ATCHISON, TOPEKA & SANTA Ft RAILWAY, The, one of the most important railways in the United States, and including a long list of auxiliary- companies. The charter was granted 3 March 1863, the route prescribed being from Atchison on the Missouri River to the western boundary of the State of Kansas, in the direction of Santa Fe, N. Mex., a distance estimated at 500 miles. The time for completion was limited to 10 years, which ex pired 3 March 1873. Five years and six months were allowed to pass without commencing operations. In September 1868 the charter was transferred to new parties. In 1869, 28 miles were built ; in 1870, 34 miles; in 1871, 75 miles. The western boundary of Kansas not having been established, it was estimated that the re mainder to be built, with only one year for the completion of the road and telegraph line which was to accompany it, was 345 miles. By great effort the means were provided, and the work completed with rapidity then unprecedented, and the cars were run over the entire line from the Missouri River to Colorado, about 470 miles, on 28 Dec. 1872, thereby saving the ldnd grant, which would have been forfeited had the road not been completed before 3 March 1873. The road was remarkably well built, much better than the majority of western railways at that time, and in general construc tion bore comparison with the best roads either east or west. It ran for the greater part in the valley of the Arkansas River, with easy grades and curves, and almost immediately developed an amount of business that surprised the owner ship and the public. The part which this rail way has had in the building up of Kansas, Colorado and other sections through which it runs cannot be overestimated. It opened vast tracts of productive land to settlement, and drew a large emigration from the East to that region, where thriving towns and fertile farms took the place of what had been a desert. The road acquired a large share of through business in 1876 by leasing the Pueblo & Arkansas Valley and the Kansas City,•Topeka & Western. Steel rails were adopted in place of iron, and neither effort nor expense were spared to bring the road up to the highest standard.
The growth of the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe in 40 years is shown by recent statis tics. In 1875 the gross earnings of the system were $1,500,000, operating expenses $700,000; and net earnings $800,000; in 1917 the gross earnings were 156,179,120; operating expenses $96,333,568; an net earnings $51,321,917. The growth of mileage has been equally rapid. In 1875 the road only extended from Kansas City and Atchison to Wichita and Pueblo, 711 miles. On 30 June 1902 the main track mileage oper ated was about 7,900. On 30 June 1917 it had increased to 11,261.98 miles, the difference repre senting new lines. The rolling stock, about 38 years ago, consisted of 38 locomotives and 1,028 cars, including two Pullmans. By recent figures
(30 June 1915) it was 2,105 locomotives and 72,748 cars. Locomotive repairs were $60,000 in the early period, and $7,639,717.69 in the present. Grain shipments in 1875 were 28,400 tons, and were by later figures 2,862,382 tons. Live stock jumped from 87,500 head to 1,200, 420 head. Passenger and freight figures showed proportionate increase. These figures give an idea not only of the growth of the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe system, but also of the strides made by the western United States in the past 40 years.
In one of the reports of the Atchison, To peka & Santa Fe Railway Company, President Edward P. Ripley said: "The large increase in the system earnings reflects the rapid growth of the territory served by your lines in population and wealth, and this growth is likely to continue. Many miles of your main lines are fed by but few branches and extensive territory that should furnish profitable traffic to the system still remains, in a great measure, undeveloped for want of ade quate railroad facilities. The construction of additional branches and feeders will be desira ble in the near future, in order to increase the earnings of the system and strengthen its posi tion, and in order to furnish additional trans portation facilities to the growing territory through which the system extends. Further more, the traffic on your main lines has become so dense that the construction of second tracks and provision for additional equipment will soon be imperative. Since the year 1896 more than $30,000,000 of surplus net income has been applied to the development and enlargement of your properties, and it is expected that a con siderable amount of surplus net income will be applied in like manner hereafter; but it is the opinion of your directors that additional capital should be obtained during the next few years for the purposes above referred to, and it is believed that the expenditure of this capital will result in a substantial increase of the sur plus net income of the company' In the fiscal year 1916-17 the company's operating expenses consisted of $19,119,336 for maintenance of way, $25,273,168 for equipment, $2,780,823 for traffic, $45,910,504 for transporta tion, and $3,494,122 for general expenses.
ATE, ale, among the Greeks the goddess of hate, injustice, crime and retribution. Ac cording to Homer she was the daughter of Zeus, but according to Hesiod, the daughter of Eris (Strife). She wat a vengeful goddess and was banished from Olympus by Zeus, whom she had induced to take an oath of which he subsequently repented. Her influence was always pernicious, and in her journeyings over the earth she afflicted mankind, but she was followed by other goddesses, the benevo lent daughters of Zeus, who restored those who had come under Ate's evil influence.