Kansas agitator. [volume] (Garnett, Kan.) 1890-1905, 1898-09-09
c. @. W. RY. IMPROVEMENTS.
nc reasing the Hauling Capacity With
out Increasing Expenses.

nc reasing the Hauling Capacity With
| out Increasing Expenses.
The annual report Of the Great West
ern shows that the largest amount ex-
| pended by it in reduction of grades has
placed it in the lead Of all the granger
| lines in the tonnage hauled by its en-
| gines.
In the annual report of the Great
| Western for 1896, President Stlckney
stated that the maximum grades on
the line were then one per cent or
$3.50 feet to the' mile, and that the
| company proposed to reduce its grades
| one-half, or to 26 feet to the mile. He
stated that the economy which would
result may be estimated from the
| statement that the maximum load
which one engine would then haul was
| 700 tons, 240 tons Of dead weight
| (cars), and 400 tons Of pay load
(freight), while with such a reduction
OF grades and revision Of curves as
was proposed would increase the en-
CINE load to 1000 tons. or about $50
| tons of dead weight (cars), and $50
tons of pay load (freighD, thus ena-
bling each train to haul 100 tons more
of paying load without any increase OF
| expenses.
In the report for 1898 President
| Stickney states that the company be-
gan q comprehensive plan Of improv-
| ing the track and permanent way by
cutting down grades, widening and
Strengthening the banks. increasing
side tracks, making permanent with
earth, stone and steel its bridges, and
thoroughly ballasting the track. Since
| then the work has progressed syste-
matically, and the present summer
will nearly complete the work thus
planned.
There has been expended upon the
permanent way:
| In the fiscal year 1S95............$ 1I0653.5 So
| In the fiscal year 1896. 1863 SsllS
| In the fiscal year 1897. 520 4i9.@5
| In the fiscal year 1898. 665, 322.GG
Total ......... .................$1.G2 GO 2S9. rs
In the matter of bridging, besides
| ISL wooden culverts and 140 ordinary
pile bridges, 20 important trestle
bridges from 18 to 10 feet high, being
nearly all the bridges Of that class on
| the whole line, are being made perma-
nent by being filed with earth on stone
arched waterways at an estimated cost
of $3OS,173.
Numerous gangs of men and teams
are at work widening the cuts and
strengthening the embankments, and
ballast, in some places of gravel, and
in others of crushed stone. is being
put under the track at the rate OF
about two miles per day.
The freight earnings of the line for
the years 1897 and 1898 are as follows:
1897. 1898.
| Gross freight
earnings ..........$ 3,549 OiO.G2 s 4,1O2, 5fe.7o
Miles run by
freight trains 80. 45.oel 10000 5O,936, 1890
Increase.
Gross freight ear lings ..........$ 56o. 506. OS
Miles run by fire ut trains ...... 5,S75. 45S.O0
The annual reports Of the other
granger lines shows that in freight
train earnings per mile run the Great
Western leads all its competitors.
The figures are as follows:
Chicago Great Western .................$1.S9
Chicago, st. Paul, Minneapolis &
Omaha .............. .............'s..... Loo
Chicago G. Northwestern ............... Lib
Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific ........ 1.65
Chicago & Alton OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES .S3
Chicago, Milwaukee G. St. Paul Qat-
est report 1890 .........................l LIZ
c., B. & @. does not report.