PROGRESS AND IMPORTANCE OF RAILWAYS. The subject of railway construction in this country is one of great interest and importance. Commencing no longer ago than 1830 with 23 miles, the number of miles constructed up to January, 1872, was 60,852. During 1869, the mileage constructed was 4,999; in 1870, 6,145; and in 1871, 7,453; making in the three years a total of 18,597 miles. The largest mileage in any previous year was in 1856, when it reached 3,643. During the four years of our civil war but 3,273 miles were built. The State of Massachusetts has one mile of railway to 4.86 square miles of territory. A similar ratio would give to the States of New York and Pennsylvania 10,000 miles of line respectively, and to Illinois 11,000 miles, or more than twice its present mileage. The cost of railroads in this country will average $50,000 per mile-the total for the 60,852 miles being, in round numbers, $3,000,000,000. The cost of mileage constructed in 1871, at $30,000 per mile, was about $225,000,000, while at least $50,000,000 were expended in new works and equipments on old roads, making a total expenditure for the year of $275,000,000. The rapidity of the increase of business of the railroads of the United States, and the quantity and value of their gross tunnage traffic is still more remarkable thar the rapid progress of these works. In 1851 the total earnings from passengers were, för 8,838 miles, $19.274,254. and from freights $20,192,100an aggregate of $39,466,358. In 1861, the total earnings were $130,000,000; and in 1871, $454,969,000. The tunnege of all the railroads in 1861 is estimated at,39,000,000 net tuns for 31,256 miles; while, in 1871, the net tunnage was 100,000,000 tuns on 60,852 miles. The net tun-uary 1, 1872: Alabama. California. Connecticut Delaware Florida... Georgia. Illinois Indiana Iowa Kansas Kentucky Louisiana Maine Maryland & D.C.. Massachusetts Michigan.. Minnesota New Hampshire.. Texas.. Nebraska & Territories Total miles..... 259 373 138 1842. 1845. 1848. 1851, 1854. 1857. 1860. 1868. 1866. 1869. 1872. 46 46 183 454 628 805 805 38 38 4477 97 nage reduced to pounds of all the railroads of the country, in 1851, equaled 464 lbs. to the head of population; in 1861. 1,912 lbs. and in 1871, 5,000 lbs. per head. The value of this tunnage per head, in 1851, equaled $35 34; in 1861, $116 92 and in 1871, $375 per head. The increase of mileage of railways constructed from 1851 to 1861 was at the rate of about 20 per cent. per annum. From 1861 to 1871 the rate of annual increase was about 10 per cent. The increase of tunnage from '51 to 61 was 50 per cent. per annum; from '61 to '71, at the rate of 23 per cent. per annum. The increase of population from 51 to '61 was at the rate of 3.5 per cent. per annum. From '61 to 71, at the rate 2.3-10 per cent per annum. 