The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1899-01-15
STATISTICS OF RAILWAYS
FIGURES FROM THE INTERSTATE
COMMERCE COMMISSIONS REPORT.
Earnings, Expenses and Dividends
Safety Appliances Cutting Down
Number of Casualties.

WASHINGTON, Jan. 1.-THE twelfth an
nual report of the Interstate
Commission includes statistics from the
ninth annual report on the statistics of
railways for the year ending June 30, 1897,
an abstract of which was published some
months ago. In his report the statistician
repeats recommendations that reports
should be secured from express companies,
from corporations other than railway COM
panies owning rolling stock used on rail-
ways. and also from depots elevator COM
panies and the like and from carriers by
water engaged in interstate traffic. Atten-
ton is called to the proposition for the es-
tablishment of a bureau of statistics and ac-
counts, under the direction of the commits
sion.
From the preliminary report on the in
come account of railways in the United
States for the fiscal year ending June 80,
1898, prepared. by the statistician to the com
missions it appears that the gross earnings
of operating railways, the returns of which
were received prior to Dec. l. representing
1S1 1873. 62 miles of line or 81 per cent of the
operated mileage in the United States, were
81, 238 523, $50. The operating expenses were
$S11, al, 45S, leaving net earnings $427, PSI 922
Income from sources other than operation
amounting to $39, sos, 1914 were received by
these railways. It should be understood,
however, that large part of this income is
received as interest on railway bonds and
dividends on railway stocks owned by OPP
Grating railways, and it is included, there
fore, as a deduction from income in the
form of interest and dividend payments
The total income of the operating rail-
ways covered by this report for the year
nm FT1,
total deductions from income, which term
embraces taxes ($41, 699. 34S), interest on fund
ed debt, rents for leased lines and other
charges against income, were for the same
period 1855, 1S9, 202. The aggregate of divi-
dends declared by the operating railways
was $65 ,995,915. The deductions of these
items from the total income stated shows a
surplus of $42, 604, 999 from the operations of
the year ending June 80, 1898 The CORE
spending items for the previous year result
ed in showing a deficit of 81, 1893 from the
operations of the year.
The present report, being confined to op-
Grating roads, does not include the divi-
dends declared on the stock of lines OPP
Grated under lease and on this account does
not show the total amount of dividends de-
clared during the year by all railway COM
panieS. The dividends declared by the OBJ
Grating roads embraced in this report, as
stated above, were S6,839, 337 in excess of
those declared for the previous year ending
June 80, 1897.
In addition to the foregoing matter the
commissions report contains a suggestive
discussion of the earnings of railway prop
erty, especially with reference to returns to
investors, and a statement of some of the
difficulties encountered in attempting to
make satisfactory comparisons between the
railway statistics of the United States and
those of foreign countries. These, as shown
by various Illustrations, are caused by diff
ferenceS in the reports and in the methods
of compilation. For example, it is made
apparent that the impression that American
railways are operated with greater disre-
gard to life and limb than the railways in
foreign countries is at least partly due to
the more comprehensive returns of railway
accidents required in this country
AS stated in the last annual report, the
commission granted numerous competitive
carriers an extension of two years from
JAN /, 1898, within which to comply with
the requirements of Sections / and Of the
safety appliance act, and required the COM
panleS whose equipment was incomplete to
make semi-annual reports showing the
progress thereafter made. On Nav 19 the
carriers were notified to file such a report
for the six months ending June l. 1898 Re-
turns received from 283 of the 294 carriers
which were granted an extension of time
show 1l56,6l6 freight cars owned, an in
crease of 2O,6l1 over the number reported on
Dec. 1, 1897 During the six months 119 93S
freight cars were equipped with automatic
coupers and 67,400 were fitted with train
brakes. making a total of 795, 253 or 50 per
cent, having automatic couplers, and 511 500
or A per cent equipped with train brakes
up 10 JullG l. 1870. vi lildL cate ZJ.lIO or ~
per cent, of the total number of locono-
tives owned by these reporting carriers were
equipped with driving wheel brakes.
The returns for the six months ending
Dec. /, 1885, are not yet filed, but it is be-
lieved that they will show reasonable
progress and indicate the probability of full
provision of automatic couplers and the re-
Quired number of train brakes on Jan. /
1900 the date when the extension order will
expire. Thousands of cars have been in
spected during the year. but comparatively
few were found not to be in conformity with
the law in respect to drawbars and hand
holds With regard to a suggestion that the
commission should increase the maximum
height of drawbars from thirty-four and
one-half inches to thirty-five inches, the
commission says that the standard height Of
thirty-four and one-half inches was desg-
mated by the American Railway Association
under authority expressly conferred by the
safety appliance act, and, having been so
fixed in conformity with the act ii can
only be changed by the action Of Congress.
Since the enactment of the law in 1893
there has been a decreasing number Of cas-
ualties. There were 1894 fewer employees
killed and 4,O62 fewer injured during the
year ending June 20, 1897, than during the
wear ending June 80 1895 In the Spanish
American war 29S men were killed and 645
wtse wounded In 1897 there were 693 men
killed and q .667 injured from all causes in
railway service. In coupling apd uncoupling
cars alone 219 less men were killed and
4,9S4 less were injured Ia 1853 than IN 1893.