and third class carriages, as in England. Except the emigrant cars and the troop cars, all the passenger cars are of the same class; and for the purpose for which they are designed, they present many advantages. The simplicity of the structure renders the cost of their construction comparatively less than that of any class of carriages on European railroads. But

still greater source of saving is found in their operation. The proportion of dead weight to the paying weight is far less than in the first or second class carriages on the English railroads. It is true, they do not offer to the wealthy passenger all the luxurious accommodations which he finds in the best first class carriages on English roads, but they afford every necessary convenience and comfort, and are far preferable to the second class carriages on European lines.

Some very decided improvements in passenger cars have recently been introduced on some of the principal roads in the United States, which will be mentioned hereafter.

There is at present finished and in operation in the United States, thirty-eight thousand miles of railroads. Of this, Pennsylvania has four thousand and thirtyseven miles. Ohio is second in rank, having thirtyfour hundred and two and 9 miles; Illinois third, 100 having thirty-two hundred and fifty and 0.5 miles; New York fourth, having thirty hundred and twentyfive and miles; Indiana fifth, having twenty-four hundred and ninety and 4 miles. Oregon ranks lowest in the number of miles of railway completed, having but nineteen and miles. East of the

47

100

50 100

100

Rocky Mountains, Rhode Island contains the fewest miles of railway, having but one hundred and nineteen and miles; Delaware has one hundred and fifty and miles; Arkansas, one hundred and ninety-one miles; Kansas, two hundred and forty; Nebraska, two hundred and seventy-five.

40

100

The total cost of these internal improvements is one billion five hundred and thirty-two millions five hundred thousand dollars-a vast sum, invested to keep us in motion and move what we produce and consume. It is alone a significant comment upon the development and magnitude or our domestic com

merce.

The following is a statement of the earnings and operating expenses of some of the principal railroads in the United States:

EARNINGS AND OPERATING EXPENSES.

65 389,171 36

526 10,902,819 00

Cleveland, Columbus & Cincinnati 138 2,386,132 50
Bellefontaine

Expenses,

Per

YEAR ENDING

1,675,164 96 1,182,257 24 70.58 1,274,225 45 76.07 Do. 1865

Pittsburg, Ft. Wayne and Chicago. 483 7,467,217 56

The celebrated Scotch writer Mr. Wm. Chambers, after a tour through the United States some years ago, thus speaks of American Railroads: "The land on which they are built has often either been given for nothing or for a comparatively trifling consideration. The lines have generally no fences, and they go through populous towns along the open streets without fear of the consequences; the only care taken against accidents is for the engine-driver to ring a bell. The waiting rooms are generally of a poor description. All varieties of passengers travel together in one carriage; and there is a marked deficiency of porters and other officials, to give information or render assistance to passengers. The trains proceed at a comparatively slow rate, and seem to stop at the discretion of the conductor. The whole organization and management is, in fact, on a loose and primitive footing, though perhaps well adapted to the raw condition of a large part of the country. "The absence of any classification of passengers strikes the Englishman as a curious feature in the system. This defect is felt to be a grievance by many Americans. ****** From this sketch it will be observed that the railroad system of the United States can in no way be brought into comparison with that of Great Britain, for the two things are constituted on very different principles. The chief desire in America has been to open up the country at all hazards to railroad communication, leaving improvements to be effected afterwards by the wealth which that communication is certain to create. On the contrary, in Great Britain, there has been no aim of this kind; the comfort of passengers and safety to the

public have, on the whole, at whatever cost, been matters of primary concern to the railroad companies."

An article in the January, 1867, number of the "Edinburgh Review" says of American railroads:

In

"Notwithstanding the diversity of circumstances between America and England, the results of a railway system initiated by private enterprise have proved, in the older and more settled States at least, on the whole very similar to those arrived at in this country. America imported her first locomotive engine from . England in the year 1829, but unlike the States of the European continent, she did not wait for English experience, but at once struck out her own course. the following year an engine of American manufacture was at work upon a railway in the Southern States designed to connect Charleston with Savannah. As in Europe, however, so in America, coal gave the great impetus to the construction of metal roads. The great mining State, Pennsylvania, took the lead, and, in the session of 1830, granted no less than twelve charters to as many corporations, while before three years had elapsed sixty-seven lines were opened within its borders. Virginia, and next Massachusetts and other Northern States, followed the example of Pennsylvania. Each State hastened to grant charters for its own purposes, but often refused to authorize a road lest it should benefit a neighbor, or give some special advantage to a portion of its own territory. Competition and self-defence, on the part both of States and corporations, also played a great part in the creation of Transatlantic railways. Boston first pushed a line westward to secure the traffic of the inland States, and New York