Evening capital. (Annapolis, Md.) 1884-1910, 1888-05-14
HANDLING FREIGHT.
HOW 1T IS CARED FOR AT THE Ans
AND aouTs DEPoTs.

Rehandling-The value OF System in
Making Up Train.
Many people imagine that freight from
one after another OF hundred wagons Is
simply dumped On platform and from
| there showed into car, and that incoming
and outgoing freight Is handled on the
same platform. In Q country town. or
even in city ambitious to metropolitan
honors. one platform does suffice. and on
that all freight Is received and from that
all freight Is shipped. But In large city
the railroad Of any prominence making
half q living must have two depots. one
an .in" and the other an "out" house
Through the latter all Of the receipts 60
except in heavy and bulk goods, In large
lots. when track receiving and unloading
Is the most convenient and cheapest. In
receiving freight all such cars are cut out
or off of the train and switched to what
ever points may be desired. The bills Of
lading always come ahead Of the train.
long enough generally to get through the
Office and out to the yard men before the
train arrives. or at least on It's arrival
This is done so that no time may be lost
Receiving the bills. the yard force know
exactly what each car contains and where
it must be placed. Some of these cars are
to 60 to certain parts of the yards. others
TO private ware houses, and some are to
be left where they are. These are all cut
ont, taken away, and the balance of the
train switched into the freight house,
where the broken (less than car load) and
valuable or perishable freight Is stored to
await the call of the owners. the latter
being notified by postal of the arrival In
receiving freight in this way there is
great deal of handling and rehandling
that cannot be helped: but so far as posi-
BILE 1t is avoided by storing as loosely as
possible. so that one consignment may
be moved without touching another. If
the housemen only knew whether John
Smith would be more prompt than Samuel
Brown in answering his notice and taking
away his goods, much rehandling could be
obviated and the goods could be stored
closely without loss of space by putting
In Browns property 6rst.
But this in knowledge that cannot be
had There may be dozen Samuel
Browns and two dozen John Smiths. and
every one of the Browns may come for his
goods at the same time. while the Smiths
may never come. and may leave their
goads 70 bc finally sold as unclaimed.
This. hawcSer is only the case with small
merchants sii plain every day citizens.
whn % si,h receive pound of freight as
ofiei. as they celebrate Christmas. The
merchant who receives with any regular
isy ss.l lar.zes his drayman. or. in st.
I.nais tie ghansfcr company TO receive
his tltsSlsi whenever ii comes. and the
drayi.i.l; 81 Transfer agent is always on
hard 10 receive it. and it does not have to
be stored away Still there are enough
men of tit smith variety. and entering
large receiving ware house after q few
trains have been unloaded the floor has
the appearance Of succession of mounds.
made ont uf boxes furniture. baby carri-
ages implements. etc.
The most interesting of the platforms,
however. is that where goods are received
for shipment This is where there is sys-
tenn There Is no dumping together Of
anything that simply comes to hand first.
On one side are strings of empty freight
cars. pulled up 50 evenly that the doors
from the one next to the platform open
into the one on the next track, and the
cars on the outer track can be loaded by
pushing the truck through the ones next
to the platform and over connecting
bridges The shipping platform can In
this way DO widened to as many tracks as
there are on which to stand the cars On
the opposite side. the receiving side, where
the wagons pull up and unload. are nailed
signs to pillars representing divisions.
The first is marked "Jonesville," while
the board on the second pillar may be
marked q Brownsville. and half dozen
other villes, while the one next to II may
have double that number, or only one
This Is All indication that on this line
Jonesville Il heavy shipping point. and
that Brownsville. and the other villes with
It. are Of small Importance and have to be
numerous to count.
At the merchants ware house the goods
gre loaded into the wagon by towns. and
The driver knows just what towns he has.
II he has q lot for Jonesville he backs into
that pillar and unloads He may hare q
few pieces for Brownsville or some Of It's
sister villes. In which case he can unload
at Jonesvi;Ie and roll them over to the
Brownsville division II he has q lot for
Smithville. further on. however, he must
swing around with his wagon again and
back In there Here the freight accumu.
lates. In these divisions. until time for
loading. BY which time quite respectable
amount Is gathered Jonesville is situated
100 niles away. Brownsville eighty. Jack
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