Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1907-02-06

gett1ng the most return for his labor.
y appears from the official reports Of
the Interstate commerce commission
that the average number Of ton miles,
that is, of tons of freight carried one
mile, for each freight car run in the
whole United States in the year ended
June 80. 1905, was 1O7, 693. That Isl
what the freight car, regarded as a
machine, produced. In the same year
each freight car on the Great Northern
averaged 132,105 tons one mile, and on
the Northern Pacific, 124.OS3
Two other roads are cited for COM
parative purposes, the figures being
taken from Poor's Manual Of Railroad
Statistics, the national authority.
Among the Western systems, the Chi
cago, Milwaukee & st. Paul, with the
advantage of more thickly settled
territory, carried 9S,797 tons one mile
per car; while among Eastern roads
the 1, New York Central system, running
between the two greatest cities Of the
country, through a heavily populated
region and with an almost level track
carried 1885, 48 The people Of the
Northwest have had from each unit Of
the equipment placed at their service
the the largest amount of actual use. The
figures for the year ending June so.
1916, show a still further advance. For
tn this year the excess of tons carried
per car in this section over the record
Tor the whole United States in 1905 is
over IS per cent
SO much for the efficiency Of one
unit Of equipment. Now, how abouf
the amount of work done for each
mile OF track? For that is lust an
other 9th, side Of the same question. Trans
portation is limited by the amount Of
track, the amount of equipment and
terminal facilities. And it will be well
TO see how the mileage of the North.
west has been used; how much bust
ness has been carried over it as COM
pared l' with other parts of the country
This is another kind of measurement
" Is known as density" Of traffic.
BY density of freight traffic is meant
the amount Of business actually done
TOT each mile Of road. 1t IS obtained
by dividing the whole number of
freight tons, that is, the number Of
TONS Ct freight carried one mile, BY the
whole number Of miles in system
rms obviously will show how busy
eacn mile has been kept. ii tells n
another way how much work has been
got out OF the second part Of this big
machine, its roadbed, rails and
switches.
And here 1t ID clear more than ever
that physical conditions should lie
taken into account Density Of traffic
as tremendously affected by density Of
population by the massing Of bust
ness. For il two cities are only i 90
miles apart and the number Of tons Be
freight moved one mile between them
is 100 900, then 1000 tons must move
over each mile. But If the cities are
1000 miles apart with the same ton
mileage. only 100 tons would move
ove = each mile. The density would be
Ten times as great In one case as in
he OH 'er. although as a working propo-
sftion ii is clearly easier to carry CON
fensed bA 'siness over short distances
han to Pfc up small lots Of business
scattered owe long route. Hence.
iensfty Of II, afic Is generally much
ligher iii the 81. 4 and thichly settled
ARTS Of tie COUNT y and might be ex-
'ected to fall to ~ low figure in the