The San Francisco call., 1906-11-04

add the fact that the time is only ten hours and
the well-known advantages of electric over steam
transit, there little reason TO doubt that
the old steam lines will be forced 10 lose a very
large part of their present business and the cleo
trio road will get it. Not only that. but the new
road. with its cheap fares. will create new
travelling element. will enthuse new people who
have hitherto Travelled little not at all. to 90
on Journeys. just as Summer rates do 1t even
now. to some extent. on steam roads.
The Chicago-New York Electric Air Line Rail
road will traverse the richest and most densely
populated pSrt Of the country. II Is not road
to be built on Garden-of-E Eden theories, only TO
face sagebrush realities. Of the
great steam roads. but viii through a coun-
try that fairly huns with industry. and between
terminal cities the wealth of which is simply
incalculable Its patronage viii be awaiting its
opening day in eager anticipation. and the golden
stream OF profits that win I'LL the pockets Of its
stockholders will bring about wonderful shift
ing of the wealth of the country. Many humble
tradesmen and, mechanics who had the courage
and wisdom to invest few hundred dollars in
the new electric road at its present low price
will be the rich men Of the next few vars.
The Chicago-New York Electric Air Line Rail-
road will dominate territory having eight mil
Hon six hundred thousand population and this.
by the time the road is built will increase by
cne million. This is equivalent to twelve thou
sand population per mile of road including
branches The population that may be safely
calculated as living enough to be regarded
as tributary and likely TO patronize the line is
twenty-six million. Our experts have figured ont
that the earnings from passenger traffic alone
can hardly fall below thirty-two million dollars
yearly sum which would enable the road to
nov varv large dividend Some idea NJ the
enormous traffic between Chicago and New York
may be had when II is realized that every day
In the year sixty-eight through trains run By
the various steam roads having these cities as
terminals and that some Of these trains yield
annual earnings Of more than one million i've
hundred thousand dollars.
The new electric road running its trains in
half the time and at half the cost of the steam
trains will undoubtedly secure the bulk OF the
mail contracts and all of the through express
business. The total mail and express contracts
between Chicago and New York amount TO many
millions of dollars yearly and the cneapness,
speed and other advantages of the electric road
over any OF the steam roads are so evident that
it is not unreasonable to suppose that most of
this traffce will come the electric road II will
be matter OF business, pure and simple. for
it to do so. --
The estimate OF the earning power Of the Chi
cago-New York Electric Air Line Railroad as told
herein is very conservative Such gigantic
enterprise is sure to bring about new industrial
ana economic conditions. and while we base our
estimates OF the earning power OF the road
largely on what has been done there Is reason
TO believe that the earnings may run up to
point far beyond what we have calculated
There is one small electric trolley road down
in the rice country in Texas which hauis both