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OF THE

Board of Railroad Commissioners

FOR THE

YEAR ENDING JUNE 30, 1906

STATE OF IOWA

PRINTED BY ORDER OF THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY

DES MOINES

EMORY H. ENGLISH, STATE PRINTER
E. D. CHASSELL, STATE BINDER

1907

NOV 1 5 1916

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To the Honorable Albert B. Cummins, Governor of the State of Iowa:

In accordance with the provisions of the statute we submit to you herewith the Twenty-ninth Annual Report of the Board of Railroad Commissioners. As usual this report contains the statistics covering the operation of steam and electric interurban railways for the year ending June 30, 1906; decisions of this Board; a record of all inspections and hearings, together with a brief note of each case closed by the Board during the year.

NEW LINES IN IOWA

There is practically no change in the mileage reported this year from that reported last year, the mileage now being 9,827.28.

ELECTRIC INTERURBAN RAILWAYS

There were for the year ending June 30, 1906, 248.39 miles of electric interurban railway. While it is known that there are a number of these lines under construction, they were not in operation so as to be included in this report.

INTERLOCKING DEVICES

The following interlocking devices have been approved by the Board during the last year:

Otis, crossing of the Chicago & North-Western with its own tracks;

Moravia, crossing of Wabash Railroad and the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul;

Slater, crossing of Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul and the Chicago & North-Western Railway;

Between Otis and Beverly, crossing of Chicago & NorthWestern Railway with its own tracks at the Cedar River Bridge;

Clarksville, crossing of the Chicago Great Western and the Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific Railway;

Sabula, Chicago, Milwaukee & Saint Paul Railway with its own tracks at the drawbridge across the Mississippi River; Fairfield, crossing of the Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific Railway and the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railway; Beverly, crossing of Chicago & North-Western Railway and the Chicago, Milwaukee & Saint Paul Railway.

HIGHWAY AND FARM CROSSINGS

There has been no change in the laws in this State upon the subject of highway and farm crossings and the Board can do no better than again repeat what they said in their report for 1900:

It has been the object and purpose of the railway companies, among other things, to strengthen and render more safe and substantial the roadbed and tracks throughout the State. In many instances the excavations and obstructions caused thereby have interfered with the view of approaching trains over highway crossings, and these new conditions are making the same more or less hazardous.

With reference to the farm crossings, many wooden trestles and other structures that from an early day, in addition to acting as waterways through the railway companies' embankments, have been used as under farm crossings, are now being replaced with stone and other substantial construction, which, in many instances, has had the effect of destroying the under farm crossing.

It has been the uniform policy of this board to encourage under or overhead highway and private crossings, where the conditions were feasible and the expense thereof not unreasonable.

While the supreme court of this State has held, in several cases, that a grade crossing is the rule within this State, yet we believe that the time is not far distant when such decisions may be modified.

As we have said in our last report, private or public crossings at grade may have heretofore been reasonably safe, yet, where the conditions are so changed, that is, obstructions along the companies' right of way which may interfere more or less with the view of approaching trains, the increased number of trains and the greater speed thereof, rendering such crossings more hazardous and dangerous to the lives of those using the highway, as well as the traveling public, and the employes of the railway companies, together with the increased number of such grade crossings, a different and more liberal and reasonable rule may be required in order that such crossings may

Year

COMPARATIVE STATISTICS

The following tables will be found of interest, as they cover the subjects embraced from 1878 to 1906 inclusive:

COMPARATIVE EARNINGS AND OPERATING EXPENSES IN IOWA, INCLUDING MILEAGE AND EARNINGS PER MILE.

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