New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1874-11-27
THE FAST FREIGHT LINES.
ADVANTAGES OF THE SYSTEM.


PHILADELPHIA, Nov. A.-As far as the p uo'lo
f. concerned there appears TO be five fast ireisn
o,n business over the PennsyvaUia Railroad III l'0'
there is only one independent line. however A"u
not as generally supposed. creature VI 'Ho
company feeding upon It, but q distinct co'P0."
with large capital and transportation Iacl'es' anu VIZ
extepsiye business relations with numoer Oh ra'o"u
eounanies several OF which are rivals OF tue Icuhsy
,,,ta Comnanv This line is the Empire, OF when inc
Anchor line Is lake branch. Tue Union National anu
Allentown lines longer corporate e1iseuceS' Ou'
merely commercial for divisions OF the FennsyNa
MIA Railroad COmpanys through freight business sohe
account OF Them may interesting as part OF the gene
raj history Of these peculiar enterprisesthe fast freight
bncs-vh ch havecome to a great extent between the
railroad and shipper. and by contracts Win oo'u
parties have performed a very large part OF the Fa0s
poraton business Of the country.
THE UNION AND ITS ASSOCIATE LINES.
The Union line was formed for the purpose OF obtain
nc ,brouea business for the PENNSYLVANIA Road from
number OF rnpecunious md partially irresponsible lines
IN the West. It established agencies Tor rcccylnS
freight a tae principal competing points IN 'he "c'i
and In connection with the Empire lire leased PIERS 40
49, aud g On tie North River, NcwYors, covering the
piers win structures whose roofs spread over an area
O. . acres IT, primary object was 20 gather ireSl'
for the railroads west OF Pls' urgh. IN some cases
those ro1s were autaConistc 10 each other OF 10 the
PENNSYLVANIA r ad, so that tho mediation Of neutral
conp.ly was eccSaTy to afford shippers rns'"orNy
,brougb .c over item. The National Nne was organ
zed by the Union Company TO run over limo known as
lie Chicago and Great Eastern from Chicago 30 Coluu-
his and from thence by he Pan Handle route to Pitts
burcA As the ClOu lime It's from Pittsburgh
10 Chicago over the Fort Wayne Road, II was desirable
II have uomiHal,y competing line on tie Great ElSt-
ern. wA,h WIS competing road. When tn Fennsy J.
ya-. Comraay leased both these aud other roads and
tbs spread feeders like tie fingers OF hand touch
in, an tie great cities OF the West the value Of the
ud,uend,nt fr-lt line TO ceased. Tie road did not
need us mediation VITA connecting roads because
II obtained control OF all these roads with
which the Union aud National lines hal dealt 50 the
railroad company Terminated is contract with The
Union Company. and bought us rolling stock ana depot
and wharf property. TIE companies ceased to exist
but the railroads retained their for business pdr-
poses. TAe Allentown line was another branch OF the
Union line owned entirely and operated by II. The
opening OF . new short line from Pittsburgh to New
YORK via Aueut0vu. led TO its organization, and It's
business was transacted with tie railroad computes
whose roads made that liue az, the Central OF New
Jersey. Tie LcusL Valley. the Allentown, and tie Read
IN Railroads. When the. PENNSYLVANIA Railroad OBJ
tanned control OF the OF roads between fhdde-
pala ana 1,cwYork it able TO divert the through
freight !rom the Allentown route and send it Oy way Of
this city In absorbing the Union line the raiiio2d Of
course took in the Allentown freight hue which as
have shown, was only n nominal concern.
HISTORY OF THE EMPIRE LINE.
