Democratic Sentinel, Volume 3, Number 48, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 9 January 1880 — Railroad Construction Statistics. [ARTICLE]

Railroad Construction Statistics.

The past year, says the Railway Age, has been an extraordinary one in respect to the revival of railway building, more miles of track having been laid than in any year since 1873, and probably more than in that year. The returns, of course, are not yet all in, but from various sources of information we have compiled the following table, showing the total mileage constructed in each State so far as we are able to learn, reserving the opportunity to a detailed statement with additions:

Broad Narrow Gauge. Gauge. Total. Arizona *. 153 153 Arkansas 9 9 Colorado.. 7 (HI 67 Dakota 220 920 Georgia 10 25 35 Illinois 90 90 Indiana 70 4(P 2 H4) 2 lowa £25 46* 371 Idaho £0 90 Kansas 490 498 Kentucky 65 t;5 Louisiana f 5 65 Maine 18 18 Maryland 19 18 Ma'sac ausetts 11 11 , Michigan 12 41)4 53' 2 Minnesota 394 ... .* 394 Missouri 161 27 188 Nebraska 125 125 Nevada 35 35 New Jersey 4 4 New Mex co 125 125 Nortn Carolina.. 25 25 New York • 67 ) 2 6 73)4 New Hampshire 914 9i 2 Ohio 105 108’ 2 213)4 Oregon 30 ... .* 3i P.nnsylvania 14 5 19 South Carolina 2 2 Tennesste 119 57 176 Texas 120 67'4 187 y, Utah 83 46 129 * Virginia 29’4 29V> West Virginia “. 20 20 * Wisconsin 00 15 75 Total 3,010 728)4 3,738)4 It will be noted that the greatest amount of track-laying has been done in Kansas, which shows nearly 500 miles of new roads, while Minnesota follows with 391, lowa with 371, young Dakota with 220 and old Ohio with 2134, and so on. It is also notable that nearly onequarter of the total mileage—at least 728 miles—is of narrow gauge, showing that the narrow gauge “ delusion,” as some call it, has not yet rnn its course.