Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1900-09-17

shoes, picking up sticks, fat hens.
Nevertheless, it is hoped that the fol-
lowing facts about the railways OF this
country, drawn from the twelfth an
nual report of the statistics of rail-
ways in the United States for the
year ended June 80, 1899, may be
found interesting to the general
reader:
The length of the railroads of the
United States on June 80, 1899, was
1925 miles. In addition to this there
were:
11,547 miles of second track.
1,047 miles of third track.
100 miles of fourth track.
1885 miles of yard tracks and sid
ings.
There were employed on these rail-
ways:
1884 passenger locomotives
20, 1928 freight locomotives.
5.480 switching locomotives.
COL other locomotives.
1880 passenger cars.
1855 freight cars.
1886 service cars.
These freight and service cars would
stretch more than one-third around
the earth at the equator.
To man and manage this system re-
ouired an army of 928,824 men, or
nearly five men for each mile of line.
The total wages paid this army was
1922, 967, 1896. These wages were two
fifths of the gross earnings of the rail
ways; that is to say, of every dollar
received by the railways for trans
portation 40 cents was paid directly to
their employees for wages.
The total earnings of these railways
was $1,313, 610,11S, an inconceivabie
sum of money. Estimating the total
population of the United States at that
date at seventy-five millions, these
earnings were S1752 for each man,
woman and child in the country. The
wages paid to railway employees by
each man, woman and child in the
country, therefore, eQualed S6.97.
There was no other source for these
earnings, no other source for these
wages. How dependent, therefore,
each citizen is upon the industry and
thrift of the other!
The aggregate indebtedness of these
railways was:
For stock ........ ...... 50 ,5l5, Oll,fzt
For bonds -. 4,731, 054, 37f
For other obligations, in
Guiding income and
equipment bonds ....... 1877, 1888, 79t
Total ......... $11, 033, 1854, 89S
1t is conservatively assumed that
three-fourths of these stocks and
bonds are owned by the people, the
banks and insurance companies of this
country. This three-fourths-or, say
S8275. 466, lips equal to $110.34 fol
every man, woman and child in the
country. From this fact the Interest
of everyone in this enormous indus
trial system can be gagged. Everyone
who has dollar in a savings bank
everyone who mas money in any bank
everyone who has his life insured,
is interested in the welfare of the rail
roads.
These railways moved in the veal
ended July so, 1899, AL, 1881 ,623 tons O.
freight. Of this the mines contribut
ed more than one-half, or 51.7 pc
cent; manufacturers, 13.45 per cent.
= agriculture, 11.33 per cent; forests
1889 per cent. The mines would clos
down without the railways and an
other industrial army Of 100000 b
rendered idle.
They carried last year 523, 1850
passengers; that is to say, on an aver
age. everyone in the United State
made seven Journeys on railroads an
each journey made was for the averag
distance of 27.S9 miles. With tn
growth of the country and the sprea
of the people over the hitherto sparse
ly settled west, the average distance 0
these Journeys is found to increase a
the rate of about per cent. per an
mum for the last three years. larg
Increase in the number of passenger
may be expected this year, for
is election year, in which many pill
grimiages may be looked for. Thus
in 1896 there were 22,327, $50 NOR
passengers moved than in 1897 an
10.7O6,O56 more than in 1898.
The average cost to the passenge
for each mile travelled was 1925 cents
and for each ton of freight hauled on
mile was .724 cents. or less than
cents a mile for passenger travel an
less than three-fourths of cent 10
hauling a ton of freight one mile Fe
years ago these rates were: For pas
senger one mile, 2142 cents; per to-
of freight one mile, .941 cents. Ye
many railroads do large portion o
their business at one-half of thes
average rates. and do it proftably
which shows two things: First, the Ell
feet of volume in economy of opera
ton: second, the unreliability of aver
ages for specific purposes. Thus: L
1890 the number of tons of freight pc