The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1900-10-15
NOTES0 THE RAIL wars
Some Interesting Statistics From
Poor's Manual For 1900.
TIE BURL1raToFs EXTENSION.

new Line 6@tWeeM Denver and South
Dakota ana lGonfamm lGanalk Dis
triets-World'a Railway Congress
to DE Held I'm wanhinwton.
In the introduction to Poor's Manual
For 1900, just issued, It Is shown that
there are 190.SS3 miles Of complete
railroad in this country. The net In
crease in mileage last year was 1881
miles. The aggregate capitarstock of
these roads Is $5,742, 1S1, ,18l and the
aggregate funded debt $5,644, ,856 OF.
The number of railroad corporations In
this country is about 1,735, not includ-
Ing private railroads, and about Q1O
companies conduct the traflc opera
tions OF all the railroads The tenden-
cy to absorption by consolidation is In
creasing constantly. Within recent
years 1.7S5 railroad companies, with
an aggregate mileage Of 142,177, have
passed out Of legal existence. Fifty
three companies own and operate 49,
1871 miles OF railroad. or this mileage
$3.50 is leased. The total assets
OF all the railroads In the country at
the beginning Of this year were $12,.
53,245,625. Within recent years,
through reorganization, there has been
an increase In share capital of $454,-
407,316. while In bonded debts there
was the large reduction OF 1927, ,259,-
07S. so that ON the basis Of mileage OF
railroad owned the reorganized com.
panies are capitalized for $3S,006 per
mile of stock against $31,711 before
reorganization and $34,2 ,227 per mile OF
bonds against $780, 500 under the old
organizations.
The Burlington's new line between
Alliance, Neb., and Brush. Colo, has
been formally opened to general traffic.
The new branch is 1890 miles long
and is laid with S5 pound steel rails.
1t makes short route between Den
yer and the rich mining districts Of
South Dakota and Montana.
The new line connects with the sys-
TENS Guernsey extension at North
port, Neb., and practically opens up
a new transcontinental railway be-
tween Colorado and points in Montana,
Washington and the north Pacific
coast. Under previous conditions the
Burlington's traffic between Denver
and the Black Hills had been handled
by way Of Lincoln. The new cut OF
reduces the distance 673 miles. A
passenger Ia now able to leave Dead
wood in the morning and reach Den
yer the same night.
The new line will be of marked Inn
portance to the lumber and shingle in
terests of the Puget sound district, as
1t win open up a new market. This
trade has heretofore, to great extent.
been shut of from the Colorado mar
kets because of the long haul.
The next international railway con-
gress will be held in Washington in Oc-
tober, 1904. A cable dispatch from w.
F. Allen, secretary of the American
Railway association, announcing that
fact has been received at the Offices Of
the association In New York. Mr.. Al
len, who Is one of the American dele
gates to the international railway con-
gress which has been in session In the
French capital, says that pressing In
vitation by the delegates from this
country has been extended to the con-
gress and that the members of that
body had Informed Mr.. Allen Of their
acceptance.
Cyrus s. Sedgwick, prominently iden-
tilted with railway block signal COM
pany, who returned from Europe re-
Gently, commenting upon the few safe
ty devices in use on European rail-
ways, says: "They are just beginning
to use block signals over there, and
the Paris, Lyons and Mediterranean, a
progressive road, is installing a sys-
tenn of disk signals. / visited the Paris
exposition, and | was naturally inter-
ested In looking at safety appliances
for the use of railways. ! was much
surprised to find that there was only
one railway block signal on exhibition
In the whole exposition, and. strangely
enough, that was not put in by the
company that manufactures 1t. 1t was
our signal, but it was put on exhtbi-
ton by the Paris, Lyons and Mediter-
ranean, which is quite proud Of its new
equipment. While was at the exposi-
ton two prominent Italian civil engi-
neers came along. They saw the sig
nal working and were so interested In
the affair that they Travelled several
hundred miles to see one In actual op-
Grafton. owing to the impression the
model made on them. l understand
they intend to introduce the signals In
Italy. Our country, with the enormous
amounts Of money spent yearly on au
tomato couplers, track and block sig
nails and signal towers and other safe
ty devices. still sees many accidents
1t is wonderful to think that. with sc
little precaution abroad, there are moi
| greater and more frequent accidents" !"
The Great Northern railway, says {
Montreal dispatch. is now all but com
| pleted and will within a month take III
| place as one of the great grain carry
| ing roads of Canada. This road, start
ing from Quebec. runs in southwest
| erly directions to Hawkesbury, Ont.
4 where 1t joins the Canada Atlantic sys
| tenn, which runs to Parry sound. on tn
Georgian bay. and has in connection
with 1t a feet OF grain boats on the up
per great lakes. The great bridge owe
the Ottawa river is not yet altogethe
completed. but trains Will be able t
cross BY the middle Of October, an,
4 Ns~o ~-,ill than hn farms 11v 0nono,