The Morris County chronicle. [volume] (Morristown, N.J.) 1877-1915, 1898-10-14
RAILROADS IN SPAIN:
Total Mileage Equal to One of Our West
ern Companies.

Total Mileage Equal to One of Our West
ern Companies.
There is not much celebration OF
anything in Spain this year, but If
there was, she might celebrate the
Eemi-centennial anniversary of the
opening of the first railroad in that
kingdom. In 1848 the Barcelona Rail-
road, so called, extending eighteen
miles from Barcelona to Mataro, was
opened to traffic. Mataro Is small
town on the Mediterranean northeast
of Barcelona, and these eighteen miles
of road constituted at that time SPANS
only contribution to. the railroad mile
age of the world, the neighboring
country, France, having at the same
period a railroad mileage of $500 and
Great Britain 5000. Since then there
has been a slowly intermittent increase
of what is sometimes grandiosely call
ed 'sThe Railroad System" of Spain,
two obstacles to the development of
which have been the unbusinesslike
methods of the inhabitants and enor-
NOUS engineering difficulties. Spain
has been wholly denuded Of forests at
the headwaters of rivers, and as a
consequence there are frequent over
flows. carrying with them railroad
bridges, trestles, and embankments to
the constant peril and annoyance of
passengers.
There are now in Spain 1850 miles
of railroad, less than one-third of the
number in Great Britain, France, or
Russia, and less than one-fourth of the
number in Italy. The relative insight
ficance of the Spanish railroad "sys-
TEN" appears best in comparison with
American railroads, single line, the
Chicago, Burlington and Quincy, hav-
ing an aggregate mileage of 7,400,
owned, operated, or controlled, or near
1y as much as all the railroads of Spain
combined Spanish railroads are pro-
verbally slow, the rate of express"
trains being twenty-five miles an hour
and of way passenger trains from
twelve to fifteen. They seldom run on
scheduled time, and it is the testimony
of all travellers that they never make
allowed each first-class passenger on
Spanish railroad is sixty-six pounds,
but the railroads are not responsible
for its loss, nor are their officials re-
sponsible for its Identification. The
charges on Spanish railroads are re-
s cents mile on frst-class trains,
and cents a mile on second-class
trains, about double the American average.
The railroad lines of Spain were
built partly by private capital, partly
from the proceeds of governmental
subsidies. These subsidies have
amounted to over $20O.OO0,0O0 (1,000.-
100000 pesetas). Although the rail-
roads of Spain are directly under the
control of the Government, and al
though about one-third of their con-
struetion was paid by the Government,
they are owned by private companies,
and about three-fifths of the stock of
the Spanish railroads is owned in
France. French investors have grad
ually absorbed the securities, which,
sold at depreciation, pay high rate
of interest. French. and English en-
struction of Spanish railroads, but the
stations" or terminal facilities of the
companies are the products of domestic
industry, as any observant but forbear-
ing traveller will admit.
The railroads of the United States
carry in year about SOC 600 900 pas
sengers, and they transport about $780,
100000 tons of freight There are SO
per cent. more tons of freight carried
than there are individual passengers.
The Spanish railroads, despite the in
ferior facilities which they offer to
travellers. depend more upon passen-
ger than upon freight traffic, carrying
in year much larger number of
passengers than they do tons of
freight In 1897 the Spanish rail-
roads carried $4,000, 900 passengers, but
they carried only 100000 tons of
freight.
+ The ssis1cglsisss q passenger traaaiee
Oh Spanish railroads are enhanced in
some particulars which are rather
amusing than serious Passengers are
expected to arrive at the station at
least half an hour before the train
leaves, in order that sufficient allow
ance may be made for the dilatory pro-
ceedings of the railway officials. Dur
ing part of each day (and in some cit
les the larger part of each day., the
railway stations are closed and the
ticket Offices do not open until an hour
before the time scheduled for the de-
parture of the train, closing quarter
of an hour before it is due.
The hapless tourist. in compliance
with Spanish railroad custom, must
have his ticket before he is permitted
to enter the waiting room, and as this
ticket must he hought fifteen minutes