Chicago eagle. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1889-19??, 1899-12-02
AN AGE OF RAILWAYS
SUPERIORITY OF the AMERICAN
SYSTEM..
In What Respects They Arc luvniu.
able Aids to the Life and Extension
of Commercial Activity - Used ~.
Model. by Other Countries.

In making an address before the In.
ternational Commercial Congress re-.
Gently, George II. Daniels. General
Passenger Agent of the New York Cen.
tral and Hudson River Railway and
president OF the American Association
Of General Passenger Agents, said:
One of our great writer's has said of
this closing period Of the nineteenth
century. that 1t Is an age of transporta.
ton. Transportation undcrlies material
prosperity In every department Of com.
mercc. Without transportation com.
merce would be impossible. Those
states and nations are rich, powerful
and enlightened whose transportation
facilities are best and most extended
The dying nations are those with little
or no transportation facilities.
Mr.. Mulhall. the British statistician,
In his work on THE Wealth OF M.
tions." said Of the United States In
1905: III we take a survey Of mankind.
In ancient or modern times. rs regards
the physical. mechanical and intellcc.
tual force of nations, we find nothing to
compare with the United States"
Mr.. Mulhall proved by his statistics
that the working power Of q single per.
son In the United States was twice that
Of a German or Frenchman. more than
three times that OF an Austrian and
five times that OF an Italian. lie said
the United States was then the richest
country In the world, Its wealth ex.
cecdlng that of Great Britain by 3J
per cent. and added that In the history
of the human race no nation ever be.
fore possessed forty.one millions Of
instructed citizens.
In an address before the New York
Press Association. four years ago,
referred TO the future Of our export
trade, as follows: "One of the inevita.
BILE results of the war between Japan
and China will be the opening to the
commerce Of the world of fields here.
tofore unknown, perhaps the richest on
the globe" and urged the members OF
the New York Press Association to do
everything In their power TO assist In
securing to the United States a portion
of the great commerce 10 be developed
between the western nations and those
two old countries Of the world.
At that time we had no Idea that
war between one Of the old nations OF
the earth and our young republic would
be fought; at that time We had no idea
that American manufacturers would be
furnishing locomotives to the English
railroads as well as TO those OF nearly
every other country on the globe. No
one thought four years ago that .Ameri.
can bridge builders would go into the
open market and successfully compete
for the building OF great steel bridge
in Egypt; nor that In So brief time
American engineers would be building
railroads into the Interior OF China
from her most important sea-ports.
At that time no one supposed that
the Trans-Slberian Railway would be
laid with steel rails made In Pennsyl-
vanla, upon cross-tles from the forests
of Oregon, and that its trains would be
hauled by American locomotives; nor
that this great railway which Is TO
stretch from 81. Petersburg to Vladi.
yostok and Port Arthur, a distance Of
more than G,O00 miles, would be com
pIeted two years In advance OF the orig
inal expectation, as n result of the use
Of American construction tools and
machinery.
In a letter from a friend In Toxic.
Japan. written only n short time ago,
there was this significant sentence:
You will be interested In knowing that
| have hanging on the wall of my Of
flee framed picture Of your Empire
State Express, and we expect in the
near future 10 be hauling n japanese
Empire Express with an American To-
comotlve." They have now In Japan
more than one hundred locomotives
that were built in the United States.
In Russia they have nearly one thou
sand American locomotives, and prac-
tlcally every railway In Great Britain
has ordered locomotives from this coun-
try since the beginning Of the war with
Spain.
But II Is not alone our locomotives
that have attracted the attention Of for
elgners who have visited our shores,
our railway equipment generally has
commanded admiration and Is now re.
ceiving the highest compliment, name
ly. imitation by many Of our sister No.