERAGE ANNU-
AL EARNINGS OF employees.
The following statements based upon
the latest official reports and brought
down to September 1st, 1898, by means
Of ratios and by computations very
carefully made by Mr.. Duane Doty, Of
Pullman's Palace Car Company, can
not but be of interest to all men en-
gagged in transportation.
San instantaneous photograph OF any
domain Of human activity" says Mr..
Doty, CONSTITUTES an instructive study.
and especially so, when it includes cur
own field Of effort. From % miles Of
railroad in 1890, and in less time than
the Biblical span of three score years
and ten allotted to the life Of man, our
railroads have reached their present
magnitude, though still in the morning
time of their evolution. Had our coun
try to-day, exclusive of Alaska, as
many miles of railroad proportionately
as the State of Illinois, it would have
100000 miles of such roads, or consid-
erably more than three times its pres
ent mileage, or, really, a greater mile
age than that of all the existing rail-
roads of the world. A good laborer
able to earn two dollars day, working
as a carrier of freight does in Africa,
could transport one ton, say of lead,
one mile by working hard for four
days. In other words eight dollars 1881
would be fair price for the work that
would have to be done. But our rail-
roads now carry enc ton of freight one
mile for eight tenths of cent, or for
one one thousandeth Of the cost of
doing that amount by work by muscu-
lar effort alone.
Had the whole population of the
globe the same amount Of railroad
mileage proportionately thit we have
in the United States, the worlds mile
age would be four and half millions
(4,500 ,C0O) instead Of one tenth Of that
amount as now. Our periods of exist
ence may we'll he looked upon as the
childhood of the race. A retrospective
review of our railroads, glance at
their present condition and glimpses
afforded Of their probabilities and pos
sibilities fully illustrate the truth that
we are only in the dawn of our material
development The habitual portions Of
the earth's surface, comprising only
about two-fifths of it's land masses,
even with our present very imperfect
agriculture, can easily support four
times the present population Of the
world, Or $500, 600, GOO of human beings,
and this number will be reached $50
years hence, or by the year 2150 A. D.
Length of roads now owned
by 1900 corporations. ........ 800 miles
Double triple, quadruple and
yard tracks, sidings and
furnouts - .. IS 900 miles
Total of all tracks IN the
United States to-day. 4oO0 miles
The average value of our railroads is
usually placed at 100000 mile, though
it is little more than that; at this rate
1S6,50O miles of road is worth $11, 49,
600, 900. The investments in these
roads, including capital stock, founded,
uLfOunded and current debts can safely
be placed at 1850, 000,000 Our pop
ulation is now 100000. If the wealth
of cur country has increased in the
past eight years proportionately with
the increase between 1880 and 1890, the
wealth Of the whole country to-day is
SS4, 600, coo, GOO or $115O for every man,
woman and child of the population.
The average wealth in 1850 was only
$3OS per capita, the increase being
nearly fourfold since then. The wealth
of our country is now increasing at
the rate of six millions (s6,000,000) of
dollars a day. One-seventh of our
wealth is in railroads or S160 for every
member of cur population.
The railroads of the United States
now employ $4,000 persons, and the
average annual pay of each is $685.. A
few officials receive large salaries, but
the $4,000 station men and track re-
pairers, and the 10000 switchmen,
fagmen and watchmen all get small
wages, though their pay is sure and
their employment is, as a rule, unin-
corrupted. There are now $50 employees
to every 100 miles of road, or Az to
every mile.
Exclusive of sleeping cars our rail-
roads now have 1,325,0 cars of all
kinds, or 81 cars to every locomotive, or
seven cars to every mile of road. In
elusive of sleeping cars there are now
$4,000 passenger, mail and express cars
in USE Considering the life of freight
car twelve years, and its earnings after
that length of service will barely keep
it in repair, it is clear that about
100000 of these cars now annually go
into scrap. In other words 100, 600