The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1880-12-25
THE RAILROADS.


with evident signs of weakening The W.
| bash few days ago advanced its fare fror
I Chicago to Kansas City and ST. Louis from {
e to 50, whereupon the Alton advanced its rate
3 to S3. Then the Wabash ventured to 90 VI
+. to So and the other responded with 81. TIL
+ Wabash is Obliged to go dollar below tn
. Alton on account of not being able to bring it
cars into the city.
, The trunk lines each are already agltatin!
, the question of low fares to the inauguration
trolic at Warrington on the 4th of March
The rates about settled upon are for fare {,
Washington and return, from Cincinnati, SEQ
Chicago, S25; Cleveland, $l5; st. Louis, $50
Indianapolis, $23; Quincy, $3l; Buffalo, $13
Toledo, SIT. Tickets to be sold in continuou,
: passage in both directions, allowing two days
in excess of the Limitation of regular ticket:
for persons to make the round trip. These
rates are for the public generally, and no re
ductions will be made for organizations.
The Vanderbilt roads have made their re
ports for the year and present the following
showing: The gross earnings OF the n. Y
Central for the year were $33, 1898 and the
net $lj3260lS. The Lake Shore road has
earned SlS, 100000 for the year, and will pay
4 per cent in February. The Michigan Cen
trail reports gross earning of 100000. 1t is
asserted that Vanderbilt now holds, through
recent purchases $l6,0O0O00 of the stock of
the Chicago and Northwestern Company so
that 1t is confidently believed that with the
next election of directors the c. & NV. will
be added to the Vanderbilt combination.
The rapid growth of some of our leading
railways in the past few years is illustrated in
the cese of the Atchlson, Topeka & Santa Fe-
In 1876 it was little more than local line ter.
age of ZIG miles. The annual mileage subse-
quently was az follows: 1877, 1885, 1878, SGS;
1870 LIS; November, 1880, 1914, and still
rapidly growing Thus it has more than dou.
bled in four years, and will soon have two
termini on the waters of the Pacific ocean The
increase, moreover, has been made almost
wholly by the construction of new lines, rather
than by the consolidation of roads already
built.
The completion of this line to the Pacific Is
now near at hand On the extension of the
Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe, the track is
now about 60 miles south Of San Marcial, the
point where 1t crosses to the east side of the
Rio Grande, and within about Is miles Of
Colorado, n. NJ, where it will recross to push
west aud south to the junction with the South
ern Pacific, 40 or so miles from Colorado. The
Southern Pacific has already passed the juno
ton point and Is within Is or 100 miles of
the Mexican line at Ell Paso, which will be
reached by April. The progress of the
Atchison, Topeka e. Santa Fe Road
has been delayed by inability to procure
material rapidly enough, on account of the
overcrowding of railways and manufactures
throughout the country, but general manager
Strong hopes to make the connection which
will complete the new line to the Pacific dur.
ing February or by March next.
The Chicago Times of Tuesday relates the
following amusing incident of the present
rush" Of the railroad freighting business;
Two understanding young men, but in a
quiet way with good deal of business" in
their manner, stepped into the office of the Star
Union freight line III this city, on yesterday,
and remarked that they had a little matter on
their minds they wanted to talk over These
young men were Mr.. Engehardt and Bliss
Whitaker, the latter the right bower of Haver-
ly in this city. What is your little natter"
spoke up Mr.. W. W. Chandler, the general
agent II guess we can attend to it, even if it
is big. What IS 50
Its a whale" spoke up Mr.. Englehardt.
ave want to bring on whale. Can you trans
port it, and, If so, what are your terms?"
You are on the right track this time,
young man." was Mr.. Chandeliers reply. 1--WE
make specially of whales. Let me see.
Here is our tariff. Whales, l believe, come
under the head of w, w, ah! here it is
whaes-whales- now, this beats me;
was cure we had whales in our tariff, but
ed an elephant, and only last Saturday eight
sea lions, and being in the menagerie bust
ness, you know, l took 1t for granted that the
fellows who arranged this tariff sheet had in
cluded whales, but | guess l am mistaken.
This thing must be looked after How big Is
your fish anyway"
Matters were then explained. The whale Is
now en- route over the Pennsylvania line, and
Will arrive here tomorrow. 1t Is sixty feet
long and weighs $4,000 pounds. 1t covers two
platform cars. What Mr.. Englehardt wanted
was PERMISSION to allow the whale to re-
main on the cars on arrival here, and du-
ring stay of three weeks, while it is exhibit
ing IN the Exposition building. Permission
was granted, a track will be constructed into
the building, and there can then be seen what
is undoubtedly the biggest thing that was ever
seen on wheels.
Intense excitement prevailed at Plymouth,
Wis, last Sunday, arising out of the fact that
the night before an attemptwas made to wreck
a tram on the Wisconsin Central railroad, a
little north Of that place, evidently for the pur