Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1898-01-06

Railway Age: Illinois stll continues
to be the state of greatest railway
mileage. Adding the extensions made
in 1890. the figures for the states hav-
ing over 5000 miles are now as follows.
Illinois %, i0.s0i miles; t2) Pennsyl-
vania, 9,90G: t3) Texas. S.DlS; l41 Kan
sas S,S77; 90 Ohio, $751;; Wl Iowa, S.
522; 90 New York. S,2i2. These seven
states have In the aggregate 6i,l13 miles
of lines. or over 81 per cent of the en-
tire railway mileage of the United
Stats on December 81, 1897.
A meeting of the western lines was
held for the purpose of doing away
with the me-seekers' excursions.
which 1t Is said have disturbed the
winter-tourist rates. The same old
straw was threshed over again with
the same old result, and the excursions
will be continued for the remainder OF
the winter. There is a possibility that
the roads may take them out, but II
is not considered likely. 1t is prob
able, however. that they may be con-
fined to the first three months Of the
year.
In the East. where electric lines are
competing with the railroads for the
passenger traffic between cities and
their suburbs, and between cities with
twenty or thirty miles Intervening the
because they have not been able to
run trains and charge as low rates ms
the electric lines could. Lately several
combination cars and engines have
been completed. and the newest one
has been put on the Newark and New
Jersey road. This car has an mean
descent lamp over each seat and n
thirty-two candle-power In front of.the
car. The decorations are IN keeping
with the lighting, and the car Is Il
handsome one. II runs thirty miles
an hour. and is able 10 put in over
the trolley line between Newark and
Jersey City.
The recent annual meeting OF the
Baltimore & Ohio Railroad company.
which was its seventy-tirst, brings to
mind the fact that the Baltimore &
Ohio has had ten presidents in seventy
two years, as follows Philip II.
Thomas, Louis McLane. Thomas Swan,
William C. Harrison. Chauncey Brooks.
John w. Garrett. Robert Garrett. Sam
uel Spencer, Charles T. Mayer and John
X. Cowen. The line was nut in opera
ton TO Harper's Ferry in 1894, was
built to winchester. Va, in 1885. and
to Strasburg in 1870. Westward It
went to Cumberland in November. 1872.
and on TO Wheeling. w. Va. by Janu-
from Grafton to Petersburg was
opened May 1. 1857. II is the only
railroad company that Is being operat-
ed under its official name and charter.
The Northern mileage ticket bureau
has perfected and organization. adopted
a form ticket. and expects to place the
ticket on sale February /. The Michi-
gan and other lines forming the bureau
will continue to honor the Interchange
able mileage ticket of the Central Pas
senger association bureau until July /,
| 1898, the period for which the mileage
agreement was made, should the central
| bureau so desire. The new ticket differs
| from the present Interchangeable ticket
chiefly In the fact that 1t will be hon
| ored on the trains. In form it is sim
| liar to the Thall ticket II viii be sold
| at $50. with a so rebate If used in ac-
| cordance with the term of the sale.
| The passenger Is not required to sign
| any paper ut the time he buys the book,
and there Is no delay caused by any
exchange of mileage ticket at the sta
| ton, as under the present form. When
| the conductor detaches the mileage he
| takes the signature and business adj
| dress of the passenger on a mileage
Identification slip. This slip is num-
| bered at each end and bears the in
itials of the road issuing 1t. The con-
| ductor attaches IL to the mileage strip
which he has taken and both are sent
| to the auditors office. Before sending
| It in the conductor writes the name of
the stations Travelled between. the num-
Der of the mileage book and of the train
and date of the trip. The mileage is
| perforated through the center. ahd the
| company's auditor tears off one half
| and sends 1t to the join agent of the
bureau, with the identification slips at
tached. These are checked up, and II
| the signatures are found to agree the
passenger receives his rebate. after trav-
cling 1000. The signature on the slip
attached to the first mileage used Is
taken as the one with which all others
must agree The new mileage book will
have a baggage strip. which is not
| found on the present ticket.