The people's journal. (Pickens, S.C.) 1891-1903, 1901-10-10
THE RAILROADS OF AMERICA
Facts and Figures as to Their Com
struction and management.

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The address which Senator Depew
delivered at the Buffalo Exposition on
" Railroad-Day was full of interest,"
ing and valuable information. He said
that since the construction of Stephen
sons locomotive sevcnty-two years ago,
there have been built IN the whole
world Ats 900 miles of railway, which
arc Capitalized at about forty billion
dollars. The aggregate length of the
railways Of the United States is 193,-
600 miles, with u capitalization in
stock and bonds Of eleven billion seven
hundred and nineteen million dollars.
The mileage of our railroads is six
times greater than that of any other
country and many thousand miles long
or than all the railroads of Europe
combined. While this country occu
pies about six per cent. of the land
surface Of The globe, we have over
forty per cent. of its railway mileage,
while the international commerce of
our country is so vast that The tonnage
annually carried by the railroads is
greater than the totals of Great Britain,
Ireland, France and Germany COM
bincd.
1t was recalled that railway develop.
mcnt of the United States commenced
in 1880, in which year forty miles of
road were built. Up to 1860 we had
reached only 2S 900 miles, being less
than ,00G miles a year, but from that
time there WAS wonderful progress in
railroad building, exclusive OF the war
period. Between 1865 ami 1870, 21,-
O0G miles were built bot@9 1870
and 1880, 81 900 miles were B lit be-
tween 1880 and 1890, IT 900 miles; be-
tween 1890 and 1897, 2l 900 miles
from 1897 to 1900, 5000 miles.
While we have not built 80 many
miles of road within the past few years
vast sums of money have been ex-
pended in improving them, in replacing
wooden bridges with steel structures,
and putting on more powerful locomo-
tivcs and larger freight cars and more
elegantly appointed passenger coaches.
Senator Depew says that in the ser
vice of the railroads in 1900, there
were over a million men and they were
paid $577 900 900, or sixty per cent.
Of the entire operating expenses.
There were at least million more, he
said, employed in building cars and
locomotives, in mining coal, in getting
out ore, III making steels rails and
their attachments and in multitude
Of other employments which exist only
to supply the railroads, 80 that one in
every fifteen of the persons in the
United States, who are engaged in
mechanical pursuits, or earning wages
or salaries, get their living from the
operation of the railroads Of The cOun-
try.
The gross earnings Of the railroads
Of the United States in 1900 wore
81 ,4S7 900 900, Of which, as has al
ready been stated, $577 100000 went
for labor 1892 ,O00, 900 for material and
supplies, rentals, interest and taxes
and the balance Of $llS, 900, 900 to the
stockholders. " TO make this situation
moro clearly undcrstood," said Mr..
Depew, "of every hundred dollars
earned by railroad, $3.50 goes directly
to the employees of the company, 1927
for the supplies, which is labor 1913
for interest on the Indebtedness and
rentals of other peoples and city's
properly, $3 for taxes and IS to the
: stockholders. The sum distributed to
the stockholders is equal to about two
y pcr cent. on the stock" OF course
:, some stocks pay more and some less
q and some pay no dividends at all, but
two per cent. is the average.
AS showing what progress has been
made i'll railroad management, Mr..
) Dcpcw says that when hc' entered tho
service in 1866, the rate per ton per
mile for freight was two cents or twen-
ty mills ; the average rate per ton per
mile on all railroads of the country in
1900 was about seven mills. Yet the
railroads make more money now than
they formerly made because of the in-
creased capacity. Railroads are run
more economically in one sense than
ever before and the affairs of these
roads are conducted in a. moro busi-
ncss-like way. Tho object now Is to
give first Of all a first-class service, and
then to pay as large dividend as pos
sible TO the owners of the stock.
$50 ,-s11u------