The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1885-09-08
AFFAIRS OF THE RAILWAYS.
Personal and Local.

Be.dom is heavier than at the present time. This
Is an indication that there is a general improve
ment in business
Il II. Starbuck late private secretary of John
Evan. has taken cerkship in the c.. 81. & L
freight Office. His ability will doubtless insure
eariy promotion.
L. u. Matthews, general agent of the Pullman
Car works Company. has been in the city for a
day or two. combining pleasure with business
His estimable wife accompanies him.
The new receiver of the Toledo, Cincinnati &
st Louis seems to be managing his business In
a sensible way. He makes the gratifying an
nouncement that the road is now on cash
basis"
Officials of the Decline say that everything
that they have in the way OF freight equipments
Is now in service. But when they notice that
earnings are steadily decreasing they become
somewhat disheartened.
There were handled at the C., st. IL. q T.
city freight depots yesterday !0| carloads OF
merchandise Business is so heavy that the
platform and checkmen are working sunday ana
overtime almost nightly.
John L. Whalen, formerly travelling passenger
agent ofthe L.. n. A. & G. road, with headquar-
ters at Chicago. has been appointed city ticket
agent of the Minnesota 81 Northwestern, with
headquarters at ST Paul.
On Wednesday. Thursday and Friday the c.,
III. 81 /. people will run special train from In
dianapoiis to Rushville to accommodate persons
wishing to attend the fair. The train will leave
the Union Depot at A. NJ.
Some eighteen months since little town was
laid out in Nebraska, on the Burlington Nilsson
ri Il Nebraska road, and named after the general
manager. C. W. Holdredge and Holdredge now
has population of 1900 persons
Below is given the number of loaded cars
received and forwarded at this point in August
1895 and ha nun1her handled in the pOrrpSnOnd-
ing months for the five previous years: In 1880,
IS 260 in 1881. "a $50; in 1882, "a, $50; in 1885,
n, 286; in 1884, 62, $50; in 1885, 67,
Not for years has travel over the Decline
been as heavy in September as this year. More
especially is this true regarding west bound
travel. Nightly. of late, an extra sleeping coach
and third day coach have been attached to the
trains to accommodate the business.
The earnings of the L., n. A. & c. system for
August were SIS, 468 ahead of those of August,
1884 While this improvement in some measure
is due to the present excellent management,
last year their earnings were off owing to the
strike at the Clay county coal mines.
The choice grades of wheat are being shipped
10 St Louis and the inferior grades to Detroit
at the present time. Rates from Indianapolis to
St Louis 81 cents per 100 pounds; from
indianapolis TO Detroit 6 cents per 100 pounds
However. in both cases, a little shading of rates
Is INDUCED in.
Were the roads to cease to haul business when
rates are as low as at the present time. east
bound, they would not be the losers. The idea
of doing business at a loss, to protect shippers
should be abandoned Shippers know no friend
ship to a railroad company. They go where
they get the lowest rates regardless of any pro-
lection they have previously received from any
railroad
Railroad men declare there is no money in
carrying grain at present rates. Twelve and a
half cents per hundred weight is $3.50 per ton
fO~a hon NJ I &c NJ
fourth of a cent per ton per mile. But three
rents per hundred is allowed the terminal line at
New York. for terminal charges, so that the net
rate is only nine and half cents, which would
be less than one-fifth of cent per ton per mile.
Superintendent McKenna, of the j.. M. & l.,
has thus far this year confined himself more
closely to the interest of the road under his
supervision than in any former year. Az
result he has cut dow the operating expenses
the first seven months of the year $l07 900, 16
per cent, and although the gross earnings have
fallen off nearly IL per cent in the seven months
mentioned, the economy in operating expenses
will leave the net earnings for this period at
about the same figures as in the corresponding
months 1884.
Messrs II. Fl. Mawhinney. Of Boston, and c.
w. Fairbanks. of Indianapolis, have been elected
directors and members of the executive commit
tee of the Dayton & Ironton Railroad Company
10 succeed Messrs Edwin Morey and W. A
Haskell. The relations Of the roads with con
Meeting lines in every way amcable, and a
close alliance with the strongest of these lines is
is consummated. the Dayton & Ironton road will
be at once changed to a standard gauge, which
would add greatly to its business, as it would
then be part of the great railway system of
She country.
Ten years ago standard carload on all first
class railroads was &c 600 pounds, the weight of
the cars being 20, 500 pounds. In 1881 the load
on most roads had increased to 10000
pounds, but the weight of the car
hal increased to only 1000 pounds.
The master car-builders of the Pennsyl-
vania road have now adopted cars to carry
900 pounds, while the weight of the cars will
be very little increased. Instead of hauling
more than one pound of to one pound of
freight, nearly three pounds OF freight can now
he hauled for one pound of car. The substitu-
ton of steel for iron rails has made the change
possible
On Saturday night a Decline freight train,
running at the rate of twenty-five miles per
hour, was wrecked at point four miles east of
Muncie. The accident was caused by the break
ing of an axle under one of the cars. Several
cars were thrown into the ditch and badly dam
aged. Among those wrecked were five on which
were large tanks filled with coal oil. These
tanks we're broken, and the oil overfowed the
ground, filing basins for several rods around.
An effort was made by the employees of the Gem
pany to save this. but as 1t was tedious under
taking, it was abandoned, when the farmers and
others 10 the vicinity laid in supply of oil for a
year or two.
Prosperous Manufacturing Establishments.
Regardless of all talk of hard times with rail
road companies, prosperity seems to come to the
Pullman and the Barney 6 Smith car works at
every turn. Doubtless the character of the work,
and the p> omptness with which it is done. and
the fact!that their officials are always the alert
Jor business. has much to do with their success.
The Pullman car works this week commenced on
a contract TO build for the Chicago, Burlington
81 Northern which is to be a division of the
c., Is. IL q. road, LOO cars, $50 coalcars,
b5O stock cars, % cabooses, 80 passen-
ger coaches Is baggagecars and s
Ynail-cars. The passenger equipments are
70 be frstclass in every respect