Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1889-12-05
THE FREIGHT BLOCKADE.

us aQVerUslng Columns.
THE FREIGHT BLOCKADE.
What Merchants of the City Say Of the
Situation.
EMBARRASSMENT CAUSED BY THE FAILURE OF THE
RAILROAD COMPANIES TO DELIVER GOODS
REMEDIES sUaaEsTED-THE EXPERIENCE OF
BUSINESS MEN.
Merchants Of the city are suffering serious
annoyance from the failure of the railroad
companies to deliver freight The STAR has
already given space to the complaints OF coal
dealers, lumber men and wholesale dealers of
all kinds whose business has been embarrassed
during the paste months by the unusual state
Of affairs on the railroads SO far as Washington is
concerned. The merchants of the city gem
orally are troubled greatly by the freight
blockade. At this season, when many of them
expect unusually large shipments to supply the
holiday trade, such delays and uncertainties as
many of them have experienced have led to
general complaint The remedies suggested
by merchants interviewed by STAR reporters
are various. Below will be found the result of
a canvassing of the subject made by STAR re-
porters among leading merchants of the city:
NJ. W. GAIT, BRO. AND co.
Mr.. NJ. W. Gait of the firm of Gait, Bro. &
Co., jewellers, is very emphatic in his de-
nunciations of the action of the railroads in
the non-delivery of freight. He said: There
can be but one OF two reasons for this blockade
OF freight. Either the PENNSYLVANIA railroad
company have not the proper facilities for do
ing the business they have undertaken or it
proceeds from an attempt on their part to
coerce the business men of Washington into
acqulescence in their demand for the surrender
OF the public parks and highways to their use.
To admit that this great corporation has not
the faclIltles for moving the comparatively
small amount of merchandise over their road
to this city would simply be absurd, and we are
forced to the conclusion that it proceeds from
the other motive. This is no simple temporary
interruption of traffic such as might proceed
from some unforeseen cause. for il has continued
Tor months. / know of no remedy except
through the courts, for this company is liable
at law for any damage a business man may
sustain III consequence OF unnecessary delay"
THOMAS soMERvILLE.
Thomas Somerville, brass founder, &C., is one
of the largest freight shippers in the city, both
OF incoming and outgoing goods. He has suf-
fered large losses from the blockade. His rep
resentative. who was well qualified to speak on
the freight subject, said to The STAR reporter:
II can just say that this trouble in getting our
goods and sending them away is hurting our
trade to an immense extent. 1t is as imposs-
bic to get any satisfaction from the railroad
companies as it is to get any sort of service.
We have terra Gotta factory four miles north
of the city, and under the present condition of
things it taxes us from five to eight
days to get car load Of sewer pipe into the
city. 1t is run ill., then backed out to wv City,
then in again and switched out to the neigh
borhood OF the factory again, and so on, until
when we get it the stuff is half smashed. We
have had one car load of bricks Oh the way
here from New Jersey since October z. and
yesterday received a letter from the Balti-
more and Ohio company in Pittsburg saying
that tracer had been sent out for the car.
The trouble lay, they said, in getting goods de-
livered in this city, and THAI the embargo had
not yet been raised. Hence. there was no tell
ing when heavy, unperishablo freight would
be delivered That the trouble lies here
is shown to be untrue by re-
cent experience of ours in shipping
Car southwest. 1t went by the way of the
Metropolitan branch and lay at Point of Rocks,
bound out of town. for just thirty-two days.
This Is running our southern trade in terra
Gotta, for where it ought to take fou- days to
get a car from here to Norfolk it now occupies
from one to two months i'll transit. We can get
absolutely nothing on time, and all that we can
get Ill any sort of season are our small lots 1t
has got SO now that we have to bring our sewer
pipe INTO town from the factory by wagon
do not know of any remedy. Threats of suits
have little effect, but not much. 1t seems to
be about the same with both companies. except
that can sometimes get a civil answer from
the Baltimore and Ohio, however unsatisfactory
it may be-"
R. GoLDsCHMID.
Mr.. r. Goldschmid said that the freight
service of the city was not only irregular but it
was very poor. This state of affairs began
early in the fall, he said, and grew worse at the
time the conclaye was held here. 1.-The trouble
Ii" he added. 1.-The conclave is over long ago,
but the freight delay is not over. There are
instances in my own business of freight being
delayed thirty days. From whatever direc-
ton it is sent, the same fate awaits it upon its
arrival in the city. These delays are not only
annoying. but they are costly to the merchants
We have TO pay heavy tariff, in my opinion
and then to get such poo- service is simply
outrageous. You ask me what is the cause of
this condition of affairs, and reply that it is
bad management. There may be other causes.
but 1t seems to me that in the management of
the railroads you will find the defect which
causes all the trouble"
JULIUS LANsBURaH.
The representative of Julius Lansburgh. the
furniture deaIer, who was sick at home when
The STAR reporter called. is Mr.. T. r. Brooks.
He told STAR reporter tina. the delay in the
receipt OF goods sent by freight to this city was
causing them a great deal of trouble. Freight
livery. A bill of goods from Parkersburg w.
Va. he said was delayed on the road for about
month. MIR. Brooks did not see much differ
ence in the service Of the two roads, He said
that the trouble was that the cars as a rule
reached the city, but they were not brought I'D
to the freight depot and unloaded. They are
left standing" he said, ION the track out near
Bennings, and only about half of the cars
are unloaded- Last fall we had no diff
Guilty because the cars we're I'M
loaded at the freight depot and on the
tracks within the city limits. Wagons would
drive up to the cars left standing in the streets
and the freight would be taken out. Then
there were side tracks, so that large shippers
could get their freight. Now, owing to the
agitation OF the people of South Washington
against the unlawful occupation OF the public
streets by the railroad companies, the facilities
OF the Pennsylvania company at least have been
restricted. / think that the railroad companies
ought to recognize the rights of the public and
provide other means. For instance, the surface
track could be used for passenger trains exclu-
slvely to reach the 6th-street depot. Then for
the freight cars an underground road could be
built which would forever settle the vexed rail-
road question"
FRANKIE AND co.
"WeD, l should say we have had trouble
with the railroads." said Mr.. A. NJ. Loovis of
Frankie Co., when questioned by o STAR re-
porter.
ANY particular road" asked the reporter