RAILROADS. 



743 



New York. In 1850 the Legislature of New- 

 York enacted a law requiring all railroad com- 

 panies in the State to file with the State Engi- 

 neer, by the first of December in each year, 

 statements of their condition and business oper- 

 ations for the fiscal year ending September 30th, 

 and it was made the duty of the State Engineer 

 to make abstracts of these reports in consoli- 

 dated form, and to lay the same before the 

 Legislature on its assembling in January. In 

 1854 this law was amended by providing for 

 the appointment of a Board of Railroad Com- 

 missioners, consisting of the State Engineer, 

 one commissioner to be selected by the railroad 

 companies, and one to be appointed by the Gov- 

 ernor. These commissioners held office two 

 years, when, on their own recommendation, 

 the law was repealed, and the law of 1850 was 

 reenacted. That law is still in force. Under 

 this law the State Engineer lays before the 

 Legislature annually the reports of all the rail- 

 road companies of the State, with compilations 

 of the same. But his reports contain no recom- 

 mendations or suggestions to the Legislature, 

 nor is it made his duty to visit or inspect any 

 of the roads of the State. The only object 

 gained by the Legislature of New York through 

 this law is uniform and full reports from, all the 

 railroad companies. 



From the reports of the New York State En- 

 gineer for the past six years we take the follow- 

 ing figures, showing the number of persons car- 



ried on the railroads (steam) of the State, with 

 the number of persons killed and injured: 



From the annual reports of the Auditor-Gen- 

 eral for the past five years we take the follow- 

 ing figures : 



Massachusetts. From the reports of the 

 Secretary of the Commonwealth for the past 

 six years, we take the following summary of 

 passengers carried and accidents on the rail- 

 roads : 



BRITISH AND NEW YORK RAILROADS. 



' The following tables relating to the United Kingdom are constructed from the returns made annually to th 

 ^British lioard of Trade, and those relating to New York from the returns made to the State Engineer and 

 Surveyor. Both cover the decennial period 1855-' 64 : 



BRITISH KAILEOAD9. 



Dividing the above figures by the miles of road, the following are the resulting averages : 



