6 HENRY GANNETT 



than one fifth. Of quicksilver we produce 29 per cent. Here 

 again we are exceeded by Spain, whose mine at Almaden 

 produces nearly 40 per cent of the world's supply. Of zinc 

 we produce one fourth, and here we are exceeded by the zinc 

 region of western Europe — the Rhine provinces, Belgium, 

 and the Netherlands, from which come nearly two fifths of 

 the world's supply. Tin is the only metal of importance in 

 the arts which we do not produce in quantity. Of the total 

 of all the mining products of the earth the United States 

 produces not less than 39 per cent, which is a far greater pro- 

 portion than that of any other country. 



The business of transporting passengers and goods from 

 place to place is one of vast magnitude. It is estimated that 

 $6,000,000,000 are annually expended by the world in such 

 transportation. Of the agencies in use the railroads have 

 come to be the chief. For the last two generations the United 

 States has been busily engaged in building up a railroad 

 system and developing its management, so that it now pos- 

 sesses a most effective and thorough means of internal com- 

 munication. With our area of 3,000,000 square miles we 

 have nearly 200,000 miles of railroads. Our railroads com- 

 prise not less than 40 per cent of the earth, and exceed in 

 mileage those of all Europe. 



Our shipping stands in nominal tonnage next to that of 

 Great Britain. The latter country possesses 38 per cent of 

 the tonnage of the world; the United States has 20 per cent. 

 After the United States comes Norway and Sweden, which, 

 with Denmark, has 10 per cent of the shipping of the world, 

 one half of the amount which sails under the United States 

 flag. The next is Germany, which possesses 6 per cent only. 

 It will be seen from this that although our merchant fleet is 

 little more than half that of Great Britain, it is very large 

 compared with that of other nations. 



Summing up the earnings of the various agencies of trans- 

 portation, it appears that, of the total amount of such earnings 

 in the world, the share of the United States is very nearly 

 one third, or 32 per cent. This is considerably more than 

 double that of Great Britain, with 14 per cent; more than two 

 and a half times that of Germany, with 12 per cent; and 



