The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1906-01-01
4 AILROAD NEWS.
Great Was the Prosperity En-
jOyed by Railways in 1905.
Revenues Show Enormous In
crease Over Previous Year.
MUCH NEW WORK DONE
Preparations Being Made for
Bigger Business This Year.
Gossip and Matters of Interest
in Railroad Circles.
MUCH NEW WORK DONE

In the matter of railroad earnings
the past year has been the most re-
markable of any year in the history Of
rauroads in this country. The total
gross earning of the railroads for the
fiscal year ending June 90 represents a
figure which tells of phenomenal pros
perity. Roads havings d total mileage
Of about 100000 miles have reported
earnings aggregating approximately 81
O73, 177, 325 during the year which is an
increase of fully S9s,O03 PA. 1t is also
an average of 1855 per mile of road
The increase in net earnings was not
correspondingly great because of the
naturally increased expenses which
railroads were compelled to bear. The
earnings of the year however. were cir
cumscribed only by the ability of the
railroads to handle the traffic offered
them. Never in their history has ton
mage been so enormous Despite the
fact that all roads had made extensive
preparations in anticipation of a great
er demand. the increase in traffic was
so tremendous that it found them total
ly unprepared and unable to move all
of it. There were days at a time, even
weeks when the railroads entering Chi
cagO lacked more than 100000 cars daily
The New York Central lines alone, al
though having more than twenty cars
to the mile lacked at times as many as
IS 600 cars daily. What the earnings of
the railroads would have been with ade-
quate facilities none can estimate but
the losses due to lack of sufficient equip
ment were enormous.
But the railroads do not purpose to be
caught in a similar predicament again,
and as a result the orders for new equip
ment and new power during the year
break all previous records.
Two systems alone, the Pennsylvania
and the New York Central lines, award
ed contracts aggregating an expenditure
of over $50, 0OO These figures are
almost fnconceivable when taken in
view OF the more than 5000 100000 spent
by American railroads the year previous
for the same purposes.
The year also has been remarkable
for the amount of railroad cOnStruc-
ton About 5000 miles of road, &C
cording to the Railway Age, have been
constructed. The greatest activity has
been in the west. and the transcon-
tinental railway map hhs undergone
extensive changes. Perhaps the most
important event in the west is the de
termination of thu St Paul road to
build to the Pacific coast. From
Evarts the company will build west
and northwest through Butte, Mont,
and across four mountain ranges to
Seattle. This project Will be pushed
to an early completion and Will cost at
least $70,000,00O for construction and
terminals and other millions for equip
ment 1t is likely that the entire ex-
Denditure COmprehended by the St
PauTs coast extension will not be less
than S15O,0OO,OOO. The move was
prompted by the fact that in the past
tWenty~fOur months nearly every 9TH
er railroad which had hitherto stop
ped at the Missouri river had secured
coast extensions or coast connections,
and the St Paul was IN imminent
danger of being bottled up and COM
PEELED to depend upon the further de-
velopment of a country already fairly
we'll supplied with railroad facilities.
The tabulations show that the rail-
roads set a. new high mark during THE
year for purchase OF new equipment
and new power A total of 1855, Abb,
600 was expended for new enquip-
ment, not taking into account the cars
which were constructed in shops be-
longing to the railroads and total of
$76,874,00O for the new power. Car
and locomotive manufacturers have
been unable to fill all the orders which
were given, but nevertheless they
managed in this country and in Can
ada to manufacture a total Of 1853, COS
cars and q total of 5,491 locomotives
The close of the year saw tbs manu-
for both power and equipment to keep
them busy for the next six months
night and day
The gross earnings from operation
averaged $9,666 per mile of line. This
average is considerably higher than
the like average for any other year for
which a statistical report has been
published by the commission The
final report for THE year ending June
40 1904 showed that the total gross
miles OF line for that wear were ST.
975,174.O91, being equivalent to s9,3O6
per mile of line, the passenger service
contributed S2,667 and the freight
service S6,z57.
The operating expenses of the rail-