In the Railroad Gazette (New York) for May 30, 1902, there appeared exhaustive tables, compiled from the Archiv fur Eisenbahnwesen of Prussia of the railroads of the world in the year 1900 and in previous years. With the help of these tables the Railroad Gazette, in its issue for June 6, makes the following comparative statements:

The mileage built in each decade has been for the world: Ten years to 1840, 4,772; 1850, 19,198; 1860, 43,-160; 1870, 63,255; 1880. 101,081; 1890, 152,179; 1900, 107,421.

The mileage built before 1830, insignificant in amount, is included with the 4,772 miles credited above to the following decade.

Of the total of 491,066 miles completed at the end of the century more than one-half had been built since 1880 and nearly three-fourths since 1870. The total built in the forty years down to 1870 (130.385 miles) was one-seventh less than the construction in the single decade ending with 1890. It is notable, however, that in the last decade of the century 44,758 miles less were built than in the preceding ten years. This is one of the indications that the civilized and productive industrial countries of the world are now generally well equipped with these instruments of transportation. Europe (except Russia) and North America have immediate need of no large additions to their mileage. There is still abundant room for railroads in Asia, Africa and South America, but the slow growth of industries of these continents, two of which are over rather than under populated, but whose population is to a great extent a bar to progress such as Europe and North America have had in the past century, gives no promise of rapid railroad extension.

Nevertheless, the most notable development of the last decade has been the greater activity in Asia and Africa. In Asia, until after 1890, there was scarcely any railroad except in British India, a very little in Asia Minor, a beginning in Russia and Japan. But the 20,960 miles in Asia in 1890 had become 37,477 miles in 1900, and the 6,113 miles in Africa, 12,501. The additions, considering the size of the continents, are small; but they are only beginnings, and considerable new additions have been made since 1900, chiefly the Siberian Railroad in Asia and the Uganda in Africa. It is probably not generally known that even in this last decade it is India and not Russia which leads in railroad construction in Asia; India had added (6,982 miles (42 per cent) to the 16,-781 it had in 1890, while the additions in Asiatic Russia were but 4,622 miles.

In Europe more railroad was built from 1890 to 1900 than in the previous decade, but less than from 1870 to 1880. The increase in the last decade was wholly due to Russia, where it was 10,659 miles, against 4,413 miles in the previous decade. In the rest of Europe 29,700 miles were built from 1880 to 1890, and only 26,418 in the following decade.

The most notable change in the last decade, however, is the decrease in construction in North America, which was so long the great field for railroad construction. With 2,834 miles built in 1840, the increase in mileage for successive decades has been: 1840-1850, 9,099; 1850-1860, 23,644; 1860-1870, 22,887; 1870-1880, 45,629; 1880-1890, 85,766; 1890-1900, 33,856.

Thus the new construction on this continent in the last decade was 60 per cent less than from 1880 to 1890, and even 20 per cent less than from 1870 to 1880. The decrease in the last decade was common to Canada and Mexico, as well as to the United States. It was altogether healthy. But this country and Canada, at least, are richer to-day than they would have been if they had built as much railroad in the last decade as in "the one preceding it. Fully $2,-000,000,000 more than has actually been expended for new railroads would have been required: and the indications are that the capital thus saved has been most profitably employed in productive industries which give the railroads traffic to carry.

Copyright, 1899, by Munn & Co.

United States, 184,532 miles.

Germany, 29,984 miles.

France, 25.862 miles.

Russia in Europe, 25,357 miles.

Great Britain, 23,534 miles.

British India, 21,543 miles.

Magnitude of the Leading Railroad Lines of the World Represented by Size of Locomotives. Railways Of The World Compared In The Year 1899.

Copyright, 1899, by Munn & Co.

Great Britain, 62,252.

Germany, 34,590.

United States, 33,893.

France, 28,750.

British India, 14,743.

Russia, 10,560.

Total Number Of Passenger Cars.

United States, 1,284,807.

Great Britain, 656,735.

France, 360,721.

Germany, 330,460.

Russia, 195,556.

British India, 80,053.

Total Number Of Freight Cars.

South and Central America (including West Indies) do not cut much of a figure in the railroad world, having now altogether only 29,071 miles, or less than Asia. Two-thirds of the South American mileage is in Argentina and Brazil.

Australia also has slackened its pace in railroad construction. It has room for more roads, but not people enough as yet to support them, and it grows slowly. It had 1,097 miles in 1870, added 3,780 by 1880, 6,863 more by 1890, and only 3,185 in the last decade of the century. Australia now has 14,925 miles.

The last annual return from the same source, published in June, 1903, shows the world's railroad mileage at the end of 1901.

Total Australia and New Zealand, 15,470 miles.

Grand Total of World's Railroads, 510,470 miles.

Types Of American Locomotives

- Encyclopedia Americana.