The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1898-11-01
Railway Construction.

The Railway Age recently called at
tention to the fact that during the nine
months of the current year ending Sept.
80 about 1900 miles Of new railroad
had been constructed in the United
States, exclusive of renewals or second
tracks or sidings, and the estimate is
advanced that if the same ratio is
maintained throughout the closing
three months Of the year the additions
to the railway system Of the country
during 1898 will be, approximately, 5000
miles. This would bring the total
| mileage, with the exclusions above
| noted, to 1872, $50 miles, but including
second tracks and siding the total
would be 235, 482 miles.
1t has been customary in the past to
measure the advance Of national pros
| perity, to a certain extent, by the num-
Der of miles of new railway constructed
within given year. This, however.
is doubtful standard by which to
estimate the healthfulness of existing
economic or Industrial conditions as a
whole, inasmuch as a great deal of
railway construction has been most
active at periods when those condi-
tons were most rapidly approaching
the point of complete exhaustion and
collapse.
The total railway mileage in the
United States in 1880 was twenty-three
miles, and at the close of 1860, after
lapse of thirty years, and just prior
to the Civil war, the entire mileage of
the country was only 30,626 miles, show
ing the progress of construction to
| have been on an average of about 1000
miles per annum. 1t is significant that
the greatest activity in all that period
was in 1856, the year preceding tho
notable panic of 1857, when the con-
| struction record reached a total OF
3,642 miles. From that time onward
| the decline was continuous until 1851,
when the total was only $50 miles
There was a revival in 1863 to 1,O5O
miles, but in 1854 the new mileage de-
creased to 73S. OF course this depres-
sion was largely due to the prevalence
of war.
The era of wild and extravagant
railway construction may be said to
have originated almost immediately
following the restoration of peace, saw
Ill 1865, when the increase was LIT
miles, gradually ascending to 1879 in
1871, declining to 5,S7S in 1872, the year
| preceding the panic Of 1873 During
1874 the new mileage was 2,117, while in
| 1875 it was only LII miles There was
a slight increase year by year to 4,S17
| miles in 1879, following the resumption
! OF specie payments. In 1880 the total
reached 6,712 miles; in 1881, 9,S47 miles,
! and in 1882 the annual increase reach
| ed the unprecedented total of II $50
! miles, making the total number of
miles in operation at the close of that
year 114,712. But the financial dis
turbance of 1928 followed, and in 1889
the increase fell to 6,743 miles, or near
ly one-half, while in 1884 the total in
crease had declined to 1924, and in
1885 to 1882 miles, respectively.
But the record breaking year came
| in 1887, when there was an increase of
| l2,S7S miles, bringing the total railway
| mileage Of the country to 149, 257 miles.
But, Notwithstanding the generally
prosperous conditions existing be-
tween that date and the panic of 1892.
! the decline in railway construction
was gradual, reaching 4,419 in that
year, 2,2S2 in 1898, until the lowest fig
ures since 1866 were reached, namely
! 1903 miles in 1895. In 1897 the total
| advanced to 1904, 1898 following
with approximately 5000 miles increase.
Thus, within period Of a little less
! than seventy years, there have been
constructed 1S2.5OO miles of railway, Or,
| including second tracks, sidines, ETC..
total of 240,000 miles. When one
| pauses to reflect upon the fact that
| these great transportation highways
represented at the close of 1897, as
| shown by Poor's Manual 4Jr that
year, total share capital and indebt-
| cdr ess of 81, SIS, 166, SAC, the immensely
| of this single element of our national
| commerce alone can be comprehended.
| Meanwhile, it is only reasonable to
! believe that the era of gigantic and
speculative construction Of new rail-
ways in this country is rapidly APP
preaching a close, and that the number
of miles constructed in any one year
can be nothing more than an index to
a general tendency or the individual