The evening times. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1895-1902, 1900-08-08
RAILWAYS OF SPAIN.
Nearly All Have Subsidies FroIs the
National GOV eminent.


National Governments.
Dwight T. Reed. Vice Consul TO Madrid.
has just submitted TO the State Depart
ment an interesting report on railways il
Spain. The report says:
.A0n the Is. of January, 1899. there were
S06S miles Of railways in the Kingdom of
Spain, of which 6.842 miles were OF the
standard gaoge-5 feet inches; ,221 miles
were OF various narrow gauges from 246
to 1881 inches. and there was one ere
mal1era' or cog wheel road OF miles
THE principal railway corporations are;
The Northern Railway Company OF Spain,
having 2.2S9 miles. equipped with 662 loco
motives sc saloon cars, S66 frst-ciass cars,
400 second-class cars, Ss7 third-cIass cars,
192 miscellaneous cars, $50 baggage cars,
9.545 box and crate cars for merchandise
and cattle, and 2, 734 open or platform cars
making a total of Il, 726.
The Madrid lara goZa-Alicante Rail-
ways, having 2,277 miles, equipped with
800 locomotives, 81 saloon cars I97 first
class cars, 1z9 second-ciass cars aga third
class cars, 102 miscellaneous cars, $40 bag
gage cars. 3,4a7 box and crate cars for mer-
chandise and cattle, and 1852 open or plat
form cars, ma ling a total of S,752 cars.
The AndaIusian Railways Company,
having 688 miles equipped with lat iecomo-
tives, AS saloon cars, Is first-class cars,
los seeond-class cars, 256 third-class cars,
80 miscellaneous cars. 126 baggage cars,
! .o82 box and crate cars for merchandise
and cattle. and 1880 open or platform cars,
making a total of 1854 cars.
THE TaTragona, Barcelona, and France
Railways Companies, operated by the Ma
drid-Zaragoza- Alicante Company as the
Catalan division, equipped with 154 loco
motives, Is saloon ears. 10 first-class cars,
1872 second class cars. 269 third-class cars.
81 miscellaneous cars. IS baggage cars,
5. 422 box and crate cars for merchandise
and cattle, and 14F open or platform cars,
making a total of 4.149 cars.
THE four systems above named had
], 355 locomotives out of a total of 1888,
and 81 ,296 cars out OF a total of 40,197: the
/ balance (480 locomotives and 8,9Ol cars1
was divided among fifty smaller roads.
''Ali standard IS feet inches) railways
diverge from Madrid. either directly OF by
| combinations from functions on the main
lines, and all railways are invariably
measured in direction from Madrid.
There were forty-one lines devoted TO
carrying ores, coal, and minerals, when
do not carry passengers.
From the mountainous character OF the
country and the consequent expense OF
construction railway development in Spain
J has been slow The Government, how
| ever, has been very liberal in subsidies 10
! the larger lines, nineteen companies haT-
! ing received the equivalent Of about s64,-
/ 00e COO The principal subsidies were given
/ to the Northern Railway about $4,000, 10
. the Madrid Zarago Alicante about ST.
/ 600 600 the Southern Railway, $4,000, 600,
| this being the largest subsidy per mile OF
! any road in Spain, the Medina del Campo
/ Railway about So see, Gee. the balance, from
/ a few thousand dollars up TO some 81, $780,
(
/ roads
Madrid. as the centre of this railway
system, is situated ar IN elevation OF
! about the level OF the sea; but the noun
! tain heights between Madrid and the sea
ports impose steep grades, and in many
] places long detours have had TO be made
! all of which with a gauge of feet inch
I IS and the consequent friction. makes ope-
ration OF the roads very expensive and the
/ rates CT transportation very high Inc
/ tunnels are numerous, some being large
/ and the bridge work in many places Is
/ upon an expensive scale
The principal seaports are distant from
Madrid, namely: Barcelona. 40 5-S miles:
I Malaga. S94 IL miles; Bilbao, 34Z ia
miles: Cartagena. 326 Ii miles; Santanderr
2f21-2 miles; Valencia, 900 IL miles, and
! Alicante 292 "a miles
i III viii be observed that were it not for
+ the mountain ranges Intervening, the aN-
! eraee grades from these seapoTts TO Ma
drid would be very slight
There are many concessions held from
! the Government for projected lines and
branch lines which remain without even a
( commencement of work. owing 10 the evil
dent expense of the construction
! During the year 1899 there were eleven
! lines of 5-foot 6-ineh gauge in construction
and about 497 miles more under conces-
/ sion; there were about e43 81 miles OF
narrow gauge authorized and twenty-one
lines in construction; there were ISL miles
| of 5-foot 6-fnch gauge and 1854 miles CT
! narrow gauge railways recorded either as
! paraIyzei or as not having commenced
work Of construction
Numerous new concessions have been
! granted for construction OF naTrow-gdtge
/ railways in the iron-ore districts and coal
! regions Those in the iron-ere districts
are in general given to private companies;
those in the coal regions are given to both
/ private companies and TO individuals vino
: seek TO sell to promoters OF incoTporators,
and il is said that the eXorbitant price OF
| coal is an inducement for investors, who
] are readily taking up such operations. Con-
/ tinentai and English and Scotch ronna5-
! tiers and capitalists have II the last few
! wears bought extensively Of iron ore and
! coal properties in Spain and are expending
/ large sums OF money in railways to trans
mort the products TO the main lines or to
! the seacoast.
1T is confidently predicted that the ex-
/ ports of iron ore in 1860 viii reach 13,eGo,-
0Ne tons. or 1000. GOO tons in excess OF 1889
and the production of coal for consumption
! in the country, stimulated by the very higf
prices OF foreign coal, is increasing at {
rapid rate.
s.Such are some of the factors in the con
sideration of railway DEVELOPMENT in Spain
which in the future, it would appear, must
be in the narrow gauges; and If the Gov
! eminent protects such operations from IL
! liberal exactions. these will increase rapid
! Iv with enormous benefits 10 the country
/ and handsome returns TO the proprietors-
/ s'GeologicaIiy. Spain is perhaps as ricf
| in its metallic and mineral stores as any
country in the world according to its arsa
! and these can be utilized only b. affCrdirE
| TRANSPORTATION by railways, Chief among
| such resources NAV be mentioned antimonl
! in ten districts. anthracite ii five distrtc s
arsenic in five districts. asphalt in three
districts mercury in nine districts, sui
Dhur in eight districts; copper, cobalt, ant
nickel in twenty-eight districts; iron or
] in thirty districts. coal in nine districts
And there are lsnites and Manganese
| mines and marble duarries yielding tn'
I finest qualities and some of the mest beau
tffuI eelors which may be seen in man!
churches and public buildings. Cupreoui
and iron pyr1tes exist IN enormous quaint
Lies Silver anil silver lead are important
/ Zinc is abundant. and wolframite. meta
i now in demand at high prices in the manu-
facture of Bessener and open-hearth stee
for special purposes. exists In four dis
triets.
THE laws governing the Construct OF
and operation of railways are perhaps quite