Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1889-01-20
RAILRoAD MEN HAPPE.

The -46sence OF Snotc Has Sarcd the Com
F0nieS Thousands Of Dollars.
Working officials of all the great rail
road systems, especially those tapping
the Northwest, are pleased and delighted
with the absence of snow, and some re-
markable savings have accrued to the
roads. Prominent railroad men de-
clare that the mild weather of
November, December and the first
half Of January has caused a
saving of millions of dollars to the com
pauies, and they are praying that it
will continue for some weeks longer
Roads like the Chicago, Milwaukee and
St Paul, the Northern Union Central
and the Canadian Pacific are the most
benefited by the snowless condition of
the northwest. Their usual expenditures
for repairs and operation during the
months of November, December,
January, February and March are in
creased hundreds of thousands of dollars
Snow means that freight shall be side
tracked and all efforts devoted to getting
through passenger and mail trains
So far this year there has not been a
single blockade on any of the northwest
ern roads from snow or any wintry cause
In years heretofore by January all the
roads have been put to great expense and
delay.
Col. r. Ten Brock of the Union Pa
cific was satisfied that the amount of
money saved is great, but wanted to wait
for the winter TO end before doing any
estimating. George r. Fitch, general
eastern freight agent of the Northern Pa
cific, said: - think il probable that the
direct saving to the roads in the west
and northwest win amount TO at least %
per cent. in the operating expenses and
repairs 1t viii be a big item any
way, and taking all the roads together,
will amount to many millions of dollars
Two years ago this winter the operating
expenses of the Northern Pacific absorbed
about 80 per cent. of the gross earnings
and on the Canadian Pacific they praci-
cally went % per cent. above the re
earnings. -
Joseph R. Hixson of the Chicago, Mil
waukee and st. Paul said: cit viii be a
great saving TO the roads, and will be ap-
preciated wren the annual reports are in,
if something does not happen to force the
roads to as great expense as if the winter
had begun two months ago But l do
not know any railroad man not satisfied
SO far.
lnFSe years ago In6 NnIca9O, Burning
ton and Quincy had a series Of blockades
that cost the system about $500 600. Mr..
E. j. Swords, speaking about it yester-
day, said for shoveling snow in the state
of Illinois alone the road expended SEQ =
600. Western railroad men feel now that
even if the next two months should de-
velop severe weather and blockades
there would still be q great saving,
as the chances are small that the road
beds viii become clogged with ice Be-
sides bIocbades after January are likely
TO be Of short duration, as the days grow
longer and the sun climbs higher -
William McGibney of the Louisville and
Nashville system said that his company
would have more trouble with fessn inches
of snow than one Of the northwestern
roads would have with two feet.
In the east the Grand Trunk. New
York Central, Boston and Albany, Bal
timore and Ohio, Delaware, Lackawanna
and Western, Boston and Maine, and the
New York and New Haven have suffered
big losses due to blockades. There is one
thing connected with the mild weather in
the west, however, that may take away
a large part of the profits made this VIM
ter. With little snow on the ground. the