The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1907-04-01
RAILROAD NEWS.
Lines Are Taxed to Meet De-
.vslopmsnt Of Country.
Increase OF Business Has Been
Enormous in Last Decade.
STATISTICS TELL TALE
Roads will Have to Spend Bill
lions in Ten Years.
Other Items Of Interest to
Railway People.

So large has been the increase in
all branches of Industrial pursuits in
the United States during recent years
that the railroads, which have been
the great factor in bringing about this
development, are constantly taxed to
their utmost in coping with the per-
picking problem of handling this enor-
mously, increased tonnage promptly.
With all lines of manufacturing plants
constantly increasing their capacity 1t
is but natural to expect that the rail-
roads would be confronted with
shortage of motive power and equip
ment with which to transport the bust
ness and inadequate terminal facilities
to handle it.
In a recent article Mr.. Richard H.
Edmonds editor of the Manufactur-
ers' Record, of Baltimore, discussed
the difficulties of the railroads in a
most interesting manner and produced
statistics showing why the railroads
have not been able to catch up with
the procession of expansion in the
United States.
Mr.. Edmonds said that in the year.
1880 the United States had % miles of
railroad, and the following decade,
1910, the trackage was 2;S10 miles. In
1850 the mileage was 9,021, while in
1860 the mileage had increased over.
$1,000 miles, or to 30,626. In 1870
this increase was still apparent, and
in about the same proportion as the
previous decade, and the mileage was
52,922. In 1880 it was 92,267, and in
1890 166,703, while in 1900 it was
194,262. In 1906 the mileage of the
railroads in the United States was 2lEs-'
$50, and at the close of the year 1905
it was estimated that there were 233s-
900 miles of railroad lines being OPP
Grated in the country These figures
do not take into consideration the
miles and miles of sidings and double
tracking in the country, but INCLUDE
only the mileage of main lines r.a-
1t is interesting, when noting, the
great increase in the. mileage of the
country decade by decade, to review
the almost incomprehensible figures
showing the additions made to the
equipment by the addition of such an
enormous amount of rolling stock. In
1895 the numbers of cars, both pas
senger and freight-in use in the Unit
ed States was 1.265,1OS, and IN l90o
the number had increased to 1885, 253.
In 1904 the number had increased to
1,770tS84, or greater than the half
decade preceding it, and in the year
1905 there were 1,798,434 cars in use,
Ing half year OF 29S,03es4 The humble
of locomotives added since 1885, ands
by half decades. shows that in, ooo
the number had increased from SO, $40
to 38,o65, and in 1905 there were,
49,616 locomotives in use on the rail-
roads of the country, far exceeding the
figures of the previous five years.
That all. these cars and locomotives
have not been idle will be seen by
glance at the voluminous traffic han
died by them. In 1895 the ton mile
age-or the number of tons transport
ed one mile-was S8,567, 77O,S01, and
in 1900 this ton mileage had increased
to 141, lei, 109,413. While the increase
of the last half decade was not as
great as the preceding one, the ton
mileage IN 1905 reached 1S7,375,621,-
sal. +. zgr~
States has shown increases, as will
be seen by the following figures. In
1895; the number. of passengers hauled
one mile was 2,2O2,651, and in
16,313,2S4.471. During the next half
decade the passenger traffic of. the,
United States showed up better than
freight traffic because there had been
an increase of over seven billion In the
number of passengers handled the
previous half decade, making the fig
ures 06,420,668.
Owing to the constant Improvements
being made by the railroads, and the
ADDITION of more powerful locomotives,
and freight cars of much greater ca
pacity, the freight tonnage has in
creased by a greater percentage than
has either the increase In the number
of cars and locomotives or mileage of
track While the railroads are ever
trying to catch up in the way of inn
proven ents, the abnormal growth of
business is so great that it seems I'M
possible to provide additional track
age, cars and motive power fast
enough to handle it in a way most sat
isfactory to the shippers, the railroad
people and the public generally.
1t has been estimated, and statistics
will go a great ways toward substanti-
ating this estimate, that to extend the
railroad facilities by the addition. of
track, terminal accommodations the
addition of rolling stock and the inn
provement of roadbed from time to
time, will require an expenditure dur
ing the next ten years of from $4,000
O00,0O0 to $5,O0o,0OO, 900.
AS regards the supply of coal, the
foundation of the modern industrial
system and a great source of revenue
to many Of the large railroads of the
United States, therein be no cause
for concern. The number of square
miles of coal land in this country far
exceeds that Of any country of the
world; indeed the United States, with
it's 865, 900 square miles OF coal land,
is over six times as rich in coal re-
sources as the combined coal territory
of Europe. which is but 81, 600 square
miles in all.
The railroads of the country also