97 20 5598 9021 The cost of transporting Indian corn and wheat over ordinary highways is about 20 cents per tun per mile. At such rate the former will bear transportation only 125 miles to market, while its value is equal to 75 cents per bushel; the latter only 250 miles, while its value is $1 50 per bushel With such highways only, our imost valuable cereals will have no commercial value outside of circles having radii of 125 miles and 250 miles respectively. Upon a railroad the transportation equals 14 cents per tun per mile, thus increasing the circle within which corn and wheat, at the prices named, wi have a marketable value to radii of 1,600 and 3 200 miles respectively. The area of a circ ĕ having a radius of 125 miles is 49,087 square miles, while that of a circle drawn upon aradius of 1,600 miles is about 160 times greater, or 8,042,406 square miles Such a difference, enormous as it is, only measures the value of the agencies at present employed in transportation, and the results achieved compared with the old. The following table shows the mileage of railroads in the several States at the various periods noted, from January 1, 1842, to Jan 22020 15360 127 200 1371 1420 2781 2998 2014 2175 533 731 534 295 472 277 1264 737 661 536 2629 2679 694 937 1807 2812 724 23 630 127 402 661 633 864 973 284 45T 546 562 3331 19 3728 4398 125 125 1436 587 1301 1379 529 28789 32120 35085 42245 512 605 1464 365 2235 1612 990 2580 2143 593 790 1265 4470 1190 3740 159 5113 136 1201 1520 865 675 1490 485 1725 60852 Foreign Trade of the United States for Four Years. AN ABSTRACT of the Imports and Export of the Principal Articles of Foreign and Domestic Merchandise. (Years end June 30.) TABLE 1.-IMPORTS.-QUANTITIES OF THE LEADING ARTICLES. 1869-70 ARTICLES. Coffee (a) Cotton, bl'd, unbl'd, prints, jeans,&c.yds. Railroad bars, of iron and steel. Lead, pigs, bars and old Molasscs Tea Tin, bars, blocks, pigs and plates Wool, raw and fleece. (b) Woolen dress goods. Total value of imports Cotton, manufactures of, of all kinds.... 4. Lead, pigs, bars and manufactures of... Leather, of all kinds.. Gloves of kid and leather Silk, manufactures of, of all kinds. Molasses Tea Tin and manufactures of Wines, spirits & cordials, in casks & bottles.. Wool, raw and fleece Wool, manufactures of, of all kinds.. Flax, manufactures of, of all kinds..... Indian corn Wheat Wheat flour. Cotton, unmanufactured.. .lbs. .lbs. .lbs. .ibs. .lbs. .tons. ..lbs. lbs. .doz. pairs. lbs. .gallons. .lbs. ..lbs. .gallons. .lbs. ..yds. Lard Pork Tallow. Leaf tobacco..... Oil,coal,pet'leum,b'zine,pa'fine,naphtha,gals. Bacon, hams and heef Butter and cheese... Indian cor and corn meal. Wheat and wheat flour TABLE II.-IMPORTS.-VALUES IN GOLD, OF THE LEADING CLASSES OF ARTICLES. $437,314,255 $462,356,163 $541,193,708 $540,337,540 19,807,876 26,308,079 21,270,024 13,743,689 29,876,640 .bushels. ..bushels. .barrels. lbs. Cotton, unmanufactured Cotton, manufactures of, of all kinds. Tallow... Tobacco and manufactures of. Sewing machines and parts of 1868-9 437.007 lbs. .lbs. lbs. .lbs. .lbs. .lbs. Oil, coal, pet'leum, benzine, parafine, naphtha Butter and cheese Lard Pork.. 3,531,944 12,483,525 4,792,398 2,515,957 22,333,600 59.728,008 148,186 88,519,323 9,803,432 541,995 1,229,329,259 1,160,172,375 1,189,155,938 1,457,294,818 53,304,030 44,101,359 50,347,223 43,754,354 51,301,919 9,048,013 49.230,199 68,058,028 122,256,499 343.353,457 399,031,453 158,261,318 203,503,170 620,685,610 1,026,045,340 1,190,650,857 23,380,053 3,674,988 23.904,048 12,011,147 12,881,222 13,687,750 5,600,958 16,552,887 7,047,237 14,557,836 14,402,339 5,728,028 3,406,066 13,871,546 3,422,928 1870-1 317,992,048 34,490,632 16,253,162 TABLE III.