Rensselaer Republican, Volume 17, Number 44, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 9 July 1885 — RAILWAY BUILDING. [ARTICLE]

RAILWAY BUILDING.

Nearly Nine Hundred Miles of Track Laid in Six Months. The fol owing, which we copy from the Railway Age, shows the amount of track laid during the first six months of the current year: ' States. No. lines. Miles. Alabama 1 6.00 Arkansas . 1 2.50 California 4 27.00 Dakota. 1 3.00 Florida.... 4 65.50 Georgia 6 53.00 Illinois .“. 1 10.0(1 Indiana 1 7.00 lowa 1 7.0# Kansas 4 78.00 Kentucky 2 17.00 Louisiana.. 1 13.00 Massachusetts .....2 8.25 Minnesota 2 102.00 Mississippi 2 43.50 Missouri 4 92.50 Nebraska 1 103.00 New York »■..» ,~. —G19.00 Pennsylvania . A 44.7<$ South Carolina 1 41.00 Tennessee 1 10.00 Texas 6 103.00 Virginia......... 1 4.00 Washington Territory 1 , 2.75 Wisconsin 1 '40.00 Total, 25 5tate5......... ....56 895.50 It will be seen that thus far this year, in spite of hard times and hard: weather, about nine hjrndied miles have been added to our railway system by fifty-six,different lines in twenty-five ' of the States and Territories. This is not a very large showing compared with the figures of the S receding years, and yet it is larger than peraps might reasonably be expected. The States showing an addition of Hi ty miles or more are Georgia, Florida, Kansas, Missouri, Minnesota, Nebraska, and Texas, and in these States, as well as in California and Pennsylvania, from four to six lines each have been under construction. Our records for a number of years show that the new mileage report d within the first six months, during a considerable part of which work is wholly suspended in many parts of the country, represents not more than from 27 to per cent, of :.lre total £or the .year. Be- _ sides bhis we have record of a large number of roads, in addition to those already reported upon, on which tracklaying will be in progress during the year. Hence we consider it safe to estimate that the total addition of railway mileage during 1885 will not be less than 3,000 miles, and may reach 4,900 miles.