October document
Statutes and Constitutive Act of the Sociedad Anónima del Ferro-Carril de Mallorca Mallorca
Mallorca.
ASFM_ah_cfm_foundation/001
1872
Paper, 31 pages.
We highlight as a document of the month of October the Statutes and the Constitutive Act of the Anonymous Society of Ferro-rail in Mallorca. A very special document as it informs us about how was the society that started the history of the railway in Mallorca, who were its founders and what were the rules that regulated its functioning.
The Sociedad Anónima del Ferro-Carril de Mallorca was established in 1872 and was the first private company created with the aim of building and exploiting the railway on the island. Its foundation was closely related to the engineer Eusebio Estada, who had carried out several studies on the economic viability of the project and advocated the construction of a narrow track line between Palma and Inca.
The constitution of the Society dates from June 9, 1872 and was created with a share capital of 2,125,000 pesetas, divided into 4,250 shares of 500 pesetas each.
The document setting out the Statutes consists of VII titles in three different sections and, in addition, the general provisions and transitional provisions. It is a key piece of the historical background preserved in the Serveis Ferroviaris de Mallorca archive (SFM).
The specimen consists of 31 pages and is in very good condition. It was acquired by SFM in 2025, as part of the actions carried out to recover historical documentation that had been subtracted from its funds, coinciding with the commemoration of the 150th anniversary of the railway in Mallorca.
With its recovery, SFM again incorporates to its documentary heritage an important piece to know the first steps of the railway on the island. In addition to its historical interest, the document allows us to approach the creation of a company that played a fundamental role in the development of communications and transport in Mallorca during the last third of the 19th century.