Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-08-17
RAILROAD STATISTICS
GREATER INCREASE THAN FOR
ANY YEAR SINCE 1890.

The seventeenth annual report of the in
terstate commerce commission giving the
railroad statistics for the year 1904 shows
that there were at the end of that year
2oI .073 miles of railroad in the United
States, of which 2I2,243 were single track
1854 second track 1,46T third track, 1,i67
fourth track and the remainder yard track
and sidings. The increase in single trackage
for the year was 1921 miles, exceeding the
increase for any previous year since 1880.
The number OF railway corporations in
cluded in the report was 210i. OF this
number 1856 maintained operating &C
counts. s4S being classed independent
operating roads and RS as subsidiary roads
OF roads operated under lease some other
form of contract 31S received fixed money
rental. 14I a contingent money rental, and
2oI were operated under conditions not
readily classified. In the course of the year
railway companies owning $500 miles OF
line were reorganized, merged, consolidate ted,
etc. For the year 1903 the corresponding
item was 10,4S6.37 miles.
Operated by Receivers
The length of mileage operated by recev-
ers on June go 1904 was 1923 miles. The
number of roads in the hands of receivers
was Is and at the close Of the previous year
n. On June 30, 1904, there were in the
service Of the railway AZ, 743 locomotives,
the increase being 2.s72 The total number
of cars of all classes exclusive OF those
owned by private companies was 179S, 561,
an increase of 45,172 during the year. or
these 1852 were in the passenger service
and 1852, 1914 in the freight work. The re-
naming cars were employed directly In the
service of the companies. Practically all
of the passenger locomotives and cars were
equipped with air brakes and automatic
couplers. The same was true of feright To-
comouVeS and OF large majority of freight
cars. OF 1.G92 1914 cars in freight service
1,4343s6 had train brakes, and 1914 au-
tomato couplers.
The number of persons on the pay rolls
of the railways in the United States as re-
turned for June 80, 1904, ,295 121, or
Gil per 100 miles of line, a decrease for the
year of 16.416, or 2s per 100 miles. The
wages and salaries paid for the year
amounted to sS17 sos. $40
The par value of the amount of railway
capital outstanding on June 80, 1904 was
s13,2l3, $40, which represents a capital
iZation OF s64,265 per mile. OF this capital
6.339, SS9,329 existed stock of which
S5,oo9,529,48 was common and 81 ,2S9, 3e9,-
SEQ preferred, and the remaining part S.
S73,225,350 as funded debt, which consisted
OF mortgage bonds. s.. TAG, sos as3; miscella-
neous obligations, s723 ,1149ss: income
ponds, S229,S10. 6s1, and equipment trust OBJ
legations sl73,33 ,694. Current liabilities for
the year amounted to 1851 ,62S, 100 or 81 2SS
per mile Of line.
Paid in Dividends.
OF the total capital stock outstanding
S2,G96,4I2o1O or 2.53 PEE cent paid no div
ldends The amount OF dividends declared
during the year was 1921, 491 .O49 being
equivalent to 600 per cent on dividend-pay-
ing stock The number of passengers re-
ported as carried by the railways In the
year was 15,419,6S2, increase of 20. 52s,-
l4' The passenger mileage. or the number
OF passengers carried one mile. was p .923 =
1850, having increased LOOT 449, G55. The
number OF tons of freight carried was
zoo e93 l65, which exceeds the tonnage Of
uhe previous year by 5,5O4S42 tons. The
ton-mlleage, or the number of tons carried
l mile. was IA, 522 ,0so,577. The gross earn
ings We're 1878. ia ,O91 being s74, 327 1s4
greater than for the previous year. Their
operating expenses were 81, 33S, 500, 253 an
increase of $S1 1857. 401. The total number
or casualties to persons on the railways
was "a 2Ol, of which 10046 represented the
number of persons killed and S4155 the
number injured. OF the persons killed AL
We're passengers, and the wounded Gill or
one killed out of every 1872, 267 carried. and
one injured out OF every IS, 523 carried