The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1888-10-16
AFFAIRS OF THE RAILWAYS.
The Railroad situation Improving.

&A1 ttudIlb LII
al. l. ingalls,. president Of several important
railroad companies, who was in the city a couple
Of days last week, takes a more cheerful view Of
the situation. So far as his own roads are con-
csrned, he said 1.-The situation was as promising
as lie could ask. With the c., l.. Sc. L. & G. it
was only q question OF the cars they could com
mand to handle their freight traffic, and their
passenger business was ali they could desire,
their trains cunning full All he asked Of his
competitors was that they mind their own bust
ress and maintain rates. He would then risk
me Big Four getting left in any direction As
TO the Chesapeake q Ohio. 10 was rapidly COM
ing TO the front, and only time was required TO
make it a very valuable railroad property.
East as well as West. q feeling prevails
that the hard place with railroads for some
time to come has been passed, with fewer wrecks
that the wisest of railroad men had feared there
would be-" There has been little attempt 10
conceal the fact that the railroads have passed
through a season of depression aud severe trial,
and the ineviiabia results OF such conditions
should neither occasion surprise nor cause rs to
ignore the substantial. change which has come
about. The Railway World sums up the West
ern situation for some months past IN the follow
Bg manner:
Through rates have rarely been more thoroughly
esmoralized, and the work of performing a large
rnount of unremunerative railway service, depriving
railway investors of q return for their capital, sub
7eeting rates TO numerous changes and introducing
grave elements of uncertainty into many business OPP
eranons has been progressing to an extent rarely
equaled in former years.
Some of these losses and injuries to railway COM
1anies, communities, shippersand merchants can fairly
be attributed 10 the prohibition of pooling IN the
nterstatecommerc act, and to its failure to subject
Hater-route carriers and Canadian roads to restrictions
similar to those imposed upon American railways.
The competition existing among the lines of this coun-
Try, especially in sections IN which new through
an exceedingly difficult subject for regulation. even If
al the means heretofore available could still be en-
ploy ed: and with foreign roads aud water-carriers left
free to make any arrangements they deemed e~xpedient,
il Is not surprising that the rates pertaining to much
of the Western and Northwestern traffic became
thoroughly demoraized.
1t IS out OF these conditions that the poor
showings now being made were developed. The
recent agreement to maintain reasonable rates,
and the large increase of traffic on a paying
basis have reversed this order of things.
More Trouble Between ~orthwester Lines.
More trouble seems to be brewing between the
some time past been running through trains
from Chicago and St Louis into Denver. and
yesterday the Union Pacific, in connection with
the Wabash Western out of ST. Louis and the
Chicago & Northwestern out of Chicago, put on
through trains to Denver. Now the Missouri Pa
cifc road comes to the front and says it will
meet this competition by running through from
ST. Louis into Denver over its own line and 10
connection with the Alton road from Chicago &c
Denver. Along comes the Rock Island, active
as ever. and announces that it will run a through
train over its own line from Chicago 70 Denver
beginning Nov. 4, with the addition OF n dining
car. The Santa Fe road has not definitely set
tied uron its course, but promises to meet all its
competitors aud 90 them one better. Ii will rur
. through train between Chicago and Denver
and instead of giving the other line q large SHARE
of Its business east of the Missouri river, will
carry it itself over the Chicago division. Posi-
bly, there will also be a reduction in rates.