The Present Texas Railway System. 
79 
By referring to the above columns marked “Increase/’ one can readily 
note the periods of greatest activity and depression in railway construc- 
tion in Texas, which can be easily traced to good times on the one hand 
and panics on the other in the money centers of the world. During the 
civil war and years immediately following, railway construction was 
practically at a standstill. Later business revived and under favorable 
conditions in way of magnificent land donations offered to any railway 
company that might construct in the state, several thousand miles were 
built. 1881 is the “banner year” in railway construction in Texas when 
1669 miles were added to its mileage. 
The } r ear 1900 will see more miles of railway constructed in Texas 
than any year since 1889. More than two hundred miles of line are under 
construction, chiefly extensions and feeders of the larger systems. It is 
probable that this activity will continue for several years. As the terri- 
tory becomes more developed the necessity for railway extensions will 
increase. In former years while land and other donations invited the 
expenditures of capital for railway construction, at present the pros- 
pective business in a territory must guarantee such investment. 
Texas has a land area of approximate^ 260,900 square miles and a 
population of about 3,000,000. Placing its railway at 10,000 miles we 
note that it has about 3.833 miles of railway for every 100 square miles 
and about 33.333 miles for every 10,000 inhabitants. The following 
comparative statement, taken from a table given in the statistical report 
of the Interstate Commerce Commission for the year ending June 3.0, 
1898, in which comparisons are made between the ten states leading in 
railway mileage, may be of interest. It will be noted, however, that the 
population of Texas was estimated at about 2,591,000. 
State. 
Miles of 
Railway. 
Miles of 
Railway 
per 100 
sq. miles. 
Miles of 
railway 
per 10,000 
inhab- 
itants. 
Illinois 
10,852 
9,910 
9,650 
8,790 
8,736 
19.38 
24.27 
Pennsylvania 
22.02 
16.25 
Texas 
3.68 
37.24 
Kansas 
10.76 
53.14 
Ohio 
21.43 
20.52 
Iowa 
8,518 
8,300 
7,975 
6,793 
6,398 
15.35 
38.44 
Kew York 
17.43 
11.94 
Michigan 
13.89 
32.86 
Missouri 
9.84 
21.77 
Wisconsin 
11.75 
32.72 
Prom the above table it is seen that, though Texas is well supplied 
with railway in proportion to population, being exceeded by only two of 
the states mentioned, in point of railway in proportion to territory it is 
