Jamestown weekly alert. [volume] (Jamestown, Stutsman County, D.T. [N.D.]) 1882-1925, 1916-01-20

been built and the track itself has
been placed in q condition unsur-
passed by any transsontinental rail-
way.
The Northern Pacific may be called
a crank regarding cross ties. 1t be-
lieves that good solid ties we'll en-
bedded and ballasted, are the only
ones that will hold rails firmly under
the pressure and strain of fast first
class passenger trains and heavy
freight trains. 1t believes that it
pays to purchase only the best ties
and then to treat them chemically so
as to improve and preserve them.
To this end it has two tie treating
plants, at Brainerd, Minn., and Para
disc. Mont, for treating all it's ties.
These plants have a capacity for O.
100000 ties annually. In the first
fiscal year 3,O00,Qa0 new ties were
placed in Northern Pacific tracks-or
at 5000 to the mile, the equivalent
of 1000 miles of track. This tells
the story of Northern Pacific meth
ods based on Safety First principles,
and of the way in which it safeguards
the public that uses it's trains.
In maintaining it's track in this
first class, A No.. i condition, the
company spends from $1,000 to
$1,000 a mile, depending upon cost
of labor and material.
Many facts and figures of railway
operation become, through familiar
ity, commonplace to railway men.
To others they may be extremely in
teresting. Some few of these that
may thus attract the attention of the
uninitiated fellow. The total num-
Der of miles run by all the Northern
Pacific passenger trains aggregated
more than 1O,350,O0O miles; of
freight and mixed trains, 100000
miles. There were about 100000
passengers carried last year on the
Northern Pacific railway.
These figures should indicate that
the margin of profit upon which rail-
ways, those in the Northwest, at
least, are operating is not as deep
as we'll nor as vide as church
door: The ordinary business man
would hardly be satisfied with it in
his own business.
There were 17.600,OO0 tons of
freight carried, the revenue there
from amounting t. the munificent
sum OF not quite NgLt asaa one-half
mills for each ton carried one mile.
When remuneration figures range
below one cent for any unit of price
or service it is difficult for the or
dinary mind to really grasp the sit
uation. The smallness or meagre-
ness of return as here shown may
we'll cause reflection on the part of
impartially minded and thoughtful
persons.
AS against this it may be stated
that in addition to what has before
been enumerated under general
maintenance charges, there were ex-
pended by the Northern Pacific for
grade reductions and changes in the
railway line, more than $300,0O0;
for improved tunnels, $4,000; new
bridges, trestles and culverts, 1884,
600; heavier rails, $296,000; track
fastenings and appurtenances, $685.
900; new ballast, $267,0OO; sidings
and spur tracks, $4,000; terminal
yards, $333,000; automatic block
signals, s35S,00O; new stations and
fixtures, s9S2,0O0; shops, engine
houses, etc., s350,000, besides nu-
merous other heavy expenditures.
At the close of the fiscal year 1915
the road owned 1861 locomotives of
various classes, nearly 1900 passen-
ger cars and $4,000 freight cars, the
latter having capacity for 1,8OO,-
900 tons.
The facts and figures here repre-
sented furnish the groundwork for
partial and wholesome conception of
what running a railway really means.
Between the lines and suggested by
the facts given, ones imagination
may picture the difficulties and hard
ships, mental as we'll as physical, at
tendant upon such operation, with
out straining it. The mental cares
and worries, the hardships incident
to the operation of trains in wind
and storm, rain and cold, the econo-
mics necessary to reduce expense
without at the same time reducing
efficiency, the proper upkeep of the
railway, the installation of new and
useful methods of safety and opera
tion, and through it all the acts of
courage, fortitude and heroism