New-York tribune., 1902-06-23
6rERTC4N RAILWAYS.

From some figures which it finds in Ger
man technical publication. showing the number
Of miles of railway built in the principal geo
5ranbicaI divisions of the world in the last
seven decades The Railroad Gazette" con
"Iudes that America and other highly civilized
countries now have nearly all the transporta-
ton facilities which they need. Building must.
therefore go on in the future al a slower pace
than hitherto. North America constructed
81 766 miles of track between 1880 and lS9o'
and only 33 S36 during the succeeding ten years.
There was falling off elsewhere, too. The
additions to the mileage of the whole world
In the second of these periods were only Two
thirds as large as in the first, But the growth
n North America was only two-tifths as great
aetween 1890 and 1900 as between 1850 and
1890 This disproportonate diminuton in new
mileage though, is easy TO understand II Is
the natural consequence of Americas tremen-
dous lead in the race with other countries, Az
the close of the century the northern hall OF
this continent reported 22o.SSo miles or ralI-
way while South America. Europe Asia, AFRICA
and Australia together had Il total OF only abont
27000O The United States had a mile Of road
'or every 3S3 inhabitants. Europe one for every
,o67. and British India one for every l2.4D.
Neither The Railroad Gazette nor the perl
odical from which these statistics ar" derived
attempts to show how the United States ana It's
immediate neichbors came 10 enjoy their pres
ent ascendancy. Several causes, no doubt have
contributed to the result. 1t has cost less to
build roads in America than in Europe At
any rate every mile of road the other side
of the Atlantic represents about twice as much
invested capital as one does this side Trans
oortation rates here are lower and patronage
better 4 larger proportion Of Americans than
of Europeans travel by rail. and perhaps more
Americans than Europeans snip freight Cheap
steel rails also may have had something TO do
with the development of the last twenty years.
After all though, the spirit Of enterprise which
animates Americans and which has for
this country supremacy in 50 many other in
dustries. is an important factor in railroading
in the New World Here indeed may he the
chief explanation of the figures just quoted.
Americas place in the realm Of transporta
ton. however. is not fully revealed by her su-
perior mileage. The sleeping car. the dining
car. the vestibuled train the airbrake. the auto
matte coupler. electric car lighting and other
provisions for the comfort and safety of travel
originated here SO did the pressed steel freight
car Although the roadbed of the American
railway is not yet perfect. and although the
grade crossing has not yet been entirely abol-
ished higher speeds are secured by American
than European expresses. Finally, the sub
stitution of electricity for steam on suburban
roads has gone further here than anywhere
else. America has taught the world many les
sons in the operation of railroads.
This country has furnished the rest of the
globe not only with a wholesome example and
many excellent ideas, but also with a great
deal of merchantable material. Hence the eX-
pansion which has ceased to go on in con-
struction and equipment at home may soon
be compensated by contracts in and sales TO
foreign countries Already rails, bridges, loco
motives. dynamos and other articles needed for
the building and running OF trunk and local
railways are being exported extensively to
Asia. Africa. Australia and South America 1t
is not an eXtravagant hope that this traffic will
experience a steady and magnificent develop
ment. and that the momentum acquired by
capital, sagacity and engineering skill at home
in the past may still lie sustained in tri-
umphS abroad.