The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1884-12-04
AFFAIRS OF THE RAILWAYS.


J. H Devereux, president of the Bee-line sys-
tenn, has gone to New York.
H G. Bird, formerly agent for the Great
Eastern Line at Chicago, has been appointed
city freight solicitor for the Union Pacific road,
with headquarters at Chicago.
Cotton traffic northward over the indianapolis
& Vincennes road is reaching quite respectable
tonnage the last ten days. The Cairo g Vim
cennes road turns it over to them.
The report that several hundred more men
were to be discharged on the Decline system,
we have official authority to deny. The fact is
that for some months all departments have been
operated with a minimum number of men.
Evidently the L., N A. & c. people, as init
mated by one of the directors, have gone down
in their pockets, and have put the money up to
clear up the deficiency of the year, as the STOCK,
since they returned to New York, has gone up
eight points.
f. B. Morgan, auditor of the E. & I.
Il road has resigned, and A Steen sue
ceeds him. HIS title, however is that OF assistant
auditor. President Mackey proposes to bear the
title of president, general manager, superlntend-
emit auditor, etc. personally, 1t Is stated
The Indianapolis Car Works. in November,
built 236 cars against 279 in October, and 274 in
September The earnings of the works for No
vember were fully up to those of October or
September as many of the cars built last month
A anew dining-car has been added to the limited
express service of the Pennsylvania Railroad
Company and will leave Chicago on the limited
train every afternoon, at 3 o'clock, going as Tar
asEert Wayne, and serving breakfast on the
way from Fort Wayne to Chicago on the next
morning.
Grand Organizer Stephens, of the brotherhood
of Locomotive Firemen, is preparing for an ex-
tended Southern trip He proposes to organize
lodges in Georgia, South Carolina, Florida and
Texas. No association of this character in this
country is increasing rapidly in membership
as is this.
yice-president Mccullough, of the Pennsylva
MIA lines, takes the position that it is better to
discharge superfuous hands than to reduce
wages pro rata. general reduction produces
80 much grumbling. Two thousand dissatisfied
with-reduced-pay make more noise than two
hundred turned oil.
The Yandaia company has in service on all di-
visions some $500 coal cars, yet they are
troubled TO fill orders of coal dealers who unload
cars promptly. so diliatory are other shippers
in unloading them. Yet these same coal dealers
are very wrathy when it is proposed to charge a
dsmurrage after cars have been delivered forty
eight hours.
A freight man, who believes in the strict main
tenance of rates, expresses the opinion that the
most effective method to bring about such re-
suit would be to fine any road or line So 900
which cuts below tariff rates, the informer of the
cut to receive one-half the money. We're this
carried out, some of the newspaper men would
So0n be in clover
Taking advantage of the low prices now rul-
ing for steel rails, President Devereux on Mon
day last purchased twenty miles additional of
steel rails, which yesterday began to arrive and
are to be laid on the west end of the |. d St. L.
This makes total of eighty miles Of steel rails
weighing seventy pounds to the yard, which will
have been placed in the l. & st. IL. track this
season, and it leaves but fifteen miles of iron
raIls between indianapolis and st. Louis.
Invariably the withholding of statements
is associated with a decrease in earnings, show
ing that the managers of the roads are willing to
giFs favorable reports to the public, but are
anxious to suppress all information which re-
fleets decrease in business A noticeable Illus
tration of this method of doing business is fur
nished by the Wabash, which occasionally gives
cait a statement of weeks earnings when an
increase is shown, but neglects to state the
amount of earnings for the year
lis it not pretty state of affairs said con
servatIve railroad man yesterday. 1.-THE leading
roads of the country are cutting down salaries,
tine passenger and freight agents are
Strengthening rates numerically. The roads
twelve months from now, would be in better
shape in every respect if they would retain their
traeklnen and their shop employees in service. and
discharge freight men and passenger men, who
are working for tonnage and glory, regardless Of
reyenue."
Superintendent Thomas of the P, Fl w. s. C.
division of the Pennsylvania lines, in comment
ing on the reduction in men, says: Ten years
ago there were but three through lines, the
Pittsburg, Fort Wayne and Chicago the Michi
gan Southern and the Northern Central, to take
freight out of Chicago. Now there are four
roads more, making seven in all, to do about the
same business. Does it seem reasonable that
we should employ as many men when we only
do say one half of the business, as when we did
one-third of itl No, we had to reduce our oper
Atiug expenses, and preferred to do it by reduc
ing the working force than by reduction of
wages"