urning out gas engines. The machine shops are also using
gas engines to drive their own machinery. During the last year twenty
of the Standard Oil Company's pipe line pumping stations have been
equipped with gas engines. In all the new stations and in old ones
where new machinery is needed, the gas engine will be preferred. Where
natural gas cannot be had and coal was formerly burned, gasoline is
used. The pumping station engines are all provided with electric
ignition.

IN A recent issue of The Railway Age is published the following, based
upon the last report of the Interstate Commerce Commission: "Last year
the railways of the United States carried over 13,000,000,000
passengers one mile. They also carried 95,000,000,000 tons of freight
one mile. The total amount paid in dividends on stock was
$87,603,371--call it $88,000,000. Of the total earnings of the
railways, about 70 per cent. came from freight service and 30 per
cent. from passenger service. Let us assume, then, that of the
$88,000,000 paid in dividends, 70 per cent., or $61,600,000, was
profit on freight service and $26,400,000 was profit on passenger
service. Let us drop fractions and call it $62,000,000 from freight
and $26,000,000 from passengers. By dividing the passenger profit into
the number of passengers carried (13,000,000,000), we find that the
railways had to carry a passenger 500 miles in order to earn $1 of
profit--or five miles to earn 1 cent. Their average profit, therefore,
was less than two-tenths of 1 cent for carrying a passenger (and his
baggage) one mile. By dividing the freight profit into the freight
mileage (95,000,000,000) we find that the railways had to carry one
ton of freight 1,530 miles in order to earn $1, or over fifteen miles
to earn 1 cent. The average profit, therefore, was less than
one-fifteenth of a cent for carrying a ton of freight (besides loading
and unloading it) one mile."

THE RAILROADS in the United States have cost about $60,000 per mile,
and probably a considerable percentage of this has not entered into
the construction of the railroads and the equipment of same, says
"Signal Engineer" in The Railroad Gazette. The railroads of Great
Britain have cost about $240,000 a mile, and yet we claim for the
United States more luxurious travel than can be found in Great
Britain; and this is true so long as the travel is safe. The
difference in the cost of construction in the United States and
England may be found in t