Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-09-25
TWENTY-S|X A DAY
Average Number of Persons
Killed on the Railways.
VAST ARMY OF EMPLOYEES
Capitalization of Roads Over Thirteen
Billion Dollars.
GREAT INCREASE IN BUSINESS
Statistics Published by the Interstate
Commerce Commission for Year
Ending June 80, 1905.
GREAT INCREASE IN BUSINESS

United States up to June 30, 1905 were is
sued by the interstate commerce commits
sion today. The statistics covered equip
ment, accidents, mileage. capitalization,
earnings and expenses and employees. 1t
will be of interest to most people to
know that there is an average of 20 per-
sons a day killed on the railroads, but this
is not SO bad for the individual as it might
sound. since even this large figure means
only one passenger killed in 1,375,0OO The
list of injuries however, is not so encour-
aging. since there is person injured for
every 10000 who patronize the railroads or
are employed by them.
Great Army of Employees.
There were more persons employed by
the railroads last year than fought on the
Union side during the civil war, and at the
present rate Of progression it will not be
long before the railroads will employ more
people than were engaged in the civil war
on both sides put together.
The reported number of persons on the
pay rolls of the railways in the United
is equivalent to an average of 637 employees
per 100 miles of line These figures show an
increase in the number of employees as COM
pared with the year 1904 of S6.O75, or %
per 100 miles of line. OF the employees a.,
ST. are engnemen, 1892 firemen, LOCI
conductors and III 400 were other trainmen.
There were A. 532 switch tenders, crossing
tenders and watchmen. The total number
of railway employees. disregarding a small
number not assigned. apportioned
among the four general divisions of railway
employment as follows: For general admin
istration. "a, al: for maintenance of way
and structures 1880; for maintenance of
equipment. 2S1 900, and for conducting
transportation, go 456
The total amount of wages and salaries
reported as paid to employees during the
ending .TIlOa 20 1908 $3.50 g44 ESQ
There were PISTOL miles of single track
road in the United States last year and
there were 4.196 miles added to the system
during the year. Seventeen states and ter
ritores added more than 100 miles to their
railway system and there was not state
territory where some increase was not
made. There was a total trackage of 3fS.-
796 miles, including yard tracks and
switches. and the total increase of trackage
amounted to 9723 miles, including these
two items.
Railway Equipment.
The equipment was something immense
There were 1887 locomotives, an increase
of 1,614. The total Number of cars of all
classes was 1,S42. ST.. an addition of 44,31O
to the year 1904. There We're 20. 40 of these
cars in the company's service for supply
cars pay cars wrecking and construction
and the like, and of the rest l. 731, 400 cars
were for freight. The average capacity of
a freight car is 10000 pounds. so this makes
a total carrying capacity of 81, coo 900 tons
If each one of these cars were loaded only
once in the course of the year. OF course
the loading was vastly in excess of this
Out of the / ,S91 .22S and locomotives in
the service of the railroads. 1.641.395 were
fitted with train brakes, an increase of
S6. 623 over the previous year, while 1,S79. $50
were fitted with automatic couplers. Less
than per cent of the passenger cars in the
service were without automatic couplerS.
Railway Capitalization.
The total capitalizatio of the roads was
S13. eO5. 25S, 121. or, roughly speaking, some
thing over $169.35 to every man and woman
in the United States, including Alaska and
Hawaii. This was also equivalent to a
capitalization of s65. S26 mile on the whole
of the total capital stock 81 16 per cent
paid dividends but for the mileage
which did pay the average was 5.7s per
cent. amounting to total disbursement
in dividends of 1864, 49,
OF the total amount of railway stock
outstanding $2,O7O.oo2. l0S were reported as
way bonds $685. 1O0,021 were so reported.
The number of passengers reported as
carried by the railways in the year ending
June 30, 1905, was 73S. 1874, 1857. this item be-
ing % ,9S5 more than for the year end
ing June 30, 1904
The number of tons of freight reported
as carried Including freight received from
connections) was 1927 49, 905. which ex-
ceeds the tonnage of the year 1904 by H.
S32, 740. The ton-mileage or the number
of tons carried one mile was 1856 463 1903 $40
the increase being II 81 O19 1913 ton-miles.
The average revenue per passenger per
mile for the year ending June 30, 1905 was
1862 cents. For the preceding year the
average was 2.006 cents. The average rev.
enue per ton per mile was O766 cent; the
like average for the year 1904 was O.7SO
cent. The earnings per train mile show an
increase both for passenger and for freight
trains. The figures show a slight increase
in, fhn of pinO train
mile. The ratio of operating expenses to
earnings for the year 1905 was 667S per
cent. For 1904 this ratio was 81. 70 per cent.
The Casualties.
The total number of casualties to persons
on the railways for the year ending June
30. 1905 was 95.711. of which 9.7O3 repre-
scented the number of persons killed and
S. OOS the number injured. Casualties oc-
Cured among three general classes of rail
way employees. as follows: Trainmen, 800
killed and 29Sl3 injured; switch tenders
crossing tenders and watchmen. 1876 killed
sS3 injured: other employees, l,235 killed
3609I injured.
The casualties due to FILLING from trains
locomotives, or cars in motion We're: Train
men killed, 4O7 injured, 4,6I5: switch tend
ers. crossing tenders and watchmen killed
p; injured -; 70. other employees killed co.
three classes of employees in consequence of
collisions and derailnents were: Train
men killed, $40; injured, 4,l3G; switch tend
ers. crossing tenders and wa tchmen killed.
8; injured. 81; other employees Killed, 81; in
jured. $50
The number of passenger killed in TIE.
course of the year 1905 was 5;7 and tbs.
number injured. 10457 In the previous
year Al passengers were killed and all
injured. There were 341 passengers killed
and 6,O53 injured because of collisions and
derailments. The total number of persons
other than employees and passengers killed
was 5.s05. injured. S.718. These figures in
clude the casualties to persons trespassing
OF whom 1856 were killed and 5.251 We're
injured. The ratios of casualties indicate
that one employe in every All was killed
and one employe in every twenty-one was
injured.
In 1905 one passenger was killed for every
/ ,375 s56 carried and one injured for every
1865 carried For 1904 the figures show
that 1922 37 passengers were carried for
one killed, and 1888 passengers were car
ried for one injured. For 1905 one passen-
ger was killed for every 2.ss4. S32 carried,
| and one injured for every 2l3.651 carried
With respect to the number of miles tray
eled the figures for 1905 show that A.
:20.576 passenger miles We're accomplished
for each passenger killed and 22T6 e02 pas
senger miles for each passenger injured
-S-