The EnpIre Ire still maintains its separate existence
Tls Company nqs been absorbed because the Penn
sylyaua R,trold Guds that there : q profit in con
unullg business relations with II. The line IS ad0an
taccous TO the railroad because It Iyers freight at Erie
10 the Pennsylvania Compauy's Philadelphia and Enc
Branch VIII wouli ot1crwlsa g on 80 Nrv-Nork by
either the Central Cr the Ei- The main III ct IN view
when he ugire line vas established VS. 20 open
through frc .lt ae from NeE-Yog 20 the West by way
Of lie. Tie Anchor line was or-auz'd a, its lake
ally. and line O. -"2C propers was pat or The route
between Ere ard Western lake ports. After time
the Empire mpanv bought the stock OF tins line and
wholly controls II, owning large docks az Erie and
feet o. - steam and sailing vessels The OF the
Anchor line Is still maintained but its corporate
isteuce is entirely merged the other mpaIy. The
capital stock OF the Empire Company is SLCOaocO.
Il owns 45,0 cars, las contracts with $50
mics OF railroad, and business arrangements
VIII 1850 miles uo-e. Is earnings amount
10 auou. SI1C0CC) year. AID IT. dividends 10 per
cent per annun L. ia it sent East, the Penn
s,ir1nla Railroad, 9517s7 tons Of competitive freight
lisa powerful competitor for TIE business Of trans
porting petroleum. having about St-0coo invested 81
DID. .aa- the oil region OF western Pcr1srlvaL-l.
1t runs IT, over The Penusy wanna Railroad
frou Enc t. Milton; over the Philadelphia aut Reading
Railroad f.Om Milton 70 IdEISc; over ths LsAlgA
Val from QIaklAe 20 PhiuiqeouI 3D., y j., and over
TIE Central Railroad Of Ncw-Jer-ey from the latter
point - Ncw-Yyrk. From Erie westward 1t has con-
trac.s with The Lake Shore and Michigan Southern
the Culcag' Burlington AMI Missouri River Railroads.
II also runs cars from Cleveland indianapolis over
line controlled by the Erie Rli.road 1t viii thus De
seer tl-t has business arrangements not only with
the PENNSYLVANIA Rad bat also wi,A lis two great
rivals the E.ie and the EewYor!, Central. Unlike
express company and ~ nc the transportation com
paues first organized on tie E1e and Central
Roads tue Empire does not MAKE rates with shippers.
fails solely within the province Of the railroad
rompalies the fist freight line never deviatns from
i+er Il n
from q car service allowance for tho use Of lis
second from commission OF from TO 10 per cent on
tie business Sc brings TO The roads The line takes all
the risks coecuou pays TIC salaries Of solicitors and
Bren,s maintains terminal depot facilities. and relieves
the "a .road companies OK much q trouble.
Il oc-uQe, The Tos1n Of join, ageat for the various
companies, serving them for G@oc commission o1 rates
established 1v them.
MERITS or USDEPENDENT FREIGHT LINES
D. Potts President OF the Empire line, from whom
the above f-cts concerning 1t were obtained claims
that fIs, freight line performs legitimate and yalua-
BIZ function TO ho.h railroad companies and shippers.
II relieves the railroads from investing considerable
sums in rolling STOCK them heavy annual
expenditure f0g freight ana solicitations at all
competing points. Ii serves the shipper By furnishing
HIN a guarantee that his freight viii be delivered ut
distant point. reach which II must pass over several
roads L damaged. he looks TO the freight line and
lot put TO tie trouble Of seeking oat the railroad com
pauy bch il responsible. To a certain extent the line
also a capitalist Tor Tao shipper. It. bills tladi1s Eo
negotiable and arc taken collateral by the backs A.
Illustration OF the advantage this IS the shipper
1r Potts referred 20 the folio ing commission
merchant in Caic3go receives an order for car
Of oats from firm in Allentown, Penn. He has
no money 10 buy the oats with, and lie does
not know whether his customers business repu.a-
ton Is good not He goes oa Change. !
buys he oa- gets order the elevator for IT, hands
The order 10 the gent OF The Empire line; bill
q fading. and with THIS bu goes to a bank; makes
draft on the Allentown firm for amount with his