The Montgomery advertiser., 1904-12-23

As,ae6 employees injured and 3,3s7 killed in 1Sot. as compared with 33,711 in- jured and 2.51s killed in 1909. The figures for 1908 are intermediate be- tween those for 1902 and 1904. In lso4 there were SOFT passengers injured and 4z0 killed: in 1902, 6.0s9 injured and s2l killed. The increase in the number of deaths of passengers in train acci- dents in 1904 compared with 1908 is s4 1-2 per cent. Tho fact that there were ten unusuaIly disastrous acci- dents during the year is mentioned. with the statement that notes concern ing the causes of these accidents will be found in the appendix to the report. The number of deaths resulting from these ten accidents. eight of which were collisions. is about 23 per cent. of the total number killed in all the train accidents of the year, which comprise over 5000 collisions and 4.So0 deraii- ments.
 The Commission urges the adoption of the block system. Az to whether the cost of introducing the block sys- tenn would be burden to the railroads no definite claim upon this point has been presented. and 1t has been men toned only in vague way. The cost of introducing the manual block sys- tenn. the report says, can scarcely be called burden when we see 1t intro lduced on single-track lines of not very heavy trafiic and find no prominent mention of expense in the annual re- ports of the companies. The same req sons that existed for the introduction 4of the automatic coupler and air brake by the provisions of the safety appr- ance act of 1893 apply to the prev9n- tion of collisions by compulsory use of the block system. The report dis cusses the use of automatic versus non- automatic signaling. and says that the question is one of immediate capital expenditure. Considered strictly on it's technical merits, the block system is the acme of simplicity. It Is the sim pie embodiment of the theory that no train shall ever be started from a point on any mainline track until it Is known that such track is clear of all other trains up to certain point be- yond. In other words, space inter- val must always be maintained be- tween trains and no dependence placed o1 the maintenance of time intervals at stations.
 Railway Statistics.
 For the year ending June 30, 1904 the preliminary report embraces res turns for roads representing 209.002 miles of line, or about 9s per cent. of the mileage that will be covered by the final report. The following state ment gives the principal items in this preliminary report:
 On the mileage stated the gross earn ings of the railways were $1.966,633.- S21 The gross earnings for the previ- ous year. on 205,313 miles. were $1,900,- S46,907, as shown in the final report for that year. For 1904 passenger earnings amounted to $53s.42S,374. freight earn ings $1,377.6s4,e76, and miscellane- ous earnings to $4s,520,471. The aver age of gross earnings per mile of line was s9,410. This average exceeds that for 1903 by $152, and Is higher than | the corresponding average for any pre- | vious year since the organization of the Commission. Of gross earnings per mile, $2,5S1 were assignable to the pas- senger service. and s6,5s2 to the freight 1 service. The operating expenses of the | railways for the year ending June 30 1904, as shown in the preliminary re- equivalent to $6,375 per mile of line or $250 more than for the year 1903 The ratio of operating expenses to earnings was 67.75 per cent This item l as shown in the final report for the pre-. vious year, was 66.16 per cent. The ! net earnings of practically the same ! roads, as included in the present state ment, were. for the year 1904, $634,250,. S7S, and for the year 1908. s640,644,13S The total income of the roads covered by the preliminary report was $735,. l 037.557. This amount includes $100,- l 7S6.6S4. derived from investments In SC.
 curities of railways and other corpora | tiops and from various other sources.