The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1890-05-11
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DEMAND FOR MORE YARD ROOM.
Unable to Handle Promptly All the Wichita
FreiGht-Only a small per cent of Last
Years Grain Crop yet sold A
Pointer for Elevator Capital.

The railroads are confronted with the
question Of securing more yard facilities.
Never before in the history of the city were
they so badly crowded and working under
such disadvantages. 1t is absolutely i'm
possible to accommodate all the cars loaded
with grain billed for Wichita. A single
freight train over the Wichita s. Western
yesterday brought in sixty-two cars of live
stock and grain. The live stock was taken
to the stock yards, but twenty cars of grain
were cut out at College Green and left on a
switch there because of the fact that there
was no room in the yards here to receive
them.
At the Missouri Pacific freight Office 1t
was learned that they are laboring under
the same difficulties; about one hundred
cars of grain side tracked in towns close
into Wichita The same trouble
Is experienced by the Santa Fe,
Frisco and every railroad running
into the city finds it impossible to get yard
facilities here promptly. The Wichita
grain market has been such that hundreds
of carloads arrive every day and more
could be disposed of daily with yard facili-
ties equal 10 the demand.
The railroads are considering the ques-
ton seriously, and a gentleman connected
with one Of the roads yesterday said it was
simply imperative that additional yard IA
cilities be provided as soon as possible.
The demand comes not only from the fact
that there are millions of bushels of grain
70 he handled, but there IS an increase in
freights in every business in the
city and an increase in all the south
west, which calls for more room
here The month of April the Mis-
souri, Pacific lines, at the Wichita office,
handled $4,000 cars, while during the
corresponding month last year less than
half that amount of freight went over the
same lines. All the other roads in the ter
ritory tributary to Wichita, the freight for
April was over double the amount for the
corresponding month last year. The re-
ports show that the, increase in grain ship
ments have been more than in any other
line but this referred to as simply not only
that there is an abundance of grain in the
southwest, but its sale brings money into
the country. followed by increase of trade
in all other lines.
In the Wichita yards yesterday morning
were three hundred cars of grain and by
last evening other freight had been moved
around allowing two hundred more cars
TO be admitted, with many more
side tracked almost in sight Of
Wichita and viii be brought
in as soon as there is room. This is a
sample OF the rush for weeks and months
past and some may conclude that about
all the grain has been shipped out but by
referring to the returns made by the
assessors for the townships already re-
ported in this county it will be found that
only a very small per cent of the vast
amount of grain in the country has been
sold. While the personal property state
ments show a total that is a big increase
over last year, in no line is the increase so
large as in grain. The returns were made
for Payne township Yesterday showing a
fraction more than fifty-two times as much
corn on hand in the township now as at
this time last year, while the returns for
Eagle township made recently showing
about forty times as much corn on hand
now as last year at this time. So far none
of the townships have less than twenty
five times the born at present as last year,
the highest repOred being Payne.
1t is estimated by some that Sedgwick
county farmers have sold about as big q
per cent of their grain as the farmers in
other counties in southern Kansas. Should
this be true, and it would seem fairto pre-
sumo it Is. one viii readily reach the con-
clusion that the great southwest has an
abundance of grain on hand to respond TO
the high prices. In the face of the sit
nation the elevator question comes up
quite natural enough. The facilities GER
tainly no where can be found more en-
oor,ito1
ness. In the center of such a grain pro-
ducing region and with favorable trans
portation rates it is thought there can be
no more practicable arguments for in
creasing elevator capacity.