The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1884-12-30
AFFAIRS OF THE RAILWAYS.



annapolis over the Indiana, Bloomington g.
Western road, leaving the Baltimore & Ohio at
Columbus, 0.
OnSunday last GOA loaded cars of through bust
ness were handled on the c., l., st. L. & G.
main line. The heavy traffic of this road sur
prises even the officials.
The earnings of the Indiana, Bloomington &
Western road the third week in December were
$40 12903 a decrease of $73S23, as compared
with the corresponding week, 1888.
Round trip tickets to Florida tourist points,
good to 60 via New Orleans, either going or
coming. were put on sale yesterday at an extra
cost of only 81 05 the tickets good until June l.
Nearly every railroad in the Middle States
which was ever able to make any money has
been paralleled The few which have not been
paralleled suffer in sympathy with those which
have.
G. w. Miller has been appointed freight audi
tor and e. @. Brown ticket auditor of the Han
nibal & St Joe and Kansas City, st. Joe 81
Council Bluffs roads, which are operated under
one management.
The railway conductors, the Brotherhood of
Locomotive Engineers, and the Brotherhood Of
Firemen, jointly, give a grand ball at Terre
Haute, on New Years eve. Indianapolis roads
will be well represented.
Inc Indianapolis q 81 LOUIS people are nav
ing trouble at Terre Haute with their bridge
over the Wabash river, and yesterday they
stopped running trains over it until the waters
subside, and they can better know the condition
of the supports upon which the bridge rests.
H. W. Gays, general freight agent Of the In
dianapolis 81 st. Louis road, has notified shippers
that they will not hereafter issue shippers trip
tickets, This class of tickets have been miSused,
and most roads have decided that shippers
should be satisfied with thousand mile tickets at
reduced rates.
Twelve elegant parlor-cars are in process Of
construction at Altoona for the Pennsylvania
lines west of Pittsburg. In early january two
will be run on the day train over the j., M. 81 l.,
and c., st. L. & P, between Louisville and
Chicago, in place of the Pullman parlorcars now
run between those points.
Eastbou freight rates are now cents per
100 pounds lower than they were at this time
last year, and grain is not going forward; so it
would seem that this talk about advancing east
bound rates will end in talk. However, there is
little money to the roads at the present rates so
much more expensive is it in the winter to move
trains.
Local passenger agents are behaving very
handsomely in the matter of maintaining rates
To say that tariff is now nearer adhered to than
at any former period since Lazarus inaugurated
rate cutting at this point six years ago. is no ex
aggeraton. The scalpers have few Chicago
and Cincinnati tickets, but these are old stock,
purchased prior to the restoration of rates.
The local freight agents last night completed
the work which they have been engaged in sew
eral days-the harmonizng of local rates and
classification to the tariff and cassiications of
the Middle and Western States Rate Association
which takes effect Jan. l. Under this revision
first, second and third class freight rates are
reduced either directly or by change of CLASH
hcation.
A temporary trestle on the Bee-line, over the
Big Miami river at Sidney, o., went out Sun
day night, and necessitated the running of trains
via Dayton during yesterday. The bridge will
be replaced by temporary structure, so that
trains can run over it to-day. A new iron
bridge is upon the grounds to replace the old
one. All freight trains were abandoned yester
day on the Bee-line, Indianapolis division 1t
would seem to an outsider an unfavorable time
to have so important bridge in process of re
building
A Few Words with Locomotive Engineers.
Now that the so-called grievances of locomo-
tive engineers on the Southwestern system have
been adjusted without the threatened STRIKE
comments upon engineers grievances are in
order. 1t is not proposed to detract one iota
from the responsibility that rests upon their call
ing or upon the dangers attached thereto, but it
does seem that, so to speak, backed by the Or
ganization known as the Brotherhood of Loco
motive Engineers, there is danger that the roads
brotherhood. In alluding to this association we
speak cautiously, knowing that through its
efforts great good has been accomplished. The
engineer of to-day, morally, is far in advance of
the engineer of even ten years ago. and his skill
has been equally progressive. Yet there is
danger that the demands of engineers will be
pressed further than justice will admit of; and
in fact but for Grand Chief Engineer Me
Arthur " acted a safety valve there
would doubtless have been several ugly strikes
within the last five years. The engineer should
bear in mind that he is the best paid servant of
a railroad company below general officer. We
have taken the pains to ascertain the pay of
engineers, firemen, conductors and brakemen on
seven Indianapolis roads per mile run, and we
find that the engineer averages to receive
thirty five mills per mile; the fremen, eighteen
mills per mile; the conductor, twenty-five and
one-half mills per mile; the brakemen, seven
teen and one-half mills per mile The en-
gineer gets double the pay of his fireman or
brakemen, and 30 per cent more than
his conductor The engineer says he has
great responsibility. In the eyes of rail
way regulations the engineer and conductor
are equally responsible. few days since an
express train on the Vandalia ran by red flag
Both the engineer and conductor were laid off
for disobeying orders The engineer says his
position is extremely hazardous Not so much so
as his fireman and his brakemen. Statistics
show that three firemen are killed in railroad &C
cidents against one engineer; seven brakemen
against one engineer. The engineer says it re-
quires education and skill to be good engineer
This is all true, but bright fireman. who
catches on well, will make a frst-class engineer
in three years, less time than it takes to serve
an apprenticeship at trade The engineer
objects to a reduction in his pay. That is prob
ably correct, but at the same time his fireman and
brake men have better reasons for fighting a re
ducton. The point we wish to make is that the
locomotive engineer is the last man in train serv-
ice who should be talking about grievances.
While we would regret to see an association of as
high standing as the Brotherhood of Locomotive
Engineers go to pieces, it may be well for the en-
gineers to bear in mind that stronger unions, when
they have become arbitrary and carried their
dem ands to excess have passed out of existence
At one time the pilots union, on the Ohio river
and streams flowing into it, was the largest union
in the world but Il hacama SO oyerhearinr that