The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1899-01-25
The Burlington Will Begin It's
Extension This Year.
HAS BEEN PROSPEROUS
An Official OF the Road Says the Bur-
lington Did Not Build Into Mon
tana to Stop at Billings Cos
sip OF the Roads.


Navigation company is believed to have
some foundation in fact, but not lust
as given in the story from Wallace. A
prominent official of the Burlington
said recently to a reporter for the
Standard that the road would be ex-
tended from Billings, but he was not
at liberty to say how soon it would be
done.
1--WE did not build into Montana to
stop at Billings" he said, land I may
say that the first building to be done by
the Burlington Of any Importance will
be the extension of the road farther
into the state"
In view of the great degree of pros
perity the Burlington has enjoyed dur
Ing the past few years, it Is the general
belief that the work on the looked-for
extension will be begun this year.
Earnings of American railroads con-
tinue to show increases over CORE
spending periods of last year, and -
months ago they were considered phe-
nomenal, says the Chicago Times
Herald. Increases, as compared with
year ago, therefore, indicate remark
ably good business for the common car
T.,
fore have enjoyed.
Another evidence of unusually good
business is the constant great demand
for cars, demand which many Of the
roads, both Of the East and the West,
have difficulty in meeting. There are
no car famines," but the traffic offered
is taxing the equipment of all the roads
TO the utmost. 1t was expected that the
great rush would be over with the hoi-
days. but so far there has been no evil
dence even Of a decrease.
What is even more remarkable is the
fact that all freight which is moving
now is going at full tariff rates. Since
the frst of the year no evidence of a
cut freight rate has developed among
the Eastern lines. The lines of the
west had a meeting here Friday to
consider the situation, and it Is re-
ported that the closest investigation
failed to bring to light single instance
OF decentralization. 1t is the opinio, of
the freight men, too, that this condition
ments, no traffic associations with
power, no artificial barriers to free
competition. The very fact that they
may not raise these barriers is making
the railroads extremely conservative,
and this fact is relied upon to prevent
secret reductions.
All i" all the situation is considered
better than it has been for years.
The Financial Chronicle reports the
gross earnings of 81 roads for the first
week in January as $2,277,294, an in
crease as compared with the first week
or 1888 of 1858, 237, or 5.33 per cent For
the second week of the month 81 roads
report gross earnings of $6,036525, an
increase of S247,235, or 424 per cent,
For the month of November 1876 roads
have made their reports, and they show
gross earnings of $S3. $780, 29, an increase
as compared with November of 1897 of
$2992,S13. Their operating expenses ag-
gregated s53,6OO,529, an increase of
$2,23S. 422. The net increase, therefore,
was 1854, $751; the net earnings having
been $50, 1889. For the II months of
1898 up to Nov 30, 1876 roads reported
gross earnings of s776,3 ,455. This is
an increase over the corresponding
period of the preceding year of s52,-
319,S7 Operating expenses of these
roads for the period stated were $685.
74S,967 an increase of $50, O35, 9O5. Net
earnings We're $249,643, ASS, an increase
of $40, 283, 472.
Commenting on the speed of the new
fast mail trains out of Chicago. the
Pittsburg Post says:
One hundred and thirty miles an
hour! Just think of it: 1880 feet reeled
off in 100 seconds, even at 100 miles an
over while the second hand of your
watch makes one little forward move
ment. It would be quicker than fall
down through an elevator shaft Think
Of bein- rushed through space quicker
than you could fall through space, and
remember that your breath is taken
away when you fall from high build
ing. You could not go to the top of the
Park building, 1874 feet, and plunge
headlong to the pavement, and pass
through 176 feet of space in second
There are $3.50 feet in mile and 1850
feet in two miles, and there are go Sec
onds in a minute. Divide the number
176 feet to the second. This is start
ling. amazing, almost incomprehensi-
BILE; it means that you are being
rushed over six 30-foot fails in a sec
ond."
p. c. Gard has returned from visit
to the Idaho copper regions, says the
Denver News. While there he met
l. d. Blake, at one time president of the
Continental Oil company in Denver,
ana a prominent real estate man. Mr..
Blake had just returned from Boston,
after having raised a large sum of
money to build 100 miles of railroad
from Weiser to the Seven Devils COP
per region, which is regarded by many
experts as the coming copper region of
the country. The ore carries as high
as 10 per cent copper, as well as con
siderable values in gold and silver.
Kountze Bros. and Dennis Sheedy are
said to be interested in mines in that
section.
Spokane -nner with a hyphenated
designation is the only real sit' when
it comes to railroad news. It's young
man is in the confidence of all the rail-
road presidents of America and gets
the news seven weeks ahead of every
other young man. The railway jour
nails and the usually recognized official
organs of the railroads, and even the
financial journals of the East, must
rely on the Spokane paper for their
news, all of which gives the hyphen-
ated young man of Spokane the license
to cry thief" after the manner of
Professor Gardeners educated Chin
nance who has been taught to utter
that one word.
Earnings of the Union Pacific road
for the year 1898 show a surplus over
fixed charges and preferred dividends |