Daily Kennebec journal., 1906-03-27

under COutfactf are De1nB uutiLa III 4tIc
interest Of 3S companies, an average OF
23l miles for each company.
50 Last year North Dakota led all the
States Of the Union Tn railway building
with 532 miles of new line completed,
but this year she will have to take Il
back seat to her sister State, South
Dakota. In the latter there are 725
miles urWler way, all but IS miles of
which are being built by the Chicago,
Milwaukee & st. Paul, the Chicago &
northwestern and the Minnea polls &
st. Louis.
In the States of Washington, Oregon,
I6aho. Montana and Wyoming over
2G0O miles are under contract and
while it is impossible to say what per-
ccntage Of this mileage will be complet-
cd during the present year. the building
cpe rations in these States will be very
active and will be watched with great
interest, for this section of the coun-
try furnishes the stage for the various
conflicts between the Hill and the Har-
riman interests.
In Louisiana 66I miles are under con-
tract, more than one-half of which
probably will be completed this year,
and in Texas the mileage under con-
tract aggregates 1896 miles. This in
cludes over 500 miles of the Kansas
City, Mexico & Orient; 277 miles of the
Trinity & Brazos Valley and 100 miles
of the Houston & Texas Central; all of
which cannot be completed this year.
The remaining 434 miles are male up of
16 extensions from 3 to ID niles in
length, at least three-fourths OF which
appear to be bona fide projects.
Although S64 miles are reported un-
der contract in the Indian and Okla
hCma Territories, some of The projects
are of doubtful nature and we should
consider 800 miles for the present year
a very liberal estimate. In Illinois,
the greatest railway state of the
Union, where 200 miles of new road
We're added last year, there are 11S
miles under contract and the live
projects aggregate 3O9 miles.
The mileage under contract in some
other states is as follows: New York
19G miles, Pennsylvania III miles, West
Virginia 207 miles, Virginia 445 miles.
North Carolina 1856 miles, Georgia 1877
miles, Florida 600 miles Alabama 24S
miles. Mississippi 192 miles. Tennessee
113 miles. Ohio 115 miles, Indiana ia
miles, Wisconsin 2S7 miles. Minnesota
1S5 miles. North Dakota 15J miles, Ne
Draska III miles. Kansas 144 miles,
Missouri 135 miles, Arkansas 433 miles,
Colorado So miles, Wyoming 262 Mics,
Montana i3S 1:lilcs California 4lS miles
New Mexico 253 miles. Idaho 410 mil:s.
Utah 13S miles, Oregon 200 miles and
Washington 1000 miles.
The mild weather has made possible
the continuation of construction work
throughout the winter in mary por-
tions of the country, and if the prom
Use of an early spring is realized con-
tractors will be enabled to get an ear
lier start than usual in the North and
Northwest, where the forces are being
mustered preparatory to beginning the
work of grading and where active
operations soon will be under way.
If the new mileage of 1906 does not
exceed that of 1905 it will be on account
of the inability to secure the labor
necessary to push operations with the
speed desired and the difficulty Of OBJ
tanning track material from the steel
mills.
In Canada also there will be much
DUlldlnS during the present year.
Actual work has been started on the
Grand Trunk Pacific and nearly 1000
mites have been placed under contract
By the company and 395 miles by tho
Trans-continental Railway Commits
sions. who are to have charge, oc. the.
construction from Moncton to Winni-
peg. The Canadian Northern has sew
eral hundreds under control and the
other lines controlled by Mackenzie
and Mann. the James Bay Railway, thu
Great Northern of Canada and the
Halifax & Southwestern. have over 400
miles under construction. The Canadian
Pacific is building branches aggregat-
ing 500 miles; the Temiskaming {;
Northern Ontario has AS miles under
way ana there are various other lines
of shorter leDgth under construction i'll
the DOEliniOn.