The Brandon news. (Brandon, Miss.) 1892-1961, 1902-11-06
RAIL WAY MILEAGE INCREASE.


The total length of completed steam
railroads in the United States in De-
cember 81, 1901, is given as 1913, 1877
miles, of which 1875, 1856 miles are rep
! resented in the general statistics, the
remaining 2, 900 miles have been COM
pleted since the close of the companies
fiscal years. The second track, sid
ings, etc.. amount to 10, 105. making q
grand total of 265, 992, OF which go. Z
per cent are Of steel rails, only 10, 181
miles of iron track remaining andthose
being found almost entirely in sidings
and logging and mining roads.
The net increase in mileage in 1901,
after deductions for abandoned
tracks, etc., was 4, 453 miles, which is
greater than in any year since 1900.
Passenger traffic reached unprece-
denied figures, the number OF passen-
gers carried, 600, 4S5, 100, being nearly
Is, 600, 900 more than in 1901 and the
receipts from passenger traffic being
we'll on to $50, 900, 900 more than the
previous year. The average receipts
per passenger per mile were 2. O2S cents,
fraction less than in the preceding
year, but little more than in the two
years before that and the average re-
ceipts per mile Of road, 1, 6l. were high
or than in any previous Year,. Freight
traffic also shows unequallad figures.
The increase over 1900 was IL, 900, 900
tons carried and 1889, 600, 600 miles
moved, and the freight earnings were
$73, 600, 600 more than in 1900. This
increase is partly due to the increase
in the average receipts per ton per mile
from 0.746 cents to 0.756 cents.
The earnings per mile of railorad in
operation increased from 81, 1926 in 1900
to So, 270 lii 1901, and the net earnings
per mile from ST. to So, 268, while
the percentage of expenses to earnings
decreased from g. SO TO 67.73. The
average interest paid by the railways,
AL per cent is a trife less than in
1900, while the average of dividends,
which in 1899 was LAC per cent and
IN 1900 was 2. 40 per cent has arisen to
2.62 per cent.
The railways in the aggregate show
surplus over expenses, interest, divi-
dends and other OUTLAWS, of Sill, 3O8, :
1874, compared with a deficit in the
bad year 1894 of $40, 10, 445, while the
surplus of the good year, 1900 was ex.
decided by $l8, 800, 600 last year.
Liabilities of all kinds increased last
year $538, 600, 600, but assets increased
$40, 600, 600 of which 1888, 900, 600 is
prese Diet rein increased cost of rail-
way and equipment, the rest being
credited to other investments, the
values of which may be fuotuating
and not wholly tangible.
The interstate commerce commission
has just issued an accident bulletin
for April, May and June, 1902, and
the ending June 30 last. The report
shows collisions and derailments' of
trains and casualties to persons
For the twelve months the total num-
bel of casualties were 42,61 of which
2,819 represent persons killed and &c.
800 persons injured. The total of COL
lisions and derailments is given as g.
$40, representing a loss of 81, 4O6,
the total collisions being 5. 342, and
the total of deraiIments 1888, the
former representing loss of 81, 1885,
O84, and the latter involving So, $780,
1898.
The summary is as follows: Passen-
gers killed in collisions 100 and iniur.
ed 2, 298, trainmen killed in collisions
336 and 2, 456 injured, other persons
employed on or around trains killed in
collisions 10 and injured 265, switch
men, fagmen and watohmen and a.,
other employees "a and 800, total en-
ployes 425 and 3,065, derailments add
81 passengers killed and /. 1874 injured,
and total employees 425 killed and l.,
$50 injured, miscellaneous train aooi
dents, excluding collisions and derail..
ments, and including locomotive boil
or explosions, "a passengers injured
and 43 employees killed and COL injured;
otal train accidents 1877 passengers
killed and 8, $50 injured, and 697 en-
ployes killed and 5,046 injured The
total casua ties to passengers from al
causes show 303 killed and 6,OS9 in
jured, to employees 2,516 and 33, I'll
injured.
The number Of men employed by
the railroads have been constantly in
oreasing. 1t is much larger in 1909
than in 1898. but precise figures for
1902 have not yet been compiled. In
1898 800 passengers were killed and
1929 were injured, as compared with
SOB killed and $3.50 injured in 1902;
in 1898 2.727 employees were killed
and 81 729 iniurad as cnmnarnd with