Arizona republican., 1902-11-11
Railroads of the United States.


 Tn twenty years the United States has built nearly half the railway mile age of the world. and our railway cap- ital today stands for SIP 000, ,000, GOO. critics is estimated at somewhat above that enormous sum.
 The New York Commercial has com piled from the census report some of the statistics which tell the wondeful story of this development. There are more than two hundred thousand miles of single track railroads in the United States. The significance of this may be appreciated by the statement that it is equal to a single track encircling the entire globe eight times. Including the second track the mileage of the rail- roads if stretched out in a single line would reach from here to the moon. The capitalization of the railroads is greater than the entire production of gold since the discovery of America in 1492. It is greater than the entire deposits in all of the banks of the Unit e dStates. It is equal to nearly one fifth of the total wealth of the country. In the fiscal year 1901 the gross earn ings of all the railroads in the country amounted to $1,5SS. .526,O37. This is equivalent to more than s1 for each civilized and uncivilized inhabitant of the earth.
 The number of persons in the employ ment of the railroads of the United States in 1901 was more than 100000 or an average of 54s employees for each 100 miles of line. If 1t is supposed that each of these employees supports on an average three other persons. it would appear that one person in every twenty In the United States is supported di- rectly by the railroads. The amount paid in salaries and wages during the same year amounted to .61O. 713,OOO
 In addition, more than 100, 900 persons are constantly employed in the mines to furnish the railroads with fuel and ores. An equal number are employed In constructing locomotives, freight and passenger cars. More than 50,0O0 men are engaged in furnishing the rail- roads with ties. In addition, there are thousands of other employees. such as those who are directly dependent upon the railroad industry for their liveli- hood.
 Between S0,0Oo, 900 and 100, ,oO0, 900 ties are used annually by the railroads. To produce them it is estimated that space Is laid bare each year a mile wide sufficient to extend from New York to San Francisco. In addition to this used annually for the construction of freight and passenger cars. At an aver age of forty cents apiece it would ap- pear that it costs the railroads over $32, 900 900 annuelly to lay sufficient ties to keep their roadways in good condi- tion.
 During the fiscal year 1901 the rail- roads carried GOT, ,27S.121 passengers, or nearly nine times the entire popula ton of this country. The number of pdootH6tI5 to the absolutely incomprehensible to- tai of 17,353. .5S8, ,444. But the greatest service of the railroads is in the trans portation of freight The number of tons of freight carried during the same year was 1,089, ,226, 40. The number of tons of freight carried one mile was 147, ,077. .136,0 ,040. The total number of passengers and tons of freight carrie! one mile amounted to 164, ,430, 724, ASA. This is the number of units of service performed by the railroads of this country In a single year.
 In 1886, nearly twenty years ago, the United States commissioner of labor said in his report:
 There are in the United States 28,009 locomotives. To do the work of these locomotives upon the existing common roads of the country the equivalent of that which has been done upon the rafl- roads the past year would require, In round numbers, 54,O00,0O0 horses and 13,500, 900 men. The present cost of op- erating the railroads of the country with steam power is, in round numbers