The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1884-12-27
fFAIRS or THE RAILWAYS,


Personal and Local.
y fJohn Evan, superintendent of the Decline,
las so i'll yesterday as to eonfne him to his
bonn. :.
n The ticket auditor and cashier department OF
he j., NJ & L road will to-day be removed to
pittsburg. This transfer saves to the Pennsy!-
|" ,ania Company $4,000 a year.
7 E. w. McKenna, superintendent of the JEFF
jacksonville, Madison & Indianapolis road, will
to-day remove his office from Louisville, KY,
10 the new depot building at Jeffersonville.
George S. McKiernan, for twenty-one years
past auditotof the j., NJ. & I. road but who
WAS left out by the changes at Louisville, KY
has accepted the position of secretary and treas
urer of the Louisville Bridge Company
An engineer on the Decline, train numter5
in making the run from Brightwood to Gallon,
"Wednesday night, threw into the freboX ten
hons of coal The train was heavy and track
bad. Even going down grade it was necessary
to use steam much Of the time
| The indianapolis, Eel River & Southwestern
Railroad Company hold their annual meeting
Feb IL, az which time. it is stated, there is to
be marked change IN the board OF directors
Parties who have capital to push the roau'to
completion win be elected directors,
The local freight agents spent the entire day
conform to those Of the Middle and Western
State Association This will uure to the benefit
of the shippers at local points, as it is in the
character of a reduction, generally speaking.
The Decline people. the l. & St. L., the
Pennsylvania company, the Nandalia and the T.,
] St. l.. 6 G., have all made arrangements
with J. w Marsoe, M. D. to take charge of all
employees who are injured on their respective
roads within the State, or in the local yards or
about the depots.
A railroad man who makes rates a special
study, says he can substantiate the statement
that the local rates per ton per mile, charged
by the roads operating in the States Of ILLINOIS,
Indiana and Ohio, are lower than those of roads
west of these States. IN the Northwest IN New
York, Pennsylvania or the New England States
Superintendents were rather surprised yester-
day at the nearness to schedule time that trains
were run. On the fifteen roads but three trains
were an hour late in arrival, and others the
train-b board showed were only fifteen to twenty
five minutes late Some trains however, came
through without their usual Eastern or w estern
connections.
Between indianapolis and Hamilton, on the
c.. H. & l. road, are ten covered bridges and but
one of them, that near Hamilton, is too low for
man to stand on the top Of car and PASS
through without striking his person. j. NJ
Ridenour of this city. is credited with being the
man who saw that in the construction of the
road bridges were high enough for safety.
It is officially stated that the earnings of the
i, M. & l. road the present month, thus far,
have shown an increase of ST., 900 to 81, OO0 per
week over those of December, 1883. The Van
dalia is another road which shows larger earn
ines this month than in December, 1888 The
roads are gradually overcoming the depression
i'll business so commonly commented upon
Officials of the Vandalia, the indianapolis &
St Louis, and of the Indiana, Bloomington d
Western roads have been asked to be at Spring
field ILL.,, next Monday, to confer with the Bail
road Commissioners regarding further reduc-
ton in freight rates. This would seem like
waste of time. however as large per cent Of
the roads operating within the limits of Illinois
now pay ali their earnings out in taxes aud OPP
Grating expenses, and are borrowing money to
pay fixed charges
The c., L, St L. & G. fast express train east out
of indianapolis at 345 P. NJ, connects at Cncin-
matt with the Baltimore & Ohio fast express re
Gently put on, and lands passengers in Washing
ton. d. c.. at 1l:l5 A. NJ, instead of 223 P, NJ,
formerly. What is the more singular is the
7act that passenger can go an hour quicker
from Chicago to Washington, D. c., via Indianap-
oils ami Cincinnati than when taking the Baltl-
more & Ohio fast express out of Chicago the
latter departing one hour earlies than does the
C.. l., st. l.. & c. and reaching Washington d.
C.. at the same time.
Notwithstanding the statements that the
press companies were this month falling far
short of their usual December business, the in
crease in volume has been so large the few last
days that the receipts Of this month promises to
exceed those OF any December in the last five
years. Half the much talked about depression
arises from statements in the newspapers and
parties who seem determined to make matters
worse than they really are. The express COM
panies have made no reduction in wages Of
messengers or other employees, and their bust
ness is such that there is no occasion for so
doing
A railroad official who has given the matter
thorough investigation states that the reduction
In employees in railroad service falls considerably
short of that III other branches Of business.
Take the country over, the number of employees
in all departments of railway service has been
reduced only 20 per cent. while per cent of
such reduction is usually made in trackmen and
in shops during the winter months. Carefully
revised statistics, he states show that in cotton
and wooden manufactures reduction of 80 per
cent in force has been made and in iron indus
tries 80 per cent; and the reduction in wages
has been proportionately favorable tothe railroad
empoye.