The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1902-01-24

$50
Third. An account of the debts and
demands against the estate of the sad
Augustus Chaplin. deceased. with the or
der of their priority. II any.
in the United States for the year ending
June 50. 1901 prepared by its statisti-
clan in advance of the complete statis-
,tical report for the year, from which
the more important results OF the ope-
rations OF the railways for the last fiscal
year are summarized in the following
statement.s;5 F,sr,.IttsF
Bra SUMMARIES.
The preliminary report includes re-
turns ofaraiIWays operating 1928 miles
of line, or probably 90 per cent. of tho
mileage that Will be covered by the final
report of the year. The passenger earn
ings CT these railways were S426,a9a.2I0,
and the freight earnings Sl.1tL I4o,1I0.
| The total earnings We're Sl,5IS 2G5 or
SSH per mile of line. The gross earn
| ings for 1900. as shown in the final re-
| port for that year. were 81 ,4S7. 1liSti Ths
! opera ting expenses for 1901 amounted to
| s1,O2S, Isl, or $685. per mile of line,
| the net earnings of the roads included
| III this advance report being $5oo, DOT, S2i, or
| S2255,51l21S in excess of their earnings
during the fiscal year 1900. The total
| income of these roads, including s65,2l,-
| an received from investments anu aOInec
| sources, WIS $50, 30 l6S.
| The total deductions from income nos
| including dividends, We're S4el,625. 1876. In
| this amount are included interest on
| bonds, rents for leased lines. better
| nents charged to income, taxes (Which
| were Sil,0it,2lD, and other miscellaneous;
| charges The amount OF dividends de-
! cittrcd during the year was Sf2i Jos .6S1.
| AS it is shown that the dividends of cor
responding roads for 1900 were sl0S,.fo,-
| TO-. it appears that the pecuniary re-
| turns to their stockholders in 1901 were
/ about $lS0oo,000 greater than in the year
| before.
The surplus from the operations of. tho
! roads included in the report under con-
sideration for the year ending June 30.
E.19o1, was S175lt7S5. Tho surplus for 1900.
| as shown in the final report for traE
| year, was sS7,657,o23
/ BENEFITS OF SAFETY APPLIANCES.
/ The safety-appliance law became fully
| effective on August ], 1900 and the bene-
| ficent results of its operation are now
| being realized. The greatly increased Sc
curity to life and limb by which the men
| on freight trains and in freight yards;
now perform their work is now apparent
on every hand. Evidence of the in.-
! proved conditions resulting from the prac-
| ticuliy universal use OF automatic couplera
/ on freight cars appears III the records
| of accidents and in the testimony OF
/ railroad officials and employees Further
/ proof from a financial standpoint is also
| foun6s i'll the records of the railway claim
/ department, as well as in those of the
| several trainmens associate
The report then shows that for the
year ending June 50, lJ0f. the number
of employees killed in coupling accidents
was less than in the preceding year by
| about SO per cent. and the number in
| jtlred was IcsSf by about 50 per cent. This
| warrants the ex Hectation that casualties
| due to this cause. will be less for 1909
/ than for pal. % For the full year ending
June 30, 1902. tho Number Killed in coupling
accident averaged .; L. per mouth \
table showing the complete statistics for
1893, and 1897 to 1850, inclusive. is given.
| Another table shows for those years the
! number of persons killed or injured by
falling from trains and engines.
The Commission recognizes that rs u
rule the railroad companies now need
| no conpulsion to induce them to usa
! automatic couplers. and that it Is only
in details of q minor character that any
road has assumed 1t critical or reiuctant
/ attitude. Both the automatic coupler
| and continuous power brake are now
i absolute necessities in the operation OF
! roads which move long traits. or rss
i the powerful locomotives and heavy cars
/ which arc now common. Thus the poll
/ cy of Congress in enacting the safety
| appliance law is amply vindicatcd Gil
what may be called business considcra-
tons, without regard to the question OF
safety OF life and limb.
DANGER: IN OLD CARS.
. Attention is called to the dangerous uss
1 at the present time of old and weak cars
/ iii nearly all trains This has largely
I basy, Iyyyf he, eSr1 ftP
business, but it is reasonable to expect
i that every weli-mana ged road will. 90
! away with this element of danger as
i fastsas is practicable. The action OF
the American Railway Association IN
!. recommending the adoption OF = stand
i ard size for box and freight cars is notees
\ and commended.
1 Considerable space is devoted to tha
\ subject of air, brakes. and tss ConraIs-
/ sion says that the air brake on frciss It
/ trains has long been In need OF q de-
cided Improvement.
REPORT OF ACCIDENTS.
/ BY the act approved March 3. 1901. re-
! curing common carriers engaged IN ir,-
/ terstate commerce 20 make full r pots
of all accidents. the Commission Is res
i CURED to gather statistics of all coils ens
and dersilrnents on railroads doing Inter
state business, and of accidents 20 pas
sengers and to employees on duty III a
railroad companies are required 10 re-
port the accidents. stating the Ear.tr,
and cause, in reports OF. such 1ot.n as tina
Commission SHAH prescribe.
i The railroad companies were noti.e.i by
i the Commission to mako these reports
i beginning with the month OF uiy. ralt.
Il Although ample notice was gwen. \
number of companies failed TO ale their
4 reports within the time specified. shd
in fact have not yet submitted them aEsi
for that reason the statistics for the first
uont tn have not yet beer fully sa5ulased.
a rho report concludes with a references
4 to the proceedings Of the National AS
q ISOLATION OF Railway Commissioners he'd