-EXPORTS.-QUANTITIES OF THE LEADING ARTICLES OF THE PRODUCTS AND MANUFACTURES OF THE UNITED STATES. 155,805 92.636,087 8,777,448 504,071 43,425,975 3,725.546 14,892,987 3,700,206 3,253,137 3,814,861 32,341,001 61,249,621 23,347,719 21,705,201 2,051,582 2,233,326 1871-2 298,805,946 84,762,299 11,803,437 10,192,384 17,254,017 554,465,164 236,454,061 236,662 83,604,698 11,329,101 746,904 45,214,403 63,811,003 186,552,300 9,484,157 TABLE IV.-EXPORTS.-VALUES IN CURRENCY, OF THE LEADING CLASSES OF ARTICLES. Total value of exports, currency Including gold and silver coin and bullion 1,392,115 9,826,309 34,491,650 37.590,539 34.304,906 3,457,005 3,054,841 960,448,623 1,452,928,024 26,423,080 2,514,525 113,718,203 149,677,585 933,530,413 134,233,397 272,860,237 2,431,873 65,706,452 115,327,071 67,664,910 73,950,286 199,651,660 29,439,832 39,250,750 57.169,518 181,537,630 185,747,181 215,667,604 35,307,447 55,540,188 11,952,349 9,606,086 10,563,020 3,395,090 12,973,904 7,642,978 4,657,041 36,448,618 22,943,575 12,757,221 26,214,195 18,061,095 21,220,496 4,302,320 3.025,035 21,995,957 1,890,864 79,129,059 10,627,511 $113,960,890 $459,073,982 $562,518,651 $549,219,718 318,038,624 8,476,992 420,518,951 43,197,124 31,071,216. 32,666,311 8,062,801 6,921,960 9,474,183 7,443,948 5,933,397 76,151,218 265,046,892 513,044,273 501,153,871 180,684,595 2,304,330 34,016,666 22,997,418 9,251,730 20,177,019 4,122,308 6,973,189 26,659,921 2.436,085 TABLE V.-RE-EXPORTS.-VALUES IN GOLD, OF FOREIGN COMMODITIES RE-EXPORTED FROM THE UNITED STATES. $25,173.414 $30,427,124 $28,459,899 $22,769,749 14,271,864 14,030,029 7,079,294 14,222,414 Total re-exports.. Including gold and silver coin and bullion... (a) Exclusive of hosiery, shirts, drawers and manufactures not specified. This item embraces only about one third of the value of the total imports of inanufactured cotton. (b) This item embraces less than half the value of the total imports of the manufactures of wool. (a) Coffee Wheat. Wheat flour. Indian corn Cotton, unmanufactured. Hides, tanned or dressed. Foreign Trade of Great Britain and Ireland for four Years. TABLE I.-IMPORTS AND CONSUMPTION OF THE PRINCIPAL ARTICLES OF FOREIGN AND COLONIAL MERCHANDISE. (Years end December 31.) ARTICLES. 1868 1869 30,680,237 29,109,113 32,639,768 37,695,828 3,093,022 5,401,555 11,472,226 17,664,113 1,185,789,300 1,090,381,300 865,348 10,280,768 9,847,757 197,091,600 223,827,800 23,726,000 25,596,400 87,870,400 95,509,700 14,437,800 16,594,400 123,734,800 941,112 220,019,ICO 77,087,700 136,220,000 122,578,900 153,089,300 26,696,700 148,239,700 250,928,854 255,161,343 259,361,963 319,511,336 15,151,688 14,840,158 15,168,321 16,341,446 1,114,056,900 1,118,808,100 1,225,915,400 1,254,948,700 106,918,069 111,889,113 117,622,575 123,529,544 747,579 709,818 683,616 144,903,360 166.093,760 166,965,120 44,604,000 Pig iron 741,771 Iron and steel wrought or manufactured.lbs. 24,209,100 24,762,600 63,437,200 Butter and cheese.. Bacon, hams, and beef Pork.... Tallow Wool, sheep