The number of railway corporations June 30, 1897, was 1987.
The total number of locomotives in service was 35,986, of which 10,017 were classed as passenger locomotives, 20,398 as freight locomotives, and 5102 as switching locomotives, 469 being unclassed.
The total number of cars of all classes in the service on the date named was 1,297,480. Of these 33,626 were used for passenger service, and 1,221,730 for freight service, and 42,124 cars were assigned to the special service of the railway companies. Twenty locomotives and 708 cars were used per 100 miles of line. Forty-eight thousand eight hundred and sixty-one passengers were carried, and 1,223,614 passenger miles accomplished for each passenger locomotive, while there were 36,362 tons carried and 4,664,135 ton-miles accomplished for each freight locomotive.
The number of passenger locomotives fitted with automatic couplers was 4687, and of freight locomotives so fitted 4192. The number of passenger cars fitted with train brakes was 33,078, and the number fitted with automatic couplers was 32,661. The number of freight cars fitted with automatic couplers was 629,399. Of the total cars in service June 30, 1897, 492,559 were fitted with train brakes and 668,937 with automatic couplers. There is a constant increase in the number of cars being fitted with the latter devices.
PUBLIC SERVICE OF RAILWAYS
The number of passengers carried during the year ending June 30, 1897, as reported, was 489,445,198, there being a decrease of 22,327,539 as compared with the year ending June 30, 1896. The number of passengers carried 1 mile during the year was 12,256,939,647, a decrease of 792,007,586 being shown in this item as compared with 1896. The number of passengers carried 1 mile per mile of line — that is, the average indicating the density of passenger traffic during the year ending June 30, 1897 — was 66,874, a decrease of 4831 in this item being shown. The number of tons of freight carried during the year was 741,705,946, which is 24,185,439 less than for 1896. The number of tons of freight carried 1 mile was 95,139,022,225. This item also was less than for 1896, the decrease being 189,338,053.
EMPLOYEES
The number of men employed by the railways of the United States on June 30, 1897, as reported, was 823,476. These figures, assigned on the mileage basis, show that 449 men were employed per 100 miles of line. The corresponding figures for the year ending June 30, 1896, were slightly larger. For the year ending June 30, 1897, it appears that the aggregate amount of wages and salaries paid was $465,601,581. This amount represents 61.87 per cent of the total operating expenses of railways, or $2540 per mile of line. The total compensation for 1896 was $3,222,950 greater.
