The age-herald., 1901-07-22
ONE MILLION MEN
 ON THE RAILROADS Great Army of Workers for
 Public Carriers A THOUSAND LOCOMOTIVES In Excess of the Previous siYear Draw Trains in Amerlca-oVer+42,ooo En- eineers, 44,ooo Flrenen and
 3o,ooo Conductors.
A THOUSAND LOCOMOTIVES

One year ago there were S7. .66S locomo- tives in operation on the railroads of the United States. according to the annual report of the Interstate Commerce Com mission. This number exceeds the num- ber in service in 1899 by total of s6O.
 It is estimated that the increase for this year will far exceed that number. The report will not be issued for several months yet, but will be rather startling. it is said
 The number of employees of the rail ways in the United States exceed one million and their wages were s5T7, ,264'S4l. There statistics are from an abstract ol the report as follows:
 .srhere were s7,6es locomotives in the service of the railways on June 30, l9Oo' or 9e0 more than the year previous or the total number reported 9,S6S are classed as passenger locomotives. 21,596 as freight locomotives 56o1 as switching locomotives and 5S3 are not classified.
 The total number of cars of all classes in the service of the railways on the same date was 1.450S3S, an increase or 74s22 being shown in this item. Of the
  passenger service, 1,365,531 to the freight service. and 5O.594 to the direct service of the railways. It should be understood. however that cars owned by private com panies and firms and used by railways are not included in the returns made by the commission. The report contains summaries which will indicate the densi- ty of equipment and the extent to which it is used It appears that the railways of the United States used on an average twenty locomotives and 75s cars per 100 miles or line; that 5S,4sS passengers were carried and 1.626,179 passenger miles ac- complished per passenger locomotive; and that 51,013 tons of freight were car ried and 6556, ,7S1 ton miles accomplished per freight locomotive. All of these items show an increase when compared with corresponding figures for the year 1859. There was also decrease in the number of messenger cars per 100000 passengers carried. and a decrease in the number of freigh. cars per 100000 tons of freight carried.
 eBoth locomotives and cars being em- braced in the term equipment 1t appears that the total equipment of the railways on the date referred to was 1,4ss,5ol or this number 1,O55,729 were fitted with train brakes, the increase in this item be- ing 197, ,e55. and 14o4,132 were fitted with automatic couplers, the increase being 26c, 41S.
 .sPracticalIy all locomotives and cars Tn the passenger service were fitted with troin brakes. and of 9S63 locomotives as- siyned to that service 74S1 were fitted with automatic couples Nearly all pas senger cars were fitted with automatic couplers. With respect to freight equip ment. it is noted that nearly all freight locomotives were equipped with train brakes and 75 per cent of them with au- tomatic couplers the corresponding figure one year previous was 45 per cent. Of 1.365.53l cars in the freight service June so. 1900. 92O, 465 were fitted with train brakes. and 1,3o7,559 with automatic cou- ,plers.
 Employees.
 'The number of persons employed by the railways of the United States. as re- ported for June 30, 1900, was 1,017, ,653, or an average of 52s employees per 100 miles of line. AS compared WlIn the nuEiDef employed on June 3o 1899, there was an increase of SS,729, or S4 per 100 miles of line From the classification of these employees it appears that 42.sS7 were en- ginemen. A.13O firemen. 29,957 conductors. and 74,274 other trainmen. There were 50 7Ss switchmen, iagmen, and watch men.
 "Disregarding s394 employees not assign ed to the four general divisions of em- ployment, it is found that the services of 36, 451 employees were required for general administrations 924,946 for maintenance of way and structures; 197.79s for mainten- ance of equipment, and 45006S for con- ducting transportation.
 ''The report will contain a statement of the average daily compensation of the eighteen classes of employees for nine years, beginning with 1892. Another sum- mary gives the total compensation of more than 99 per cent of railway em- ployes, for the fiscal years 1895 to 1900. During the year ending June 30, 1900, $577,- 264,s41 were paid in wages and salaries, an amount $l31, ,756,5S0 in excess of that paid during the fiscal year 1895. The com pensation of the employees of railways for the fiscal year 1900 represents 60 per cent of the operating expenses of the roads and 39 per cent of their gross earnings "