and lambs (a) Wine (a) Sugar, unrefined.. (a) Tea (a) Molasses.. .lbs. .cwts. .cwts. .cwts. lbs. .cwts. ..lbs. .lbs. .lbs. .lbs. ..lbs. .lbs. .gallons. .cwt. Total value of imports, exclusive of specie.. £ Wheat flour (U. States, France, Germany)... Hemp (Russia, Venetia, Phillipine Islands). Iron and steel, wrought or manufactured. Linen yarn.... Iron and unwrought steel.. Bacon, hams, and beef (United States). Silk, manuf. of, of all kinds (France, Belgium) Tallow (Russia, Australia, U. S., S. America) (d) Tobacco, leaf and manufactured. ..yds. ...lbs. Total value of exports of merchandise Cotton manufactures, exclusive of yarn..... Linen manufactures, exclusive of yarn. Woolen and worsted manuf., exclu of yarn.. 735,217 600,673 434,495 8,905,931 £295,460,214 £303,257,493 £326,834,647 4,857,620 4,927,122 22,069,353 19,515,758 4,838,012 5,935,665 2,832,077 55,184,680 5,098,387 3,792,939 56,851,045 4,179,502 2,087,669 1,940,275 763,554 2,318,223 362,667 9,609,483 13,339,758 519,968 2,961,319 12,431,454 2,298,431 5,440,991 14,873,523 622,511 403,078 10,006,060 2,398,194 15,030,393 19,536,073 6,364,011 2,474,393 1870 1871 30,629,710 31,010,725 30,901,229 39,407,646 4,803,909 3,084,638 16,756,783 16,832,499 1,195,863,500 1,584,389,000 1,199,050 1,278,354 11,556,345 4,942,769 16,264,027 5,790,550 3,383,751 53,477,755 5,979,127 2,063,377 19,519,201 22,625,190 5,857,905 2,891,454 759.342 667,174 727,192 2,197,064 689,604 14,079,521 14,440,502 379,347 3,318,566 10,097,619 2,169,053 4,817,294 3,795,429 7,069,557 2,249,502 5,265,602 14,299,336 15,357,619 17,436,806 TABLE III.-EXPORTS.-QUANTITIES OF THE LEADING ARTICLES OF BRITISH AND IRISH PRODUCE AND MANUFACTURE, AND COUNTRIES TO WHICH SENT. Coal (France,Germany,Denmark, Russia) tons Cotton piece goods (whole world). .yds. Cotton yarn.. .lbs. Linen piece goods (U. States, Germany) yds. Linen yarn Spain, Germany) .lbs. Pig and puddled iron (U.S.Holland, Ger.) lbs. Bar iron (N. America). ..lbs. Railroad iron (U. States, Ruseia, India)..lbs. Tin and tin plates (United States).. ..lbs. Woolen dress goods (whole world) Woolen yarn (Holland Germany) Worsted stuffs, &c. (U. States, Germany) yds. TABLE IV.-EXPORTS.-VALUES OF THE LEADING CLASSES OF ARTICLES. 17,934,421 255,686,400 41,714,700 32,404,719 5,407,110 23,345,630 6,470,789 3,438,284 2,237,492 21,675,218 21,604,953 55,707,545 5,791,188 10,837,804 10,595,994 11,702,649 12,816,434 2,977,106,551 2,866,113,363 3,266,998,366 3,410,901,522 174,262,196 169,517,575 186,078,060 193,482,125 210,049,678 214,715,319 222,811,069 216,897,611 32,779,306 34,565,542 37.239,314 36,397,781 1,238,717,760 1,594,210,880 1,687,179,360 2,374,648,060 677,877,760 801,032,960 719,059,200 782,042,240 1,307,013,120 2,005,699,520 2,373,038,080 2,192,998,cεo 184,934,100 203,502,900 199,701,900 24,622,230 28,203,102 4,994,249 2,376,392 3,834,917 1,165,814 707,771 682,457 239,509,200 43,053,732 10,302,535 1,307,687 3,284,566 624,986 6,039,180 15,404,791 309,327 3,111,751 11,657,684 £179,677,812 £190,045,230 £199,586,822 £219,319,071 1,869,183 1,895,724 1,881,673 1,870,977 5,352,525 52,971,873 5,069,574 53,001,551 5,638,371 56,745,210 14,671,135 6,267,047 57,635,570 14,714,899 