Daily Kennebec journal., 1898-01-13
News Of the Railroads.

1t is expected that the railroad men 9
branch of the y. NJ. c. A at Portland will
be dedicated about the middle of Fehru-
ary
The cash register in car No. 102 OF the
Congress street line. Portland. has made
its first 100000 and is we'll on TO the Sec
ond.
II. r. Charleton has been appointed ad
vertising agent of the Grand Trunk with
office at the BOnaVenture station, Mon
treal.
Schools for children of railway en-
ployeS are maintained by the railway
companies of India. at very small eX-
pense to the pupils.
The night telegraph operators on the
Boston < Maine have pasted another rule
in their scrap books. The half hour roll
call has been in force for some little time
and this now has an appendix When the
roll call is answered the operators are
obliged to give the weather if stormy
night how much snow or rain has fallen.
approximately, and whether or not the
rails are slippery.
business is starting up on the Bangor
& Aroostook Railroad in more lively
fashion and soon the cancelled freight
train north of Houlton will be restored
to take care of the increased trafftc IN
that section. The potatoes which the
farmers have hung up TO await bigger
prices have begun to move over the Ban
gor * ArooStook and one day recently
nineteen car loads came to Bangor. They
will doubtless move in a livelier fashion
now.
The new railway building for 1896 was
1896 - miles, or about 50 miles more than
the total estimate given for 1897. In 1922
which is the low water mark in railroad
construction, the mileage was ls22z7.
Poor puts the new construction in 1874 az
226397 miles: in 1898 at 21S9.02 miles; in lSs2
al ASA OF miles: in 1891 al 1920 miles. ana
in 1890 at 56561 miles The figures so faf
received indicate that California heaas
the list with 1879 miles of new road. whle
Alabama. Georgia. Louisiana, Mlcnlsaii'
Missouri. Pennsylvania and Texas have
each more than 100 miles to their credit
The building of new railroads in 1887
was a little less than for the year before
and few miles more than the total re-
ported for 1895. though still far snort oi
that in 1880 and in earlier years Onicial
reports from the various companies snow
a total mileage built during the year
not including second tracks and sldings,
of 1904 II miles. To this must be addeu
223. 10 miles to be completed by the close
of the year. giving us lS2.sz mites
pretty accurately verified. There are q
number of roads on which ii is known
that grading has been completed ana
track laying is in progress. Inc eNace
amount of track laying, however, ~ -
impossible at this time TO state, out ~ IL -
This makes the total probable raliroau
building during 1897, 1879.
The time consumed in making a Jour
ney is to a great extent taken up y.
stoppages at stations for the purpose OF
taking on passengers. An ingenious sss-
tenn has been devised whereby passeh,
gers are taken upon trains or droppeu
without halting. The invention Is TO De
Il feature of the Paris exposition IN isW'
The device consists of moVapie pia'
form with circular disc, which traveis ut
the same rate OF speed as the passins
train. The inventor claims that "wheli
entering the platform from a staircase ss,,, ~,
the centre there will be no danger. SHY.
the speed at this point is comparatNeE
low. nor will be felt much when goms
toward the edge of the turning gia.io,"; ;
for the increase of speed is gradual anu
anticipatcd' In theory this may pe very
WELL but the practical nina Instands a
questions whether the ordinary employs
are capable of handling two rapidly ino.-
ing bodies with sufficient nicely 10 r.
move the element of danger that Is ar
ways present where there is very ms"
rate of speed.