Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1907-01-15
HILL ON RAILWAY PROBLEMS
MGgDats Says Business Increases Faster
Than Facilities for Handling It.
MORE TRACKS AND TERMINALS NEEDED
Five and a Half billion Dollars
should he spent on New Com
struction within Next
Five Years.
MORE TRACKS AND TERMINALS NEEDED

railway magnate deals exhaustively with
the various phases Of the railroad prob
lem.
Mr.. Hin sets out at length what in his
opinion, is responsible for the existing sit
uation and what should be done to rem
edy it.
The western country has grown so fast
that the railroads have been unable to
keep pace with it, Mr.. Hill says, and he
believes the building of additional trackage
is the best solution OF the problem.
He says it would require a permanent
investment of $.loOOOO.OOO year for five
years to provide the railroads of the
country with means to handle properly the
business already in sight and not allowing
for future growth.
Text of the Letter, d.
Mr.. Hills letter follows in parti
During recent years the volume of bus
mess has increased and is increasing with
extraordinary rapidity. while the necessary
additional trackage and terminals have not
been equal to the demands upon them. The
resulting situation is a freight blockade
Of enormous proportions especially at all
terminal points. How TO remedy this is a
problem. financial. mechanical and physical.
No time should be lost in applying such
measures of remedy may be possible"
The following figures, compiled from the
official reports Of the Interstate Commerce
commission and covering the growth of the
railroad business for the last ten years, ex-
hibit the significant facts:
Total single-track mileage in 1895. 1S0667;
in 1906, as l0l; increase, q per cent.
Locomotives In 1885, 1888; in 1905, 4S'SSI;
Passenger cars in 1895, BIZ; in 1916. 1918;
increase, % per cent
Freight cars in 1895, 1,196 119; In 1896,
1,731, 400; increase, As per cent.
Passenger mileage in 1885, IL 1888, 1921; in
1905. 2S,Scoi4s,4S6 increase, 50 per cent;
1906, 1S6, 463, 1O9,510; increase, 118 per cent.
These figures show the cause of delay in
natural traffic movement which threatens to
bring industry to a standstill
Equipment is being increased as rapidly
as capital and labor can do it. There are
and will be cars enough to carry the coun-
try's traffic If the cars can be moved, but
engines and cars must have tracks on which
they may run The limit of service of a
common carrier has been reached when 1t
has moving at all times over its system
as many cars as can be run on it's tracks
with safety and transferred and dispatched
from Its terminals and junction points with
out unreasonable delay. Beyond that point
Increase of business cannot be handled by
between the growth of traffic and the adj
ditions to railroad mileage, and the extern
sion of terminals, shown by new mileage
OF less than ~ per cent year since 1904,
to take care Of a traffic increase averaging
IL per cent year for ten years past. pre-
sents and explains the real problem The
best judgment OF many conservative rail-
road men In the country is that an imme-
dtate addition of not less than per cent
per annum to the railroad trackage of the
country for, say FIVE years, should be made
| to relieve the situation and put an end to
unreasonable delays. Investigations show
| that the railroads of the country have been
endeavoring to meet the growing demand
| on them. Not only were there 35 per cent
more locomotives and 45 per cent more cars
| CINE and car did much more work Trains
| run faster cars are larger, locomotives e
more powerful. and methods of handling ne
business have SO improved as to Incl ease
the general efficiency.
No addition to equipment and no increased
| efficiency in operation can take the place of
the imperatively required new trackage and
terminal facilities. The country must have,
as rapidly. as 1t can be built, additional
tracks and terminal facilities.
| Vast Amount of Capital Needed.
| No practical man would accept a con-
tract for furnishing the facilities required
| Including additional equipment and termi-
nal facilities. for less than $4,000 a mile
| The question of terminals alone is almost
| prohibit!Ve. Terminals on the Great North
ern were, acquired when property was
cheap and can be enlarged only by heavy
outlay. In many cities 1t is not even q
question of cost. since the area necessary
| to handle railroad business properly is moi
| TO be had at any price. The new work
then. would amount to $500 100000 in
round numbers of a yearly average OF
/
be spent before the commerce of the coun,
try can be moved properly. 1t is Just
twice the total amount OF the bonded debt
| of the United States after the close of the
civil war. 1t is more than twice the entire
| currency In circulation in the country and
only a little less than twice the deposits
States put together.
The average speed of a freight train 1.
average distance Travelled by each freigb'
car IL about twenty-five miles day That
is the entire freight equipment Of tn,
country is employed to the fair limit Of il,
capacity except two hours out of IN,
twenty-four. On single track lines freighti
must wait on sidngs while passenge
trains have the right of way. Cars stant
| for days or weeks in yards or at transfel
points awaiting their turn.
The pressure OF traffic increases in
greatest severity just at the time wheI
railroad construction is at the lowest ebb
IN this nouptry OF T niles trayelet
In II has Increased 30 per cent In five year
and the number Of ton miles for eacl
highest direction and the best economy 1
to have trackage equipment and othe
} facilities properly adjusted TO the volum
OF business and then keep moving II II
harmonious and useful way.
Problems of Labor and Material.
! The problem and necessity are enormous
! At 40 tons 70 the mile, 1t would requir
! furnish the $500 miles of track required
! This is nearly two-thirds of the produc
4 Of all the rolling mills in the United States
4 1t would call for the labor of 100000 me
a in grading, besides track layers, bridg
: builders and others. Labor, even for sue
4 ordinary extensions and improvements a
3 are now being made, is not 10 be had 4
\ sufficient quantities on any terms. And
demands as has been seen, the investmen
in permanent railroad plants OF 81 100 900 81
a year for five years TO provide the raj
roads of the country with means 10 nandl
, properly the business already in sight nc
allowing for future growth This is IN
real railroad problem of the United State,
Two remedies must be found The Orc
hibitory expenses now attached to enlarge
ment of terminals at many points and al
solute lack of available space at any pric
may be met by decentralization c
trafflc.
A hfteen-foot canal or channel from S
. | Louis TO New Orleans would 20 furt he
I to relieve the entire middle west an
southwest than any other work that coul
be undertaken With such a depth Q