The Indianapolis sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis, Ind.) 1880-1904, 1885-01-20
IRON HIGHWAYS.
The Pool o. East Bound frelghts In
Bangor Of Dissolution.
The Result OF the Coming Meeting Re-
gerded With Much ADxiety-De-
cember Earnings-Other
Items OF the Rail.

portion OF the Bee Lioe Is laid with
sixty. FIVE pound rails, and in fact. there APP
pears to be very little rail on standard gauge
roads north OF the Ohio lighter than tfty-sx
pounds per yard, eli of the lines of heavy
traffic using at least sixty pound rails. The
ballast used by Indiana roads is mainly
gravel, although several OF them use stone
or furnace slug. Either makes good ballast.
The roads that have 80 far reported De.
cember earnings have little over half the
earnings end much more than half the mile
Age OF the whole number tha. report. They
make favorable showing compared with
previous months, but il Is doubtful il the
reports still to come in will maintain so IA
vorabie an average. The Indiana, Bloom
ington aud Western is among the few roads
that report q smaller decrease than in any
other month during the year.
Railroad managers will breathe ssigh OF re-
lief when the month OF February closes, for
then they Will know whether or not the
years earnings are not to be knocked bic her
than kite By another fearful food. In an
1icipation Of another overflow nearly all OF
the Ohio River lines have raised their grades
and will be better able to cope with the an
sry waters than in 1884 Many OF the roads
could have spent several thousand dollars
more than they did ia improvements last
year had il not been for the great flood.
A travelling passenger agent, with head
quarters in this city, is very much incensed
over an item which appeared in recent is
sue OF en- Eastern paper to the effect that
travelling passenger agents do not earn one
third of the salary they receive, and that the
railroads should economic by abolishing
thiSoffice instead of reducing the wages of
hard working train men. The position Of
tfsvelIng passenger agent, be says is a most
difficult nne 70 ILL., and were the roads to
abolish it they would Lose Thousands of dol.
lars worth of business every year. In this
statement be says any General Manager will
bear him out.
LIKELY TO BE Dissolved TEMPORARILY.
The Railroad Gazette Gays that there
seems TO be danger that the pool on East
bound freight from the West to the sea.
bosrd will be dissolved, for a time at least
The trouble and differences are now such
that . settlement bas become unusually
difficult until there has been test by open
competition of the effect OF the conditions
introduced by the new trunk lines. The
Immediate question at issue, it lie true, is no,
bHween h Eastern trunk lines, bat
between their Western connections.
bat the question arises because OF
the new outlet TO New York CITY
given the Grand Trunk by the Yves,
Shore. The Grand Trunk can not give any
considerable amount Of New York business
without incrf asing the amount of freight
destined to New York which il csrries from
the West The large Business recently car
RED Eastward By the West Shore mas been
brought 20 il chiefly or largely by the Grand
Trusk. There is reason to believe that il
has been carried at cut rates, and the other
roads demSnd that the Grand Trunk not on.
ly should not participate in the cut, bat
should not carry for the West shore Cor any
ether road II 1t Gus the rstes east Of Bal.
fslo, and that it shall not carry from
than bas been awarded il. In this latter de
naDd they hold that the essence of their CO
operative agreement is at stake. The Chicago
and Grand Trunk claims have been sub
nitted not only to the usual arbitration pro
vided for in the contract OF the roads, but to ar
appeal after what would regularly have beer
. final decision. III 1t does not abide by thi
decision, they claim that il will be useless II
make any agreement
A meeting is to be held in New York. Fri
day, to consider these matters The result il
regarded with great anxiety. A dissolution o
the pool on east-bound business would be al
nlcsf sure to cause serious losses to many rail
roads. Although east-bound rates have no
been well maintained this winter. reduction
nave apparently been the exception at mos
shipping points, iocludlng the most import
ant ones, and the average reduction ha
PROBABLY not been large, so that there hs
been profit on the business. Should tn,
pool be dissolved, the rates made would
probably leave no profit whatever until i
was restored. It's restoration wonld b
almost inevitable, but probably month
woald elapse first, and the sole return fe
the millions wasted would be very imper
feet knowledge of the natural effect of tn,
West Shore connection on shipments owe
The Grand Trunk under open competition.