The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1884-05-17
AFFAIRS OF THE RAILWAYS.


G. A. Hall has been appointed agent OF the
Globe line at Boston, with charge Of all the New
England business,
Superintendent Stevens and Master Of Trans
~portation Hawley, of the Wabash, are to be in
the city to-day on official business,
The total ton mileage of the Chicago, St. Louis
& Pittsburg road in 1883 was 526, 622.2 69, of
which 344, sec, 81 was foreign and 151, 755, 952
local
When eastern capitalists learn that a railroad
in the West cannot be successfully managed in
New York or Boston, then railroad investments
will prove more profitable.
Charles Lewis, chief clerk in the office of T. A.
Lewis, western manager of the Erie lines. and
Robert Robinson left last night for the east, on
a couple of weeks pleasure trip.
John Browning, passenger conductor on the
indianapolis < ST. Louis road, has been granted
a months absence, which time he will put in
buying 200 horses for the United States cavalry
service.
General Ticket Agent Donough, who has been
at the Union Depot some twenty years, says he
does not remembera any time in these years when
travel was as light over indianapolis roads in
May as it has been this year.
NJ. NJ. Reynolds, of Cleveland, died at the
residence OF his son-in-law, VIM. i. Thurber,
a day or two since. Mr.. Reynolds was for years
a resident of indianapolis, and in the employ Of
Nht Ltt-lllAt lAbdA anu wac LA1h41 A%EBI0kLA
by all who knew him.
Shippers on the Champaign, Havana & West
ern division of the Wabash are congratulating
themselves with the belief that the Wabash
system is to tumble to pieces, and that the l..
i. & w. will again become their eastern outlet.
Stranger things have happened.
George /. Seney,' says the New York Dial,
was not only q 'philanthropist with other
peoples money, buth was theinventor OF nickel
plating as applied TO railroad building. Hitherto
fha mefbod had bQep ia bui1d for cash or StAr-
ling silver" He was smart enough, however, 3
sell out to Vanderbilt.
May Is is passed, and no dirt has been thrown
on the projected indianapolis, Eel River &
Western road. There is still a hitch in the com
pany's securing the money to proceed with the
work. The financial troubles of the present
week will tend to delay the enterprise, if it does
not crush it out entirely.
The general manager of one of the fast-freicht
lines was surprised yesterday with an order for
800 line cars, 40, 900 pounds capacity. to load out
of St. Louis for the East. The Vandalia gets a
haul on the property fromSt Louis to Marmont,
on the Logansport division; there it is turned
over to the Chicago e Atlantic road.
Three years ago the Adams Express Company
was a weak affair at this point, reaching In
dianapolis only over the indianapolis & Vim
cennes road: now the company operates over
five indianapolis roads, and their business now
equals that of the American or the United
States Express companies at this point.
Rumor has it that the Wabash, st. Louis &
Pacific are seriously considering the turning of
their express business over to the United States
Express Company. One of the higher officials
is quoted as saying that the Wabash people have
about satisfied themselves that there is more
money to them when their express business is
handled by a separate organization.
The Merchants Dispatch have Just contracted
for two hundred of the Wickes patent r%efrigera-
tor cars. which cost some 5000 per car. The
Terre Haute car works will build fifty of these
cars. and they are to be used in carrying dressed
meats from Kansas City TO New England points,
over the l. & st. L., Decline, Lake Shore, New
York Central, and Boston Il Albany roads.
Manager Villas, of the Erie & North Shore
line, gives notice that on and after to-day the
outlet of the Erie Il North Shore line, east
from Toledo. will be via the Canada Southern
division of the Michigan Central system. Rep
resentatives ofthe line claim that over this route
indianapolis business will make several hours
better time than under the old arrangement.
Lake rates have gone down IA cent per
bushel since the opening of navigation. to ?
cents for corn and , IA for wheat from Chicago,
which are very unsatisfactory rates to the yes
seLowners. For carrying coal from Buffalo to
Chicago 70 cents per ton IS obtained. 1t Is
hardly probable that the railroads will advance
rates until lake rates are toned up somewhat.
Indiana. Bloomington & Western stock is
down to -, against II ~ at the corresponding
period of 1883, 30 in 1882, and 80 ID in 1881; the
Wabash to "a, against 10 at the CORE
spending period of 1883, % IL in 1882, and SO IA
in 1881. There is this difference, however, be
tween the two roads: Of the l., B. & w. there is
not 5000 shares on the market. while Wabash
stock can be gathered up by the hundreds of
thousands of shares.
The average earnings of the Chicago, ST. Louis
g. P~ittsburg road for the year 1889, per ton per
mile were $1,000 of a cent on local and 64-l00 of a
cent on foreign freight. The average earnings
on all classes was E10O of a cent. aud the aver
age cost 60-l00 of a cent, leaving net l2-100,
which was a gain of 800 over the previous year,
mainly on account of the increase in average
through rates from 54-100 to 64-100. The passen-
ger mileage consisted of 30.345, 100 local and
II, 801, 262 foreign, but it yielded no profit, the
average earnings and average cost being both re-
ported at 2 42-100 of a cent per passenger per
mile. The earnings per mile Of road We're
$9,I19.62.
John r. Elder has completed his contract on
the Shell Beach railway, at New Orleans, and
turned the road over to the company. Mr.. Elder
is the largest stakeholder, and viii retain his in
terest in the management. The earnings are up
to expectations, and the company is going for
ward with the improvements at Shell Beach
which will soon become a handsome summer and
winter resort. The great influx of people TO at
tend the Worlds Fair, commencing this fall,
will add to the resources Of the road. The di-
rectors are: John X. Elder, Jas. M. Bradshaw,
M. R. Spelman and VIM. L. Elder, of Indian
apoiis, and f.. L. Carriere, Lucas L. Moore, and
P. Maspero, of New Orleans.
The Troubles Came Sooner than Predicted.
Some thirty days ago several railroad presi-
dents were sitting in the private car of one of
their number, on the spurtrack west of the
Union Depot, and, in the presence of a repre-
sentative of the Journal, predicted just what has
occurred in the last week. One fixed the time
within three years, a second within one year and
a third said within three months. The tenor of
their remarks was that since 1877 the rapid set
Element of the Northwestern States and more
enterprising spirit in the Southern States bogot
a need for increased railroad facilities. The old
roads made money rapidly, and many whose