, 1880-10-17
THE RAILROADS.
Cutting Passenger Rates All Along
the Line.
a First-Class Ticket to Kansas City
for Fifty Cents.
The Managers Scared Lest There May Be a
Freight War.

basd and the other roads euding to St. Louis and
! Kansas City is assuming unprecedented proper
ttons, and the Indications now are that within
twenty- four hours nearly every road between
the Missouri River and the Eastern seaboard
will have become involved in the terrific contest
Never before did rates drop down to neral !:
nominal figures within d few days, nor were
there such amounts Of tickets disposed Of. The
excitement around the various ticket Offices Of
the Western roads was immense all day yestcr-
dag. At the Wabash Office the greatest excite
ulent prevailed, this road alone is selling un-
limited tickets, which can be used by spectators
The limited tickets are Of no use to spcculators,
as they have to be used immediately, and
consequently are being bought by such people
only as have immediate use for them. Whom
the ticket offices opened there was but little
change IN the situation from the evening
previous Limited tickets to st. Louis wore
94oted ut 81 by the Alton, Illinois. Central. and
SO. The Alton and Illinois Central sold rebate
tckets-that is. they charged s6, but gave the
purchaser an order for rebate OF u upon mr.
rivtng at st. Louis, and the samo was done with
kAnsas City nckels. tThey took this precaulion
IN order to save their local business, for other
up By partios who wanted to 20 to local
pDtnts on those roads, where the rate is
higher than s.. Tho Wabash, however. took
to St, Louis without inquring or caring to what
polnt on It's line the ticket was to be used.
The Wabash continues to sell unlimited tick
cts to St. Louis for IS and to Kansas City for II,
and, Of course, Of the business was done III
this clnss Of tickets. The Office WIS crowded
from morning til! night with spectators who
thought they could strike Il bonanza by invest
ing, their surplus cash in such tickets. Alto
gether the Wabash sold during yesterday about
wort ede av dnqaa
day most nf the tickets sold were for ST. Louis,
tho majority Of those sold yesterday were KIM
At about nam thn Alton hanp mt a sfon an
nouncinR that it would sell tickets from Chicago
to the following points ut the following largely
-; Decatur, s.: Hannibal, q; Quincy, s.; and
Taylorsvilte. H. This announcement caused
Intense excitement among tho officials OF the
points are considered their territory Tho Two
latter roads had thus fur kept out Of the fight
and remained neutral, as butonc Of their points.
Kansas Cfty, had before then become affected
by the war. The Alton evidertly took the ac-
ton it did in order, to force the Bur!tng-
t6e iou Resk not coasdarnf IN i the sdars xn
that these roads which have more at stake
from the Wabashs competition, should let it
henr the brunt OF this hnttIe alone. If such Was
the intention Of the Alton, it certainly succeed
ed beyond i1s NEST saagtine expectations, for
within nm nours time the Burlington aud Rock
device. 'Tickets from Chicago to Kansas City
only 80 cents" Soon crowds surrounded and
ttllcd the Offices OF these roads and discussed the
strsInge occurrence, and many decided to take
advantage Of the low rate and go to Kansas City.
OF course, these tickets could not be bought up
by specuMtors as they we're limited, und the full
rate, 80, wns charged but rebate order was
given with them for $l43o. to be collected upon
arrival at Kansas City. This precautdon had to
be taken, Or else the tickets could have been
used to all points OIL the lines OF these roads.
AS soon us this action had been taken by those
roaes. 4 TRIBUNE representative walked into
the Wabash otlce and demanded a ticket to
Kansas City and O'cents cash. The astonished
ticket agent wanted to know what this meant.
He was showna Il Wabash poster which announced
other route and also circular Of the Bur1ns
ton stating that it sold tickets to Kansas City for
90 cents The ticket agent, however. could not
SEE the point The Wabash refused to meet the
cut on Kansas City tickets. and after that it sold
unlimited tickets to Kansas City for $8 and |
stopped the sale OF limited tickets,
Alton late in the afternoon by the announce
rnent that 1t would sell tickets from Kansas City
to a)l the PRINCIPAL local points on the Wabash |
as far east as Toledo, and also to Cleveland and
Indianapolis. ut the same rates as charged BY
the Wabash from St. Louis This action Is likely
to involve 81 the lines Leading east ff1 rpm 81
other Eastern roads will follow sait:
What the outcome of al this will be ia hard to |
will remain unsettled Tor years to come, owing |
the hands Of speealators. whalever tue finai
putlons Of the spcculntors that tho old rates |
would soon be restored again, and that then !
they would renp IL rich harvest from their In
OF XII the roads agree that they viii not restore
the old rates again until nll the outstanding |
tickets have been redeemed. and It It will take =
couple OF ycurs to accomplish this Tho intention !
Ut the Western managers now 1s to make she |
regular rnte to st. Louis after the battle ID over
about g, and to Kansas City 81 or SO. By doing
this the spectators will not be able to sell their
tickets at profit, and theT will be finally only
90 glad to have them redeemed by the railroad
for the amount paid for fhem~
The turn ntiairs have takeu during the last
sWo days causes great alarm among railroad
managers and others interested in railroad
properties. As far rs tho fight on passenger
tts5 Is concerned, 1t has reached its eliminating
point, as the tickets arc now sold At nominal
tgures, and the next step will be
FAR on freight rates.. Should this happen, then
he losses to tho rniroad compnnies would be-
come frlghtful, and tho hopes or future diyt-
lends would vanish into thin n3r. The trunk
inc mngnnres seem TO huyo begun TO realize
he situation, for they have Just issued Il call
or q meeting Ut railroad Presidents TO be held
It New York next Wednesday tn discuss the
situation and to sec whether steps cannot be
aiken TO arrest the calnu,itons storm before it
Eas left nothing but ruin and desolation in its
,Ath.
KANSAS CITY.
Special Dispatrh to The Chtedco Tribune.
KANSAS CITY, Mo-, Oct lo.-There has been
reat excitement in Kansas City over the pas
enger war. General Ticket Agent DanieIs, of
he Wabash Road arrived at 9 O'Clock. and i'm
rate Of 50 to Chicago was made for
Unlimited tickets. The figures went down to 50,
nd than to 81, and at these rates over $aly 600