COMMUTATION TICKETS.

Before the passage of the inter-state commerce law, discounts were made on through tickets and most of the roads sold thousand mile tickets to commercial travelers at a reduction of 33 per cent from regular rates or at two cents per mile. Recently the companies were selling 2,000 mile tickets at two cents per mile to all parties applying.

SPEED OF TRAINS.

Speed of passenger trains varies from twenty to thirty miles per hour; of freight trains from ten to fifteen miles per hour.

FREIGHT CAR MILEAGE.

The freight car mileage reported is as follows: Number of miles run by loaded freight cars east and south. Number of miles run by loaded freight cars west and north.. Number of miles run by empty freight cars east and south.......... Number of miles run by empty freight cars west and north..

Total freight car mileagė..

309,927,651

359,598,532

136,042,211

94,118,632

900,135,149

The number of empty cars hauled east and south is about 33.5 per cent of all the cars hauled east and south. The number of empty cars hauled west and north, 26.66 per cent of all cars hauled west and north. The percentage of empty to loaded cars is 25.58. This indicates, as well as the figures above given, that the tonnage in both directions is nearly the same in amount.

FREIGHT RATES PER TON PER MILE.

The following table gives the amount of freight charges per ton per mile in cents and fractions of cents for the railroads doing business in Iowa since the establishment of this Board.

The amount that it costs to move freight per ton per mile is not generally returned, and it is claimed by most of the roads that it is impossible to separate many expenses that are common to both passenger and freight traffic. We are inclined to believe this claim is well founded and that the cost of handling a ton of freight per mile can only be approximated. The Burlington, Cedar Rapids & North ern reports 0.77; the Central Iowa, 1.05; the Chicago, St. Paul, Minneapolis & Omaha, 0.77; the Des Moines & Fort Dodge, 0.40; the Minnesota & Northwestern, 0.45; the Minneapolis & St. Louis, 0.40; the Wabash, St. Louis & Pacific, 0.57; the Council Bluffs & St. Louis, 0.65; the Clarinda & St. Louis, 0.80. These returns are not valuable, as it is evident that the same elements do not enter into the determination of cost.

PERCENTAGE OF PURELY LOCAL STATE FREIGHT.

As stated last year, it has been the effort of the Commissioners to ascertain if possible the amount of freight originating in the State and carried to points in the State. They have hitherto called this. "local freight," which has led to some confusion, as many of the rail

roads report all the freight except that which goes from one terminus of the road to the other as local; they in the future will designate this as State freight, in contra distinction to inter-State, which they will include as all freight taken up in the State and carried to points outside the State, as well as that which originates outside the State and is carried across the State to points outside the State. The information furnished in answer to their inquiries in this direction has hitherto been far from satisfactory and the object of the question so generally misunderstood, that it is hardly safe to reach a conclusion. The Burlington, Cedar Rapids & Northern reports 26.30; the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy, 13.80; the Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific, 24.36; the Chicago, St. Paul, Minneapolis & Omaha, 20.8; Illinois Central, 28.00 (they assume, however, that it will not exceed twentytwo per cent).

EQUIPMENT.

The total number of locomotives reported is 3,194. The weight for standard gauge is from thirty to eighty-one tons; of the narrow gauge from eighteen to twenty-two. The total number of cars reported is 91,097. Of these 1,229 are passenger cars; 654 baggage and mail cars; 198 parlor, dining and sleeping cars; 53,921 box freight cars; 8,868 stock cars; 18,600 platform and coal cars; 7,408 other cars.

EQUIPMENT FOR IOWA.

The equipment of the roads in Iowa and the proportion of equipment of the roads in other States that have part of their lines in Iowa (as estimated) is as follows: locomotives, 1,177; passenger cars, 638; baggage, mail and express cars, 255; box freight cars, 18,581; stock cars, 3,116; coal and platform cars, 7,973; other cars, 2,479; total cars, 33,142.

STATIONS.

The total number of stations reported is 3,615; stations in Iowa, 1,379.

EMPLOYES.

The total number of persons reported as regularly employed in operating the roads reporting is 84,860; of the roads in Iowa, 29,078. The amount paid for personal services on the entire lines is $43,353,

793.61; for personal services in Iowa 18 $15,146,234.84; or nearly 41 per cent of the entire earnings.

TRUSS BRIDGES.

The total number of wooden truss bridges reported is 263; the length, 33,223 feet; Of combination truss bridges, 163; the length, 27,522 feet. Of iron truss bridges, 112; the length, 2,953 feet.

WOODEN TRESTLE AND PILE BRIDGES.

The total number of wooden trestle and pile bridges is 11,243; the length, 930,098 feet; or more than 176 miles.

IRON TRESTLES.

The number of iron trestles is 15; their length is 3,397 feet.

ARCH CULVERTS.

The total number of arch culverts, with twenty feet opening or more, is 64; with less than twenty feet is 862.

BOX CULVERTS.

The total number of stone box culverts is 1,686; of timber, 7,324.

BRIDGES BUILT WITHIN THE YEAR.

There were built and rebuilt within the year 45,169 lineal feet of bridges.

CATTLE GUARDS.

The number of cattle guards reported is 13,427.

RAILROAD CROSSINGS.

The number of railroad crossings at grade is 301; over or under, 59. Both roads report the same crossings.

HIGHWAY CROSSINGS.

The number of highway crossings at grade is reported as 8,172; over track, 121; under track, 186; bridges, twenty feet above rail, 80; less than twenty feet, 31; highway crossings at which there are flagman, 87.

During the year 132 persons were killed on the railroads in the State. Of these eight were passengers, fifty-nine employes, and sixtyfive others not connected with the operation of the roads. Three were killed by derailments, seven by collisions, three were caught in frogs, nine in coupling cars, twenty three fell from trains, twenty in getting on and off trains, four at highway crossings, twenty-six from miscellaneous causes, nine while stealing rides, three while intoxicated, twenty-four trespassing on track, and two suicides.

There were four hundred and forty persons injured during the year. Of these twenty-eight were passengers, three hundred and fifty-four employes, and fifty-eight others not connected with the operation of the roads nor sustaining the relations of passengers. There were injured by derailments twenty-seven, collisions twenty-two, in coupling cars one hundred and thirty-four, falling from trains thirty-nine, getting on and off trains forty-seven, at highway crossings eight, from miscellaneous causes one hundred and thirty-eight, over head obstructions five, stealing rides nine, trespassing upon track ten, while intoxicated one.

The number killed is one more than the previous year; the number injured is five less.

There were three killed and twenty seven injured by derailments; there were seven killed and twenty-two injured by collisions; there were three killed by being caught in frogs, but none injured. The three killed by being caught in frogs were one on the Chicago & Northwestern, one on the Chicago, Burlington & Northern, and one on the Sioux City & Pacific. The Chicago & Northwestern is using