330 



STATE BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. 



crs report gives tlie expense of ruiiiiiii!^ and mtuuii^oinent of trains and the 

 approximate cost of carrying one ton of freiglit one mile. Tlie exact cost can 



not be computed for want of sutKcient data 



*Thccost of running freight trains per mile on C. & L. H., .ilthongh taken from the Railroad 

 Commissioner's report, IS cortainly very much loss than the full cost, for when substituting the 

 values given as above it only proiluces about ono-flfth the amount ceriifierl to by the Railroad Com- 

 pany as cost of conducting transportation. Increasing the amount given at tlie head of the table 

 live times wo got the more probable result, given at the bottom of the table. 



t See note B. 



From this it is seen that for the roads considered the cost of carrying one ton 

 of freiglit one mile varies from seven mills on the Michigan Southern to 28.4 

 mills on the Traverse City. This may in part be due to the fact that the roads 

 are not under one management, but that under the same management a great 

 difference in cost still exists over different roads is shown by the report of Albert 

 Fink when superintendent of the Louisville, Nashville & Great Southern K. 11. 



The following table gives the cost per ton per mile over the main line and 

 over the different roads operated by that company : 



The differences in the cost are caused mainly by differences in the amount of 

 traffic over the various lines, although other considerations, such as grades, 

 condition of road, rolling stock, etc.. also affect the cost. 



Distance also affects the cost of freight tratlic, thus 0. Chanute found that 

 on the New York Central Railroad as the distance was increased the cost per 

 ton per mile was lessened, as follows: 



