Western Reserve chronicle. [volume] (Warren, Ohio) 1855-1921, 1872-03-13
Gen. Geo. B. Wright upon the Senate
Railroad Resolutions.

ts Gen. Geo. B. Wright upon the Sena
r Railroad Resolutions.
le Gen. Geo. B. Wright, late Sta
r. Commissioner of Railroads, has a,
IT dressed the following interestiu
4 letter to the Hon. r. D. Harrison, Ii
N present Commissioner. Gen. WTigl
e is now Vice-President of the Atlanti
e & Great Western Railroad.
d CLEVELAND, o., Feb. 2l, 1872.
n Hon. r. ID. HarTison, Commissioner
Railroads aud TelegrdPhs, Columbia
Ohio -
DEAR SIR:-Iam in receipt of your
of the 9th ult., including copies O
Senate Resolution No. 27, with blanl
schedules.
In regard to the resolutions, L will
take them in their order.
RESOLUTION l.
" ResOlred, That the Commissioner
, of Railroads and Telegraphs be re.
quested to inform the Senate, at as
early a day as practicable, whether
! there is any uniform rule in this State
among railroad companies, by which
freights are classified, aud il not, to
state what, in his judgment, would
be the most judicious system for the
classification of freights which can
be adopted"
There is no uniform system of elassi-
ficatiOn. There is q similarity Of
classification among all roads, such
I a q raf a srI d, = 4.
classes, and sometimes additional
classification by letters a, b, c, &C.,
and also carload rates, as you will see
by examining the classification books
OF the different companies. But all
roads do not place the same articles
in the same class. These classes are
varied by circumstances sometimes
by the amount shipped, and the regu-
larity Of shipment. For example, a
road located in a mineral district,
hauling large quantities of coal and
iron, etc, would and could well afford
to put these articles in the lowest
class or in the carload rates; while on
a road not reaching a mineral district
or mineral market and only carry
ing occasionally single car load or a
/ part OF a car load of these products a
different classification would be adopt
ed. Take the article of oil aud its
products largely produced in this sec
ton of country, and affOrding an
immense traffic to few roads. Cars
are built expressly for the transporta-
ton Of this commodity in its crude
state, and great care is necessary to
its safe handling, whether in its crude
form or in its various stages of refine
ment. Upon the line of roads where
this article is not found, and where
little of it is transported, the very
highest classification or rate might
be charged, and properly so, by
reason of the great hazard involved
in its handling. Here it Is rated as
fourth class or Especial car load
rates"
Again, the season of the year has
much to do with classification. Dur
ing the season of water navigation a
sharp competition naturally arises
between the railroads and the vessels
upon lakes, rivers and canals. Hav-
ing provided an equipment sufficient
for the business and exigencies of
winter, the railroads cannot afford to
let this equipment lie idle during the
summer, and they musc 90 their
transportation at very low rates, or
not do it at all.
So many circumstances enter into
the matter of classification of articles,
that no uniform rule could be Justly
established which should apply to all
roads in the State. Regularity of
shipment, amount of shipment, price
of the commodity, length of haul,
and even grade and curvature, affect
the rates, and consequently the classi-
tication. y road of heavy grades and
sharp curves can not handle its traffic
as eheaDly as a straight road with
lighter grades. To illustrate the in
fuenee of length of haul upon rates,
take any road in Ohio, say 100 miles
long. An order is received for ten
cars for the 100 miles, and one for ten !
cars for ten miles between way sta |
tiOns. Trains must be made up and /
run with reference to the whole line, |
unless sufficient business is offered |
to steadily employ train on the ten /
mile haul, which is rarely If ever the |
case. The ten cars for 100 miles would I
go on the through train, and the /
Others upon local train. Experience /
proves thai at the way stations fire.
quent delays, Inconvenience, and /
losses are entailed upon companies
through failure to load and unload
promptly, while at terminal points
the facilities are such that no loss Of
time 10 the regular movement of
trains is experienced. The cars for
the way station must be switched
upon the side track, and in any event
can not be used again until the return
of the through or way train, and il
not unlOaded promptly may, and
often do, remain idle for several days.
The chances are that the ten cars
100 miles will be ready for
loading and use again for the same
time, il not sooner, than those con-
signed the ten miles. Indeed, expert
enee shows that those of the long
haul are usually returned the more
promptly. In these two cases the
income accruing to the railroad COM
pany would be as follows:
10 cars, %, 600 ms each at > cents per
ton per mile for 100 miles. 500
10 cars, 1000 fbs each, al IS cents per
ton per mile for 10 miles. .......... so
giving an excess on the haul of $40,
at one fourth the rate per ton per
mile of the short haul, and the prOba-
oility is that the cars going the 100
miles will be loaded both ways, while
the tcn-mile cars will be returned
empty. h