, 1890-12-04
CARS COMING.
An Interview With the
General Manager.
GREAT NORTHWEST
Growing too Fast for the Bis
Railway.
DOING ALL IN THEIR POWER
The Situation Greatly Relieved
Not Enough Elevators in
the Country.

Sr. PAUL, Nov. 2S.--In an interview
on the wheat blockade in Washington
". S. Nleien, general manager of tho
Northern Pacific railroad, said
"The people of Washington, farmers
merchants and newspapers, have
wrong idea of tho situation, This ques
ton of cars has caused me more trou biz
than anything have ever had come TIN
The fict of the matter is this: Wush,
ington has no storage facilities, anc
farmers expect the railroad to move il
thirty days large portion of the crop
which IL so happens Is enormous. The
railroad Is not TO blame in any way,
There is no colusion between railroads,
nor with the Northern Pacific Elevator
Company. There is not q man con.
nected with the actual management o
the railroad that has dollars worth o
stock or interest In the elevator com,
pany, or in any wheat deal. know that
every effort of the Northern Pacific
road Is in tho direction of
moving this wheat, to get tho
earnings, and every effort possible has
been ana is made to do this. We have
there cars enough, but they can't be
moved. There are to-day $50 empty
box cars in the Tacoma yards that we
would ike to send to the Palouso coun-
try, but there are no engines to move
them, yet twenty tive engines have been
taken from this end and sent to Wash
ing,on In tho past thirty days. 1t is
physical impossibility for any railroad
to do more than the Northern Pacific
company is now doing. Every wheat
growing state in the Union, and every
railroad has had, and always will have
the same difficulty.
"Immense sections at both ends have
harvest crops and demand that the oulk
be moved in thirty days. IL can't be
done; no road can do it. Here in Min
nesota and Dakota storage facilities less.
en- the difficulty, but in Washington
there are fewer elevators and farmers
have to pile their grain in sacks on the
ground, exposedto all kinds OF weather.
"Is there any truth in the reported
pool with tho Union Pacific?"
mot the sligstest; there is absolutely
no truth in the report
Does not the road intend to prepare
in tho future for this lack OF motive
powerS'
"Why, my dear sir, our road has put
on l02 new engines during the past
twelve months ana 700 new box cars.
During July, August and September
every side track along the lino was filled
with em PITY box cars and round houses
with engines, and 1t will bo so each
year. No one has any idea how larss
has been the growth of the Northwest in
the past two years. Washington is great
strapping child, and has waddling
clothes. who has grown so fast that he
has just burst his belly band. That is
all there Is to 1t.
The Northern Pacific Railway Com.
pany has done more in development OF
Washington than any other one factor
in the building OF new lines and opening
up OF new country, and In the light OF
that it seems hardly fair that your peo'
pie should pass snap judgment, and not
give us The benefit of careful inyestiga'
tion OF the causes of the trouble. The
situation will be easier in O short time,
however. Taking off one Of the trans
continental trains will release four en-.
gines and eigh, experienced train crews
which will be put into freight service at
once. The only way Tor the PaIouse
country to avoid repetition OF the
trouble is for the people to build more
elevators
"Wili you put on a local train between
Spokane and Portland when one OF tho
overland trains is taken Off
'Hcs, sir; you can be sure that we will
do that just as soon as n schedule can be
arranged, if there is enough travel to
warrant it,