Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1898-12-20
MAINE RAILROADS.
Report of Railroad Commits
sIoners Made to Governor.
Increase in Transportation Of Passen-
gers and Freight.
Reduction OF Rates-On,v S;y por., x.u.
on Mains's Roads in the Year.

| Lie governor and Council shove sha
the rate of transportation of nassan
gers and freight in the State nf Main,
mas decreased in the last year. On III.
Maine Central alone the patrons Of tb.
road have been saved over s164 900
The report OF the commissioners Ia,
| put just been submitted to the Gov.
ernor and will be ready for the public
IN few days. 1t is a report tina,
shows in detail all the minute incident
| IN the affairs of the railroads of the
state giving their improvements, con.
ditlon, earnings and expenditures and
every little detail in the operation OF
the roads. All the decisions If III.
board as we'll as the reports of the
many different railroads and stree.
railroads in full. The report comprises
ABOUT 4Oo pages, and is bound in its
usual garnet colored cover With each
book is a map of the State revised bv
the board. The report contains no
pictures, this year.. Like all the other
reports of the board there is a fund of
information placed in it, and 50 we'll
arranged that it requires butte glance
to see what is looked for.
First of all comes the rules of the
board Which will be of value to all
Those who are interested in Them as ii
gives direction about every matter
where one wishes to transact business
With the honorable body.
| 1t Will be seen by the tables that are
hereafter given, ali take in the figures
between June so, 1897, and June 80, 1898.
A little additional report of the new
railroads and the decisions of the board
since is all that is given of the work
after that date, which is the close of
| the railroad year.
| The report of 1897 shows that there
was 1,l22.02 miles Of steam railroad in
the State on June so, of that year
During the year ending June 80, 1888,
tiiN4 mas bCCli NOIiStI iDltON
ling additional mileage:
The Ar0ostook Northern Railroad.
| Caribou to Limestone, 1890: Portland
| & Rumford Falls Railway, Canton to
| Chisholmn's Mills, 9.6S; Maine Central
| Railroad, Union station to Thompson
Point, IA; Lime Rock Railroad, addi-
| tional, .2l total, 1858 miles.
| This additional mileage makes the
mileage of steam railroads in Maine on
June 80, 1898, 1,749.45 miles. There was
| a loss of 80 miles by remeasurement,
etc. which makes the actual mileage
| 1,74S.95 miles
| There has been no change in the
mileage of the narrow gauge railroads.
There was therefore in Maine 1,6OO.03
miles of broad gauge and 1882 miles
of narrow gauge railroads on June 80.
| 1893
| Il appears that there was a slight
| falling off in the gross earnings of the
steam railroads, applica BILE to the State
| of Maine, being $6,952.52 less than in
carried in Maine during the year end
ing June so, 1898, 1886 more passen-
gers and 20O,S52 more tons of freigh.
than in 1897 This increase in the
trans portation of passengers ana
freight show that the business in
| Maine is increasing and the probability
of continued prosperity. The fact OF a
falling off in earnings over 1897 might
, be naturally attributed to the carrying
of passengers and freight less dis-
tances. thereby reducing the earnings.
| careful examination of the returns
| of the Maine Central Railroad Com
pany, show that the average receipts
per passenger per mile was .o2252 IN
| 1928. against .O2351, in 1897, or .0ol2o
cents less in 1898 than in 1897; ana
average receipts per ton per mlie'
| n12S4 in 1898, against .01334 in 1897, or
ooo5 cents less than in 1897. This re-
1uptiOn in the rates OK tillS lOe'>t; mani
s164 s12.s5 less earnings for the current
ve,,r. and accounts for an increase IN
the volume of traffic and consequent
reduction in earnings. This it VIII De
seen. is just so much saved TO the
patrons of the road.
The gross transportation earnings OF
all the roads doing business IN the
state. which by careful estimate arr
oreaited TO the State of Maine Tor the
wear ending June 80. 1898, were $s'zSl'-
o1s s3 against the corresponding yeai
If 1897 of SIS, 37,971.15. a loss in earn
tings of $6.952.52.
The total number of passengers ca
ried in Maine for the year ending JUN
20 1895 was 4,S96, 065 against 4,s2l,aos II
1897. a gain of s74,496 passengers.
The number of tons of freight ca
Rod in Maine to June 80. 1898 wa
< e4s a7s. against 5,445,524 in 1897, gan
of aoo.s52 tons.
u-t,, +o,tal passenger train mileage II