Rensselaer Republican, Volume 17, Number 18, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 8 January 1885 — RAILROADS. [ARTICLE]

RAILROADS.

Statistics Showing the Railway Can* stmctJoß In TUs Ceuutry During the Past Year. •’—7 ■ - The number of miles of now railw»y constructed in the United State* daring the year says the Railway Ape, would have been pronounced extraordinary if it had been built six yean ago, and yet it ia small compared with any year since 1878, Onr returns, very carefully collected from official sources, show the total of the new main line track added during the year to hare been a little under 4,000 mile*, which figure may possibly be reached by final return*. This is about 3,C00 mile* lege than that laid in 1883, and about 7,600 miles tea* than the total reached in the wonderful year 1882. It is also much tern than that of th* year* 1879, 'BO, and 81; bat on the other hand it far exceeds the work of 1875, 76 77, and 78. Conaidering the general condition of the country, the new mileage added in the last year was enough; and yet, with the exception of a few parallel and unnecessary lines, it can not be said that railway building has been overdone. In general the roads built were needed for the development of the regions which they enter, and there is room for a large amount more of new construction of this character. The following is onr statement of the new mileage added in the different States and Territories, arranged in what may be edited the nine natural geographical subdivisions of the country. It should be understood that these figures show main Hne only, and do not include side tracks, or second tracks, of wMch many miles have been laid. The intention also is to report only the mileage actually laid down since Jan. 1, 1884, and hence we have thrown out a considerable number of miles officially reported to ns as built during the past year, but on wMch we know the rails to have been laid in 1883, and which were included in the report of that year: TRACK LAID DURING TB* TSAR 1884. States. Lines. j= No. ■= New England 3 States. lines. 2 Maine 3 41 Tennessee........ 6 72 New Hampshire Kentucky 8 40 Vermont I_4 Missouri Belt— Massachusetts... 3 19Minnesota 10 279 Rhode Island lowa u 279 Connecticut 1 11 Mi550uri.......... 7 11* Eastern Middle— _ Arkansas,... 4 32 New York ... 1 20 Louisiana 4 120 New Jersey....... 4 19! Kansas Belt— Pennsylvania ...14 252 Dakota 8 2*9 Delaware.. ...... 2 24Nebraska 7 79 Md. and D. C.... 8 17 Kansas * I*o Middle Western— Indian Territory. „ .. West Virginia... 4 70|Texas 4 72 0hi0... 8 108 Colorado Beit— Indiana 3 29 Colorado 2 34 Michigan...... .. 4 26Montana 1 9 Illinois,.. 8 40 New Mexico 2 48 Wisconsin...... . * 224 Utah 2 7 Southern— Wyoming .. Virginia ........ 8 118 Pacific BeltNorth Carolina.. 8 184 California. 8 *8 South Carolina.. 1 7 Nevada Georgia 8 111 Oregon b 218 Florida 8 IS3 Arizona 1 8 Alabama 6 74 Idaho 2 39 Mississippi 3 216 Washington Ter. 1 62

RECAPITULATION. No. lineSc Milos. New England States 8 75 Eastern Middle States 24 332 Middle Western 5tate5........ 25 664 Southern States (east of Mississippi Hirer). so 1,008 Missouri 8e1t...,,. .. 38 828 Kansas Belt 22 680 Colorado Belt T 98 Pacific Belt 14 390 Total in 42 (of the 47) States and Territories 186 *jm It will be seen that the railway mileage was increased during the year in every State except the little, finished commonwealths of New Hampshire and Bhode • Island, and the inhospitable mountain land of Nevada, and in every Territory except the Indian country, which is still strangely sealed by legislation against the inroads of civilization, and Wyoming, whose mountain wastes offer few inducements to the railway builder. The States and Territories showing the greatest addition to their mileage are lowa and Minnesota, each 279 miles; Dakota, 269; Pennsylvania, 252; Mississippi, 246; Wisconsin, 224; and Oregon, 218. In the others the increase runs from 4 to 160 miles. The number of lines reported is 186, against 257 last year, and the average extension is only a little over 20 miles to each road. COKPAEXTXVE RATLWAT MILEAOX TOB TEW YEABS. Miles Total Miles Total Tear, built, mileage. Tear, built, mileage. 1876 1,712 74,696 1880...... 7,174 93.4*4 1876 2,712 76,808 1881. 8.789 109.242 1877 2,281 79,089 1882..... 114,838 1878 2,687 81,776,1883 1879 4,721 86,49711884...... 3,670 125,482 It will be seen that in the last ten years our railway mileage has increased more than 51,000 miles, or nearly 70 per cent, and that tihe total mileage of the United States is now, in round numbers, 125,500 miles. This is an immense and magnificent system, but every coming year will add thousands of miles more until these figures shall have been at least doubled, with a country so vast and rapidly growing as ours, none ean set bounds to the possibility of -our railway extension.