Daily independent. [volume] (Elko, Nev.) 188?-1915, 1914-07-17
NEVER A LOSING DAY
RAILROAD THAT HAs MADE
MONEY FROM THE START.
WatsrvIlis Railroad In washlaston
Has This Remarkable Record,
Which 10 Surely unparaiislsd
Never Had Accident.


There is one railroad In tho United
states that has paid from the day 1t
began to turn wheels. Not single
dollar In bonds was issued to start It,
all the stock was paid for and every
cent expended on honor. There is not
ana never has been one dollar of In
deotedness against the property. Ev-
cry Dill ts paid on presentation and
all current accounts and wages are
met at the first OF each month. In al.
most four years of operation the books
SHOW annual dividends OF 4 per cent
and comfortable reserve fund.
In that time the road has nothing
In the accident classification on its
records, not broken car, manSied
pig nor injured passenger. Not Q
single lawsuit has ever been hled
against the road. 1t has never had TO
answer legal complaint. And this
paragon Of transportation systerns is
purely an inland empire development
1t is the Waterville railroad, running
from Wateryille to Douglas Junction.
Wash. The distance traverssd and
the traf1o carried demand Ave and
one-tenth miles OF main line and two
miles OF sidetrack.
For the three years ended December
81, 1913, passenger earnings OF the!
Waterville road were $14,465; freight
received. $14,279.79; freight forwarded.
$12.147.92; miscellaneous, mail. etc,
$11,02o.5o; total. $61. 1881.
The highest priced ticket on the
system is S5 cents, which covers the
whole line, and more than $4,000 pas
sengers had to be carried with sin
gle engine and one coach to make the
earnings shown. Ten cents ia the arst
class freight rate Of the line and much
freight is hauled at as low as one and
one-half cents per 100 pounds. More
than 45.000.000 pounds had to be
brought into Waterville to earn $14,!
279.79.
At rates on forwarded business
ranging from one-quarter up 10 ten
cents per 100 pounds the Waterv1lle
line carried more than $4,000, 900
pounds out.
One may ride in many a finer pal.
ace car than the Waterville coach,
but never on one more systematically
Industrious.
The story of how the line was built
and 10 managed 10 another instance
Of energetic and successful Big Bend
pioneering. When the Great North.
ern announced the prospective build
ing Of branch through the country
Waterville expected to be on the line
but one day It woke up to leaPn It
had, been left flye miles away. Then
the old timers decided II was time to
get together They held q mass meet
ing In the spring Of 1909 and resolved.
with scant ceremony. TO build rail.
road to the Great Northern
They never did pay great deal Of
attention to ceremony.
When they needed wagon road
they built It, and when they needed
a railroad they could build and opsr.>
ate that. To do 30 they organised the
WateryiIle Railroad company, procured
right Of way and launched the enter
prise.
Placing the capital stock at $50 900.
the company divided It's ave miles Of
territory into ave zones. The first
zone of mile radius from town was
valued the highest, and the stock Of
fered was proportioned on this basis.
Within a few days the stock had been
subscribed and paid for In cash. J.
p. Morgan probably never got quick.
or results on promotion proposition
than that.