The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1884-07-03
AFFAIRS OF THE RAILWAYS.
Personal and Local.

4
fish as agent Of the O., St l. q P, at Cambridge
City
Trains will commence running as usual this
morning over the 7. Il. s L. division of the
Vandalia system.
D. d. Allen has been appointed agent OF the
Vandalia at Smithb1rg. and S, G Ralston their
agent at Montrose
r A. Wann, Of the Chicago & Alton. this
week sails for Europe where he goes for the
benefit Of his health.
SIeeping coaches for the North and East are
now crowded nightly with people en- route to
cool pleasure resorts.
The watermelon traffic has set in, and melons
are coming north by the train-load from South
Carolina ana Georgia.
@: E. Henderson, general manager Of the /,
b. e w, who has been in the East some days, is
expected home to-day.
Morris Harahan, the newly appointed general
manager Of the Louisville & Nashville road, was
formerly a yardmaster on the l.. & n road.
Through freight traffic. east-bound has fallen
of sharply this week, which would indicate that
last weeks business was carried on old rates
The Wabash, July assumed the duties of his
new position as commissioner of the Burlington
Wabash pool
Charles E. Adams has been appointed agent of
the j., NJ q l. at Chestnut Ridge, vice A. j. Cox,
resigned and T. G. Butler, agent at Henryville,
vice w E Dalton, resigned.
Charles Atkins has been appointed general
agent of the freight department of the Union
Pacific road for the Territories of Montana and
idaho, with headquarters at Butte, M. T.
Rumor has it that G. G. Gale is to take an inn
ROrtant position on the Wabash system. The
Fact that he spent two or three days in St Louis
and passed through Indianapolis eastward yes
terday morning, give color to the rumor.
Nathan Stevens, who has represented the In
forests of the Pennsylvania Railroad Company
at St Louis for years, died yesterday, But few
railroad men in the West have so large a per
sonSl acquaintance or so many friends as Mr.
Stevens had.
J. NJ. S.. White, contracting agent of the
Kanawha Dispatch, headquarters New York, is
in the city for a, few days on official business,
Mr. White says that hereafter this line is to
give this section more attention more especially
on west-bound business.
The Vandalia train out of here at noon, in
connection with the Missouri Pacific, makes close
connection with the new train west over the
Union and Central Pacific. This shortens the
running time between indianapolis and San
Francisco another eight hours.
The excursion to the White mountains and sea-
shore over the Bee-line, arranged for July 8,
promises TO be a big affair. The Decline peo-
pie have arranged In the way of chair cars and
sleeping coaches to make travelling on this ex
It would seem high time that livestock rates
were advanced, for there is nothing in the bust
ness for the roads. One road is hauling cars ITO
miles for 81 per ear. Shippers admit that they
would prefer to pay reasonable rates, rather than
the present Improbable rates to the roads
Commissioner Richardson. of the Chicago &
Ohio River pool yesterday ordered that all roads
in the pool sell on the basis of $4.75 round
trip from Indianapolis to Chicago during the
Democraticco convention Afterthis is over he pro
poses to tighten the reins on the passenger men.
Engines Nos. AT and 40 on the e., l., St L. &
g. road are in the shops undergoing general re-
pairs These engines were purchased from the
Grant Locomotive Works in 1870 They weigh
$1,000 pounds, rest on three pairs of drivers, and
have been in almost constant service as switch
ing engines for fourteen years, and the cost of
repairs to them has been trihing.
The Chicago, st. Louis 6 Pittsburg' people
have laid an eight-inch pipe from the connection
on Washington street with the mains of the
water-works to their new shops. and have put
in Lre-plugs to protect their property Some
heavy stone masonry is being laid at the shops
for the heavy machinery to rest on. Everything
is done about the shops in the most thorough
and substantial manner
In commenting on the offer of the posi-
ton Of general manager of the Wabash,
st. Louis & Pacific system to &. B. Thomas
general manager of the Decline, the Cleveland
Leader Tuthfully says: IF there is any man
living who can thoroughly reorganize this road
anu place IL on q substantial 1OunQat1On, Mr.
Thomas is that man. His career on the Decline
has demonstrated that he can materially reduce
the running expenses Of a road cutting and
trimming on every side, and yet do his work in
sSch manner that hs aids the healthy growth
OF the property rather than causing any embar
Iassment by his actions Mr.. Thomas has a
large personal property, and it is doubtful il the
the offer of q high salary would tempt him to
leave his present positions; but if the Wabash
can offer sufficient inducements to secure him a
new era Of prosperity will undoubtedly be open
to the road.
Railway Accidents the Result of Somebody's
Carelessness.
The railway accident epidemic has apparently
again struck the roads Of this country, and a
prominent railroad manager whose road fortu-
nateiy is exempt from serious accidents, says it
is only because the train dispatchers, train men,
and men in charge of roadabed and bridges are
not duly diligent, and are not held responsible
for accidents through their heedlessness Prob-
ably it is true that railway accidents will be
much less frequent when railway employees ur-
derstana that railway accident cannot happen
without costing one or more railway employees
their positions. Accidents are almost invariably
tho result OF somebody's carelessness and it Is a
mistaken policy for railway managers TO shield
the delinquents, as they so often do. The fire.
quency of suits for damages received in
railway accidents ought to induce them
20 abandon that pernicious aud costly
policy. Let the rule be established
that the employees most nearly connected with
an accident even although mot proven guilty Of
gross negligence, shall be dismissed, and the Wig
liant attention to duty resulting from its adop-
lion would prevent many of the railway disas-
tiers which might otherwise happen The train
which thundered down the grade near Lynehbnrg
IN Virginia, a few mornings since, sending two
sleeping coaches into the james river could not
have become unmanageahle had not the train
men been careless. The air brakes failed to
work. but whyl 1t is the business Of railway
employees to see that everything under their su-
Peryision is in order, and they would seldom
neglect this business If they knew that a disaster
would surely cause loss of position to some one
connected with it. There have been two hridca