14,157,513 7,113,873 6,798,373 7,248,345 2,328,778 15.054,742 7,521,561 2,220,103 23,248,525 27,184,704 6,101,777 3,663,309 (a) These quantitics represent the home consumption only. (b) Value of total import, of which about 5-6 is re.exported. (c) Value of total import, of which from 1-5 to 1-6 is re-exported to Holland, Germany, Belgium Russia, and other countries. (d) About 1-4 re-exported. (e) About 2-5 re-exported. The re-exports of the other commodities are less important. Statistics of the Cotton Manufactures of the United States, 1870. Value of Alabama. Delaware Georgia. Indiana.. Iowa.. Kentucky Massachusetts. Missouri New Hampshire. New Jersey North Carolina. Ohio. Pennsylvania Tennessee Texas Vermont. Virginia Total United States $931,000 3,249,523 13,000 66,400 12,710,700 31,747,309 1,165,000 2,587,615 3,433,265 10,921,176 151,000 857,000 551,000 2,070,318 20,000 1,500 405.000 1,584,625 592,000 748,525 2,734,250 12,693,647 9,839,685 25,887,771 44,714,375 130,654,040 751,500 580,764 489,200 2,196,600 13,332,710 41,469,719 2,702,000 7,920,035 8,511,336 24,783,351 1,030,900 4,238,276 555,700 2,226,400 12,550,720 32,953,318 18,836,300 44,630,787 1,337,000 4,756,823 970,650 2,872.582 496,000 1,079,118 670,000 1,235,652 1,128,000 4,255,383 23,500 956 $140,706,291 398,308,257 $117,737,686 7,134,415 r57,310 $39,044,132 $177,489,739 Statistics of the Woolen Manufactures of the United States, 1870. 4 8 II 3 42,000 Iowa.. Michigan. No. No. II 156 13 148 20 65 68 34 5 22 23 191 5 3 36 27 81 33 7 381 139 12 28 Pounds of Wool Domestic. Foreign. 14 5 $22,375 196,500 II Capital invested. Capital invested. I 46 85 700,449 125 2 107 31 34,000 50,325 382,727 Maryland.. 54 10 1011,050 1391,889 246,600 254,857 195,250 154,796 716,524 1979,671 77 4616,100 8785,882 29 1171,200 2191,178 Pounds of 500 936,585 620,937 3821,913 4949,461 80,157 2273,428 96,000 200,000 1639,367 N. Hampshire New York.... 252 10872,820 16146,873 N. Carolina. 52 237,800 355,693 62,200 9 389,200 943,400 Oregon. 412,347 8167,500 12249,720 Texas.. 97,250 Vermont 793,433 92,240 898,447 1030,153 3470,667 1120,680 1,200 14,218 Value of 28,768 77,116 Looms. Cost of 201 $216,679 $1,088,767 4,100 3,246,783 110 I 20 120,300 3,989,853 1,009,351 2,626,131 182,951 113,520 3,496,986 5,224,650 257,680 178,156 68,211 125,000 229.750 6,300 Cost of $1,881 6,870 230,200 2860,370 115,370 122,138 535,185 726,113 269,432 30,682 159,373 8,900 1047,151 45,592 28,800 1355,147 39,101 559,414 112,213 4373,628 2228,402 Value of 3,815 62,780 20,278 644-524 58,765 59,828 229,307 22,362 14,026,334 1,060,898 3,648,973 2,000 48,140 279,000 778,047 7,000 498,960 251,550 4,832,808 11,844,181 59,493.153 234,445 798,050 16,999,672 4,015,768 11,178,211 1,345,052 681,835 17,490,080 22,049,203 1,529,937 941,542 374,598 546,510 1,435,800 16,803 Value of $89,998 78,690 147.323 137,408 1256,213 8766,10 1903,825 14394.786 2317,900 435,375 West Virginia. 74 236,100 741,000 64 65,000 Wisconsin 1 307,051 1627,169 50 15 0.058 NOTE.-The statistics of the Cotton and Woolen Manufactures of the United States for 1860 and 1850 are valueless for comparison. 298,638 3287,600 595,857 2758 1255 34.459 696,844 12.598 32459 |