The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1885-08-12
Miscellaneous Notes.

The steel rail makers are in conference at
Long Branch. They meet TO consider the advlsa-
bihty of advancing the price of steel rails, which
are now at a point which yields no profit, and in
some cases is below the cost Of production.
Thirty dollars per ton is spoken of as the lowest
price.
The shipments of watermelons from stations
on the Savannah. Florida & Western road this
year amounted to 94l carloads, against LOGS
last year. About 20 per cent. of these shipments
were to New York ard about 20 per cent. to
Western points, the remainder going to local
Eastern points.
The Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific shops in
Chicago, Ill., have recently completed seven new
passenger engines for the road. They have II
by "a inch cylinders and driving wheels sixty
six inches in diameter. The boilers are fifty
four inches diameter of barrel, and the fire box is
sixty inches long.
The strike last week on the Wheeling division
of the Baltimore & Ohio railway against
double headers is at an end. and trains are
running to day as usual. The dissatisfied en-
ployes have been discharged and paid off, and
their places filled with new men. No more
trouble is anticipated.
Messrs. A. l.. Harris and w. C. Shearer. of
Atlanta, Ga, have taken out a patent for an en-
tirely new style of locomotive. The boiler truck,
driving wheel. etc, are of the usual pattern. but
the motive power is furnished by a rotary engine
connected directly with the main driving axle,
or, If desired. two rotary engines can be used.
Railroad building promises to be livelier next
year than this, if the Wall street stolie of the
intentions of some of the great, Western lines are
correct. 1t is pretty certain that the Wisconsin
Central will be extended to Chicago and will
have terminal facilities of its own in that city.
The Chicago, Burlington 81 Quincy is expected
to build to st. Paul. and acquire the Manitoba,
and the Rock Island will extend its road to
Peoria: The damaging experience of the East
through the building of useless railroads does
not seem to have been felt west of Chicago.
A consolidation locomotive belonging to the
Philadelphia q Reading company, and provided
with the Wootten fire-box, has been in use for
two months on the Union Pacific road. hauling
freight over the heavy grades between Green
river and Laramie. The engine has recently
been sent from the Union Pacific to the Atchi-
son, Topeka d Santa Fe, where it is to be used
for a time on the heavy grades over the Ration
mountains in New Mexico. The object of send
ing the engine West was to give the Wootten
from the bstuminous coal mines of Wyoming and
Colorado.
The management of the Northern Pacific road
are said to be much elated that the bark Isabel
arrived at Tacoma from Yokohama with the
first cargo of the crop of tea of the present sea-
son. The voyage has been made in thirty three
days, which is four days less. than were taken
by another vessel which sailed for San Francisco
on the same day as the Isabel left for Tacoma.
This proves that Tacoma, the terminus of the
Northern Pacific, is the nearest point to Japan,
ana Will probably result in Tacoma obtaining
many more Japanese importations. The North
ern Pacific expects to land the teas in New York
within ten days. thereby making the trip from
Yokohama to New York in forty three DAYS,
against one hundred days usually taken by the
Eastern route.