Omaha daily bee., 1916-01-01
FEWER MILES OF
TRACK WERE LAID
Railroads Hold Back on Expendi-
lures Because of the General
Financial Conditions.
NEW LINES NOW PROJECTED

Less miles OF new railroad were built
in the United States during 1915 than In
any other year for over fifty years or
since 1854. and more miles OF ra lroad were
In receivers hands during the year than
ever before, according TO the Railway
Age Gazette's summary OF its railway
statistics for tho year, complied from
officiSi sources and published In its an
nual review number There have only
been three other years since 1S4S when
the increase In railway mileage was less
than 1000 miles and they were tho civil
war years OF 1851. 1859 and 1864
In 1915 the total mileage OF new rail-
road constructed In the United states was
sS3. as compared with l,5a I'm 1914 and
/ sou In 1919 There was also a large re-
duction in the mileage OF second track
built In addition to the new line there
was built 356 miles Of second track. as
compared with 665 miles In 1914, and 2jt
In 1913 and sixty-flve miles OF third track,
fourth or other multiple track. making
total OF 1854 miles OF track, as COM
| pared with 2.i2i In 1914 and i,t66 In 1913.
| The largest mileage In one state was In
| PENNSYLVANIA. which heads the list OF
states with ninety -cight miles. oregon
was second with cighty-threo miles and
Washington third with seventy-one miles
New lines were built in thirty-seven
states while mono was built In eleven
states. Canadian roads built ms miles Of
new first track. as compared with 1.9T
in 1914 Mexico s6.5 miles OF new line was
built as against none reported for 1914.
New Lines Projected.
In the United States the reports re-
ceIved by the Railway Age Gazette show
2.O69 miles OF new line projected. l,6o
under survey and 1907 under construc.
ton and uncompoted, total of $50
miles In prospect. A year ago there were
2,03l miles of new line projected. i,22
miles surveyed and LOIS miles under con
struction. or more than was actually
completed in 1915. In Canada there arr
S75 miles of line projected, go mile
under survey and 57s miles under con
struction. total OF i.25S miles. and II
Mexico twenty-five miles OF line are be
ing built.
On December 81. 1915, according TO tn,
Railway Age Gazette's compilation, SS,66
, miles Of railroad with a total funded
debt of 81. 5O7 S95.5OO, and a total $947,oo4, 80
capital stock, or securities amounting 4
81, 354, SOL In all, we're being operate'
by receivers. This represents nearly one
sixth Of the total mileage and capital
zation OF the railways of the country
On October /, the mileage in receivers
hands, over A. 600. was the greatest eve
recorded. Since then the receivership o
the Wabash, with ISIS miles, has bee
terminated. and several smaller road
have been sold under foreclosure. TIL
mileage now being operated by receiver
was exceeded in 1894. when the total wa
4O,S1S on June 80 Roads having tots
mileage OF 2O,149 and total capitalize
ton OF s., 070, sos, 62S went into receiver
ships during the calendar year 1915. Thi
is the greatest mileage placed In re
ceivers' hands during one year since tn
panic year. 1898.
Adds 60 Equipment
Onel OF the best Indications OF the pros
ress OF the railways is the extent
: which they have added 10 their equh
: ment. and the Railway Age Gazette hs
also compiled statistics showing the nun
! Der of new freight and passenger cal
and locomotives ordere and built durir
the year. as follows: