Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1900-10-04
PROSPEROUS YEAR.
Annual Report of the Maine
Central Railroad.
The Cp rating Expenses Advance as
Well as the Income.
No Comparisons Made on Result Of Reduciion
in Tariff Rates.

Iit Niititt mas ISSUED lis
annual report which shows that the
road has had prosperous year What
effect the reduction in fares has had
cannot yet be told the scheme has
not yet been in operation long enough
! for an accurate idea to be gained A
summary of the report follows:
| The cost of supplying certain safety
! appliances III compliance with thu
United States statutes which took
effect Aug. l. is S95.944.S9 This has
| been included in the operating ex
penses of this year.
The operating charges for new
equipment during the year include 4
| locomotives, l passenger car, 3 bag
gage ana mail combination cars. .
baggage ears, 100 box cars. 20 fiat cars
G. coal ears and snow plows. costing
Qess for old equipment sold $2O3. POI. %.
and further appropriation for equip
ment under contract. but not delivered
on June 80, of Sl7J, 000-a total of SITS
20129
The commOdious and suitable pas
sengcr station and yard at Brunswick
Maine, have been completed and put
IN service during the year. the total
cost there of being S35 224.21. Other pas
senger stations have been built at
WaukeaG, Washington Junction, Pc
JepscQt and West baldwin. AT Bangor
new 80 stall brick round house is
in the course Of construction including
extensive arrangements of the ad-
Jacent freight yards and wharf prop
erty. at an estimated total cost of
about $4,000. of which amount $25.
coo has already been expended and
charged to operating expense.
OF the expenditures for operating
and maintenance. given in detail in
the annexed tables. some of the larger
items are here collated: 4lS1 tons
(35.40 miles, of new rails laid in main
tracks and 4,730 tons t46.2S miles) re-
laying rails in branches and side tracks
at net cost Of SCI Sol 50; raising and
ballasting 26 miles of track. 81 1854:
repairs Of locomotives. $l47,273.54 Of
passenger baggage, mail and express
ears. ST. PAP. 10: of freight cars, SS2.-
212.I9: of road-bed and track. S419,-
205lS: $50. 40 ties laid. s97.02015: ana
repairs Of fences including FPS miles
Of fence rebuilt. S1l,27S54. A new steel
bridge 100 feet long at Thomaston,
Maine. begun last year, has been com
pleted. mt a total cost of S3o. 040.1S, OF
which this fiscal years proportion is
$22, 614.S5; ana $S96l IS has been ex-
pended for repairs Of steamboats, in
service at Bath and Mt. Desert.
On March l. 1900, a revision was
made of the company's passenger
tariffs covering all its lines in Maine
and a portion of those in New Hamp-
shire. resulting in numerous and ex-
tensiVe reductions in many of the rates
hitherto charged. From careful esti-
mates made in advance, il appeared
that these reductions would produce a
loss in income of not less than So. 600 90
per annum unless new travel sufficient
to offset this loss should be thereby
created: but as many of the rates re-
Vised had been considered excessive by
the roads customers, it was deemed
wise to try the experiment Of lower
ing them. This revision was made 50
near the end Of the fiscal year that it
is impossible to determine its ultimate
effect upon the company's income.
The transportation earnings We're as
follows Passenger. $2,02lli4 extra
baggage ana storage. S34 694 Oh mail. $3.50
377SS; express, S77,l2i.46: miscellaneous
81 1921 total passenger earnings. 81
325 80. %; freight. So ~, 273.07; mscellanc-
Gus, s10,35S11; total freight earnings So
2S7.631.lS; total transportation earnings.
$56l2 923.6S.
The income from all sources excluding
those from transportation was: Passen-
ger S2.U33 10. extra baggage and stor-
age. S3i.G9i0l: mail. $lS0.37r>S, express.
81, 124.4G; investments. Sl55G2.S ~; miscella-
neous and rents, $70,lSl73; total. S5,69S.-
t6S. %.
The mileage operated il: Main tracks.
Sl5.S3; second tracks. 1850; sidings. spurs
and other tracks, 25oG7; total ll07
The operating expenses have increased
$40, 63i1 This is due in part to the ad-
vance in price of fuel for locomotives and
all kinds of supplies necessary to the
roads operation, but in a greater degree
more than the ordinary amount Of new
equipment
Among the larger sums expended. that
are in their nature permanent improve
ments upon the property but which have
been charged wholly to operating expense.
are the following: Renewal of rails. S6i.-
56l. 81: ballasting % miles of track Sl1.-
056.34 new bridges ana buildings. $50. 61412;
new equipment, $A3. POI 30: appropriation
for new equipment under contract. but
not delivered. June 30, $175,C00; total, $525-
1881.
Charges have been made to construc
ton account during the year for the fol
lowing items only: Cost of constructing
CobbosSeecontee Branch. less proportion
dustrics upon its line $l0.35l.%0; me- cost
Of real estate purchased. s2920.55; total,
$l3, 272.45.
The Cobbosseecontee Branch has been
built from Gardiner, Ne. LIS miles along
the bank of the stream from which it
takes its name. to Copsecook Mill. 1t
gives several large and prosperous indus
tries the advantages of direct rail connec-
ton with this companY's lines. and the
cost Of its construction and operation
will, it is believed. be fully compensated
for by considerable consequent increase
in the roads business.
The result of operations for the year,
as compared with that of the previous
year, has been as follows:
RECEIPTS.
1890 1899.
From passengers - S. 0G3. 09G.15 81 500 632.5S
From extra baggage
and storage ....... oi,6Jl.Ol I.3I.bl
From mail ......... $50 Bliss It's. Y
From express ...,... ilGi4O f.2oU.0J
al