The Saint Paul globe., 1903-10-03

| tion has constantly increased during this
! period, the above rate reductions nave
/ only been possible through the Increased
| volume of tonnage hauled, and this in
crease has mostly come through the Gre
alton and development of new traffic:
The increase in the volume Of pure, purely sI leGaI
tional earnings to cover the increased
cost of doing the business.
The earnings of passenger trains IN
creased $1,181, ia 81, or 14.4127 per cent,
but occasioned large increase In passen-
ger service. Passenger train mileage in
creased 1,185, 454 miles, or 25.68f8 per cent,
| miles in the mileage of mixed trains, the
passenger service offered the travelling
public this year was 955,173 train miles
miles for each day during the year.
OF the increase in passenger train earn
ings. 1913, ,456.27 came from passenger
fares, $30, 5S2 7S from sleeping and chair
| cars $146,199.53 from transportation of
mails, $76 724.02 from transportation of ex-
press, $12,556.71 from excess baggage and
Sl.645.60 from miscellaneous sources.
The average revenue per passenger per
mile shows an increase of 16-166e of a cent
and has been occasioned entirely by an
| increase in local travel, there having been
no increase In passenger rates during the
year 1t will be noticed that while the
number OF passengers carried increased
20. .O3S5 per cent the number of passengers
carried one mile increased but 12.9520 per
cent
The movement of settlers has continued
during the year and the vacant arabic
lands adjacent to the railway are being
rapidly occupied. The government has
begun the work of reclamation of the
semi-arid lands, and it is expected that
the canals and reservoirs necessary to
irrigate vast area of land in Montana
will speedily be completed.
The withdrawal by the secretary of the
interior of lands to be irrigated, and which
cannot be acquired except by homestead,
is in the interest of the bona fide settler.
With the vast increase in our population
each year, and the present rate at which
the government land is being occupied.
1t viii only be few years before all land
available for cultivation will be taken. In
order that the public domain maybe pre-
served, the repeal Of all acts under which
land can be acquired, except by home
should be enacted by congress which will
insure the reservation of the public lands
for the benefit of the people
Make Many Improvements.
New lines are being constructed from
Granville, N D., to Mohall; from Column
bia Falls, Mont, to Rexford, Mont; from
Edmore to Hampton, N. D., and a two
mile road along the water front at What
com, Wash, was finished July 10. Lines
are proposed from Thief River Falls,
Mimi. thirty -one miles north; line from
Pelican Rapids, Mimi, north about 105 6
miles, crossing the line from Carman
MINI.
"A ilCW ydiQ lOI CiHdHIIlB anu SLOTlUB
passenger equipment was put in at Mis-
sissippi street in st. Paul. 1t contains 10s-
SO9 feet of track and several auxiliary
buildings. A six-track yard at Larimore,
N. D., has been heightened and the yards
at Devils Lake, n. D., and at Rugby, N.
D., have been enlarged and improved. A
| new yard is being built at Kelly Lake.
MINI.
The construction of new terminals at
Seattle, Wash. has been begun The work
involves building a double track, con-
crete lined tunnel $500 feet long to carry
the main tracks under a portion of the
city, the erection of a large passenger
station to be used jointly by this COM
| pany and the Northern Pacific, and freight
carrying number of streets across the
| tracks by permanent overhead bridges.
New depots have been built at twenty
one cities and towns, and seventeen other
stations have been enlarged and improv-
ed. Much work was also done in the
building and Improvement of bridges. A
total OF 1881 feet of steel bridges were
erected during the year and 1876 feet Of
| bridges were filed In making changes on
the line 6,066,542 cubic yards of material
were moved, and in repairing the line
lS4'539 cubic yards OF material were NOV
Work on the new shops at ST Paul,
re1erred to on page Id of last years
report, has been continued, and it is ex-
| peeted that they will be in use by Nov
| /, 1903. q1..--
Work on the two steamships being built
Tor the Great Northern Steamship COM
| pany at New London, Conn, has been de-
| layed by labor troubles. The ''Minne-
sota' was launched April 16, 1903, and, it
! is expected that the Dakota will be
! launched in November
| In order to facilitate the handling of
the increasing iron ore traffic the Great
Northern Railway company leased June 1.
1903, the lines of the Duluth, Superior &
Western Terminal company, extending
from Saunders. Wis, to the crossing Of
the tracks Of the c., st. p, NJ. & o. ,Ry
Co. In Superior, Wis, 525 miles, and
has entered into an agreement with the
Allouez Bay Dock company, which ioper1
ates the ore docks owned by the Duluth,
Superior & Western Terminal company,
py which the Great Northern is permitted
to run its ore trains onto the docks. Prior
| to the lease the Great Northern turned
It's ore trains over to the D.iUS. CIV. r
co. at Saunders, Wis, from which point
| the re hxyc