Evening journal., 1898-10-31
RAILROADS IN SPAIN.
The Mileage Is Small and the
Travelling Hard.
The Entire System Is No Larger Than
One OF Our Western Reads
DImculGes OF Pas
senRers.

There Is not much celebration of
ANYTHING in Spain this year, but IL
there was. she might celebrate the
semi-centennial anniversary of the
opening of the first railroad in that
Kingdom. In 1s4S the Barcelona rail-
road, so called, extending IS miles from
Barcelona to Mataro, was opened 10
traffic. Mataro is a small town on
the Mediterranean northeast of Bar
celona, and these is miles of road con-
stituted at that time Spain's only con-
tribution to the railroad mileage Of
the world, the neighboring country,
France, having at the same period a
railroad mileage of 1900 and Great
Britain 5000. Since then there has
been a slowly intermittent increase Of
what is sometimes grandiosely called
"the railroad system" of Spain, two
obstacles to the development of which
have been the unbusinesslilSe methods
of the inhabitants and enormous en-
gineering difficulties. Spain has been
wholly denuded of forests at the head
waters of rivers, and as a consequence
there are frequent overhows, carrying
with them railroad bridges, trestles
aud entertainments, to the constant
peril and annoyance Of passengers.
There are now in Spain 1859 miles
of railroad, less than 0ne-third of the
number in Great Britain, France or
Russia, and less than one-fourth OF
the number in Italy. The relative in
significance of the Spanish railroad
system" appears best in comparison
with American railroads, single line
the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy
having an aggregate mileage of 7,400
owned, operated or controlled, oil
nearly as much as all the railroad:
OF Spain combined. Spanish railroads
are proverbially slow, the rate of tex
press" trains being 25 miles an hou
and of way passenger trains from l:
to IS. They seldom run on schedule
time. and it is the testimony Of al
travellers that they Tever make con
nections. The amount of baggage al
lowed each first-class passenger on
Spanish railroad is &C pounds, but tn
railroads are not responsible for it
loss, nor are their officials responsible
for its Identification.
The railroad lines of Spain wer
built partly by private capital, partl
from the proceeds of governments
subsidies. These subsidies hav
amounted 10 over s2OO.o0O,OOO (,0o0
100000 pesetas). Although the raj
roads Of Spain are directly under h
control of the government, aud a.
- IL, I'll .f
struction was paid by the government
they are owned by private companies
and about three-ffths of the stock {
the. Spanish railroads is owned
France. French investors have graf
ually absorbed the securities, whicl
sold at depreciation, pay a high rat
OF interest. French and English el
gineers supervised generally the 0oi
struction of Spanish railroads, bt
the stations" or terminal facilitic
of the companies, are the products {
domestic industry, as any obserVar
but forbearing traveller will admit.
The railroads of the United Stat,
carry in year about eco 0O0, 600 pa
sengers, and they transport about 500
100000 tons of freight. There are
per cent. more tons OF freight ca
ried than there are individual passe
gers. The Spanish railroads, despi
the inferior facilities which they off,
TO travellers, depend more upon pa
senger than upon freight traffic, ca
rying in year a much larger numb
of passengers than they do tons
freight. In 1897 the Spanish railroa
carried 27OO0,0OO passengers, but tn,
carried only 100000 tons Of freigl
The difficulties of passenger traf
on Spanish railroads are enhanced
some particulars which are rath
amusing than serious. Passengers a
expected to arrive at the station
least half an hour before the ira
leaves in order that sufficient allo
ance may be made for the dilatory pr
ceedings of the railway officials. Du
ing part of each day (and in sor
cities the larger part of each da
the railway stations are closed and t
ticket offices do not open until an no
before. the time scheduled for the {
parture of the train, closing a quart
of an hour before it is due.
ne napless tOuIlsls IN complain
with Spanish railroad custom. mu
have his ticket before he is permit
to enter the waiting-room, and
this ticket must be bought Is M
utes, at least, before the train star
and as the train may be anywhere fro
an hour to three hours late, his {
portunities for reasonable complai
are numerous and are not diminish
by knowledge of the fact that he
paying more for his ticket, Accord
TO the distance Travelled, than is t
rule on American or English railwa.
One peculiarity of railroad travel
Spain is TO be found in the fact th
employees of the railroad company q
entitled, ms matter of right, to {
best seats. even regardless Of the liz
cts sold passengers. In what is son
times called "cheap" railroad travel
Spain many of the passengers ride
the roofs of the cars, but whether
is to enable them to see the count
to bettar advantage or to enjoy yTea'
pnfr s...-t 1-.7 boffar vanfila ti0n ic =