Daily Yellowstone journal. [volume] (Miles City, Mont.) 1882-1893, 1886-05-11
No DAY TRAINS.
Reply Of Vice PRESIDENT Cakes to the Pc
tition for Them.


tition for Them.
When the JOURNAL agitated day
trains to Miles City over the Northern
Pacific road, the citizens and business
men, took up the matter, and signing
a petition, forwarded it to t. +. Cakes,
vice president and general manager of
the Northern Pacific railroad COM
pany. Yesterday II. F. Bachelor re-
ceived a reply from Mr.. Cakes adj
dressed to the citizens and business
men of Miles City, which is not very
encouraging. 1t is as follows:
Gentlemen-I beg to acknowledge
The receipt of your communication of
date April 10th, asking a change In
the schedule time of our passenger
trains.
am compelled to say at once that
can see no way out Of the present
unfortunate condition of things upon
which our schedule time Is based. 1t
is to be regretted that a city Of such
importance as yours should be located
at so great distance from the termini
of our lines. We are Obliged to leave
Portland ut the same time ms our COM
petitor, the Union Pacific, and to make
the same connection in st. Paul for
Chicago that that company makes at
Omaha for Chicago, hence no change
could be made east-bound without d.
rectly sacrificing our through business.
On the west-b; und9train We would
gladly leave st. Paul much earlier,
and pass Miles City at a more seasonal
BILE hour. but for the government con-
tract with the Chicago, Milwaukee d
st. Paul company for fast mail ser
vice, the government demanding of
that company that our transcontinen-
| tai train connect with the fast mail.
This, you will readily see, fixes our
departure from st. Paul west-bound.
The schedule time of this train now Is
faster than its size always permits. If
Il were to leave st. Paul any later, o.
enough later to benefit your city, the
mails would not only be delayed, but
the trains would reach Portland be-
hind our competitor and our National
Park business would be practically
ruined, by reason of the fact that q
night stage ride or lay-over at LIv-
| ingston, where hotel accommodations
are meagre, would be required. The
sparsely settled country between
jamestown and Miles City does not
afford sufficient business for the
maintenance OF even one local train,
and second train to Miles City would
entail loss of at least $500 per day in
it's operation. We run orr train No. 8
now to Fargo at barely cost, and sus-
tain slight loss between Fargo and
jamestown. and only continue IL for
the relief of the through train. Before
the completion Of the Oregon Short
Line, we were enabled to study more
carefully the requirements of our in
terror cities, but, as above stated, the
opening Of that line has materially
changed our necessities. Our compet-
itors lose no opportunity to parade be-
fore the public anything that will
strengthen their position as a through
line.
The Northern Pacific railroad COM
pany is proud Of your thriving city,
and were il in my power to comply
with your wishes without an absolute
loss OF through mail and passenger
business, and decentralization OF Ma
tional Park business, your request for
better passenger facilities would be un-
necessary. We recognize the fact that
cities like Fargo and Miles City are
entitled 10 recognition In matters Of
this kind. Yours truly,
T. r. OAKEs.