Railroad Extensions

BW Yohk. Deo. 39.- The Engineering PTctm tuis woek sajs: Since Jauuary 1, 188, the total amonnt of railway construction in the l':!it d States has been 6,430 miles. Tliis in w track has been laid on 8S6 different iinos, which were built by 100 different Rómpanles The 8,430 miles rompleted in the past in the ün tod otates, white it is only half that recorded for 1SS7 and but twothirds of the mileage built in 1888, is still a large showing for the year m wliich con Ddence in railway investments has received such serious shock. A notice ble liifïerence botween the ex-. tensious of 1S8S and those of the tvvo preceding years is that very few of the for' mer are important as competitiva lines, while iu 1S86 and 18S7 the great feature of the work was the construetion of iines to competo for the trafflc between Chicago and the two centers, Kansas City and St. Paul, a3 well as the competing route for the trunk line trafflc via the Bault Ste. Marie Many of the extensions of 18S8 compete, indeed, with older lines, but the eompetition is of only local importance, and in general it is local development rather than eompetition which haa been the spur to railway building during the past year.