The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-10-29
OUR CHEAPENING FREIGHT RATES.
Railroad improvements That Indicate the
Complete Passing of the Canals.

complete raising OF the Sanab.
Engineering Ne,rs taking for its text the giant
locomotive Just finished for tho Illinois Central
Railroad, printed last week some data tending to
show that tho heavy freight carriers Of the future
and even Of tho day, In this country at least are
| the railroads and not the internal waterways
The locomotive which furnishes tho text for the
argument was built to haul solid trains carrying
paying load Of 3 900 tons each, and it is the big
gest locomotive ever built Ii weighs alone 232 200
pounds and with its tender 364 900 pounds. II is
an indication both in its weight and power Of the
steady growth OF the railroad and the cheapening
OF its services which has already left all other
means OF traffic far behind except the immense
vessels tho great lakes and the monsters Of the
oceans
There were railway managers in the early days
OF the railway era" Engineering NeiDJ says, who
contendod that only high-cass freight could be
economically hauled by rail To this day in
England and on the continent Of Europe the in.
land waterways able to carry freight as cheaply
| or :ore cheaply than competing railway lines.
The fact is that rairoading back in the '70s, and
European railroad practice al the present day
| Is toy railroadinG in comparison with the work
| now being done American railways OF heavy
traffic"
| Attention is then called to tho average OF only
22l mills per ton per mile for carrying coal re-
| ceivcd during the year ending June 80 1S99 by
the Chesapeake and Ohio Railroad for all coal
hauled by it TO the seaboard, and very inter
esting figures are given to prove that substan-
| tial profit may be made at even less than these
rates by railroads using the best Of heavy equip
| ment.
In the annual report OF the New York Central
and Hudson River Railroad Co. twenty eight
new mogul engines were spoken Of each of which
is capable of hauling eighty loaded 3O-ton grain
| cars, making total weight Of 8, GOO tons in the
train, 2, 400 tons of paying load. Tables show
| that the cost Of operating a locomotive hauling
| 1000 tons OF paying load is only forty cents a
train mile, and further figures show that cxclu-
sive Of terminal expenses, the whole cost of NOV
ing 2oO0ton trainload mile is only So or one
mill per ton per mile Both waterways and rail
ways would have TO provide terminal facilities
| and 1t is argued that these cost rather less for
railroads than for water lines
| I'VE do not question: says the Engineering
Nc,rS. the sincerity and good faith of those who
plead for more Government expenditures on the
interior waterways but they are certainly mis-
taken as to the real interests OF the public. The
last argument Of the defender Of the waterways
| however is that these must be kept open in order
that their competition may keep railway charges
down to reasonable figure II Is as a matter
| Of fact against the public interest that ira 6i,
should be diverted from the railways. The RICH
of the Government TO fix and regulate railway
rates has been fully established and the princi
pie that such rates should not be in excess Of wha
is necessary 10 pay the operating expenses ant
fair return on the capital invested has also beer
plainly laid down In court decisions.
THE proper method to regulate railway rates
therefore, is not by trying to create competition
either by building parallel railway lines inferio
water routes but by the direct exercise of Govern
mcnt control. II NewYork would retain its position
In the export trade ii must concentrate it's energie
upon the question Of reducing the cost OF handling
freight at its terminals, SO that II may bear com
parson with the cost OF the terminals built OF
cheap land at Newport News and New Orleans
and other competing Atlantic and Gulf ports
Money spent in this direction may bring returns
but that spent on artificial waterways is poure
| into n sieve