The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1878-05-23
RAILROAD PURCHASING AGENTS.

ASiLhLsiiSo DISCUSSION ABOUT FhEloAi Gan
MILEAGE. STATIONERY BLANKS AND OLD
MATERIAL.
The second days session OF the hfth annual con-
venton OF Railroad Purchasing Agents opened yes
tsrday at tho ST. Nicholas HoieL Mr.. A. G. Arm
strong. OF the Lake Shore Railroad, presided, and
there was full attendance OF delegates. Mcssrs.
Hgsinson. OF tho Chicago, Burlington anu Quincy
Railroad, and Cuddy. OF the ST. Louis Iron Noun
tain Railroad submitted a report from the Committee
on Individual Car Mileage, which forthwith UNDER
wont long and exhaustive debate. and finally
adopted.
Individual car mileage means that the number OF
miles run each day by each freight shall be re.
corded and reported For instance, tho Lake Shore
road shall report to tho New York Central every
The number Of miles by each OF the Ccnrals
cars over the Lake Shore road, and by this system
the Central can at any moment tell the exact location
OF any one OF its cars, how far It has travelled and
how much Is duo to the Lake shore Tho system at
present In vogue is unsatisfactory, and consists Ia
road sending to another at the end OF the month
the mileage OF ITS in bulk, thus precluding tho
possibility OF telling the mileage Of any individual
car
SKETCH or THE new sYsrkM
Mr. G. c. Breed, OF the Louisville and Nashville
road, said it would DO impossible get at Individual
car mileage unless the roads co-operated, but now
that II mas been brought to their attention he believed
II would DO cheerully ana universally approved. Tho
new systom OF keeping mileage he considered to be
tho simplest In the world. Each ROAD supposed 10
have an initial-every prominent road one initial
only For Instance, instead OF tho "Lake Shore anu
Michigan Southern" the initial letter is 3D. Those
that come ia last Will have 10 double up Tor tho
letter, as "AB," "AC,n "ADn and SO on through the
alphabet. stations along The road instead OF bong
numbered conseculivey with regard 10 their position
are numbered according TO their distance from tho
principal terminus, which is o. The 1rsl station from
there II rs seven miles IS No. z If II Is thirteen
N n an n fha mn lna
commencing with the eastern Or northern terminus o
the road. When you get - branch II is called AO"
For Instance The Lake Shore and Michigan Southern
road starts at Buffalo, Buffalo is ., ana then tho
different stations are numbered according TO the
miles away from Buffalo Getting Eric II is LIS
miles. The first branch, however, Is ut Ashtabuis.
II is also here "AO,n because the first branch
that branch arc Iet,erea IA. with tho number 81
miles they arc rom Tho Junction. The beauty OF the
thing ID that instead OF the accountant freight
CONDUCTOR having 10 remember the numbers he SIM
ply has his mileage sheet thore and each station Is
known by the miles. Then Il ne puts down where he
starts from, say al o. and ends ~ rs II 10 simply
l2S milcs mat he has gone. This report made uaiy
o foreign car mileage or tho mileage OF cars belonging
to other roads than tho suppostitious here put,
and oil that road aro kept the same as they
always have bcen For instance, tho foreign car
mileage Is handed over each day 10 tho roads whose
cars are absent travelling other roads, aud thou
every road can tell just where It's cars are. IL avoids
all expense OF tracing. avoids the salary Of lost car
engine and everything OF that KIND, and only costs
tribe IN stationery and postage stamps.
HOW LONG CAR WHEEL LASTS.
that the ot mileage woulu DO OF
great convenience to The general managers; but its
interest to the purchasing agents tho kuowledg
u would give them oil how many miles ure by
freisht car wheels. Makers Of wheels will guar
antso wheel TO run Tor Twelve mouths or two years.
but the test OF that wheel cannot DO July or easily
asccrtainsd under tho present system With The pro-
posed plan OF Individual m,lcaso tney would DC able
10 tell exactly how many miles wheel mas travelled
Tho maker, III place OF guaranteeing u Dy certain
length OF time aust guarantecit 81 30 many miles,
40 900 60 900 miles, and they could calculate then
anteed ana look INTO IT'S condition To the purchasing
leading road, with say 900 cars at cust $3.50 900
year IN The matter OF cur wheels.
The report Of The committee was adopted, alter re-
system, OF when MIR. Dawes. OF the Atlantic and
Great Western road, IL tue author. Tho record
finally, ~ their convention IN THIS city recently,
adopted 1t.
THE REPORT on STATIONERY BLANKS.
Inc Committco on stationery and Pruning, Messrs.
Thompson, OF the ST. LOUIS ana southeastern Rail-
road, ana Campbell OF tue Missouri, Kansas and
Texas Railroad presented It's report, which was taken
up for discussion IN which A. Y. Armstrong, A. g.
Thompson. L. Y. Miller, J. Il. Holway ana T. q.
Purdy joiued Tnerc was u decided predominanco Of
opinion against giving tho aggregate Of printing tho
various stationery blanks required tor railroad 10
one irm, that by taking mo lowest bids indi-
viuuai blanks they could do better. Tho report
adopted
OLD MATgRIAL.
Tho next subject taken up was the disposal OF old
railroad material outside OIL old rails. X. T. Moore.
q. VI. higginson, W. 5 Cuddy ana A. Z. Armstrong
j
better policy TO dispose OF Old scrap iron and such
material might De cast aside, every month instead
every SIX months or, US IN Canada every twelve
months II would Keep the yards OF obstruction
and save tho interest on the money. 1t was csti-
mated that the sale Of old material 100 milos Of
average road would aggregate Ia year IRON $780, 900
TO $l25,U0u Tho subject u old material VIII Uc fur
Their ventilated NJ the morning OF the ConvoD
ton to-day and IA the evening II will probably ad-
JOurn sine die.
Among tho statements made by one OF tho purchas-
ing ageuls was one TO the acci that tho supplies an
has q "A
i've thousand different artics OF consun pon, aver
age cost Of 81, 600 0U0 ana railroad gets along
wi IN n pen al