Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1910-07-14


ing figures regarding the interurban
as he found that modern enterprise
developed in the Hoosier state and his
stories of his visit have been interest
ing and immensely worth while. The
fifth letter follows:
IBY j. G. CARMICHAEL
Chicago, July 12.-The total passen-
ger receipts on twenty interurban
lines in Indiana in 1908 amounted 20
$3,783, 323.13, according to the report
of the railroad commission of Indiana
a copy CT which was furnished to the
Times representative by the secretary
of the commission. This does not rep
resent the total revenue of the various
companies for many did not make the
required report. 1t gives some idea OF
the travel over interurEan lines.
Many Of these interurhan roads also
conduct street railway lines in the
cities through which they pass or
have their terminal. Interurban lines
having such street railways showed
receipts aggregating $5,533,945n for
the street railways alone. The total
express business and freight receipts
of twenty-one lines amounted in 1908
to $7O1 ,94776. Many of these roads;
however, apparently pay little atten-
ton to freight business. Those
which do SO, however, have greatly
added to their net receipts. For In
stance the Terre Haute, indianapolis
and Eastern Traction company showed
receipts from freight shipments
amounting to S153,559.45 and the Ohio
Electric company earned Sl73,3Ol.5S
by CARRYING freight.
The latter company shows an oper7
ating revenue of $4,3SS.96 per mile OF
interurban line, while the operating
expense per mile of interurban lines
was S2,5O2.S4. The Ohio Electric COM
pany has total of 576.2 miles of line.
It's capital stock is placed at $16,OOO,-
900 and it is bonded for $2,250,000.
It is expected that the report of the
commission for 1909 which Is still IN
the hands of the printer will give
more comprehensive and complete flg-
ures regarding the interurbans OF IN
diana. 1t is only during the past lew
years that particular attention has
been paid to interurban statistics IN
the, state and many of the companies
have not filed complete reports az
they are required to do by law. The
laws in this regard are being more
rigidly enforced and the commission
will soon be able to tell accurately the
financial. condition of every road
operating within the state
From indianapolis to Chicago via
Kokomo, Peru, Warsaw, Goshen,
South Bend and Pullman is nine
hours ride over electric interurbans
If one keeps going all the time and
makes good connections. OF course
the steam roads make it in a little
over half the time, the routes being
more direct and the stops less fire.
uuent. But If ones desires to stop on
frequently at the smaller towns and
interview the inhabitants on the bene-
fits of electric railway lines 1t Will
take several days.
The interurbans do not run all the
way into Chicago from Indiana. The
lines extend only so far as Pullman
and there passengers are transferred
to the Illinois Central suburban trains.
I refused, however, to ride by means
Of steam if it were possible to use
electric locomotion, SO rode from the
station at Pullman on street car to
Ninety-third street, transferred and
caught the South Side elevated at
Sixty-third and came down town
making the entire distance by electric
lines.
The going is somewhat slow from