Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 40, Number 8, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 4 October 1907 — THE RAILROADS [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

THE RAILROADS

Freight traffic is reported tp be increasing at an. abnormal rate in New Eng-f. land. Reports from California state that the Southern Pacific road is preparing to run its trains in that State by electricity. The fortieth annual number of Poor’s Manual, recently issued, places the gross earnings of the railroads of the United States during 100(5 at $1,124,500,390, an increase of $204,'442,516 over 1905, in spite of increased wages and cost of materials. There were 815.774,118 passen- ! gers carried last yea s, and 1,010,099,829 tons of freight moved. The average receipts per passenger per mile was 2.011 cents, as against 2.028 in 1905. The average revenue per ton per mile on freight decreased from .781 cents to .706 i cents. The total assets of all the rail--1 roads amounted to $17,534,381,033. The total funded debt of the roads is $7,851,r 107,778, being a slight increase over the previous year. The increase in capital stock was $304,452,151. the total now being $7,J00.405,970. The total increase of liabilities of all kinds was $1,199,015,307. The construction of new road durThsTtfiiT year~waß 5.510 miles, making a" total at the cud of 1900 of 222,035 miles. The Erie railroad has received an allsteel passenger coach, which is practically non-wroekable anil will not burn. There Is less than 300 pounds of wood or other inflammable material used in its construction and ail of that has been treated with a preparation which, it is claimed, renders >t immune to an ordinary degree of heat. The car looks like the standard passenger coach in general use, but its weight is much in excess of the wooden car. lhdng nearly 100,000 pounds. The car is so strongly built and so well riveted ahd bolted that it will stand almost any shock that railroad service will give it. •