Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1890-07-28

W tue ttiked-OI changes In The runniD!
of freight trains on the Illinois division
OF the Rock Island road, and also on tn,
Iowa division, both Of which terminal,
here. At that time assurances were re
ceived from the management OF the c.
X. l.. & P. that any contemplated
Changes would not necessitate the re,
moval Of any crews or families from
Rock Island, and at the same time cam,
advices to the road men themselves from
the company that they would be giver
ample notice before any radical changes
were made. But in the face of al
this an ip- portant order came to Foreman
Mirfield. of the Rock Island round house
Saturday 1t was duly posted ION the
board in the round house and read as
follows:
CHICAGO. July %. 1890.
Geo. F. Wilson, Esq, Gen'l NJ. NJ
DEAR SIR:- Please arrange that on and
after August I, engines in freight service,
except local freight. shall run through"
between shops aud Rock Island and shops
and Peoria. Yours truly.
h. F. ROYCE, Genl Supt
This is very short order. but its sig
nlficance is tremendous, as might have
been readily conceived by one witnessing
the commotion it created among train
men when they caught glimpse of it,
and the people of Rock Island will re-
gard it with equal Importance when
It's real meaning is fully explained The
order in the first place comes from the
general superintendent to the general
master mechanic. who accordingly for
wsrded it to his subordinate, Foreman
Mirfield, Of the Rock Island round house.
whose department here in Rock Island is
most affected by the change. The latter
part of the order with reference to Peoria
attaches no interest to Rock Island
The shops" are in Chicago, and the true
meaning az the order is that freight trains
on the Illinois division are TO run
through between Rock Island and Chi
cago instead of changing back each way
at Peru and that Chicago will be the
of the division, that all the
long lay overs will be in that city. all
repairs being made there; in
word that the crews on the east run now
making their homes IN Rock Island will
be taken away from the city and made
only transient in their relations to the
city. They will only come in here long
enough to deliver their trains and get an
other out, coming in first in first out,
and no crew will be in the city
longer than eight to twelve hours at
stretch ano probably not that long There
are twenty engines running between
Rock Island aud Peru, which means FORTY
men and forty families, or about three
hundred people, who will be obligned un>
der the new order to move to Chicago.
This item alone entails loss in cash of
$4,000 year to our merchants, to say
nothing OF the social and family ties to
be severed. homes which years have
been spent in securing to be left. and
the increased hours of work to be
imposed upon the men. But with
this order comes the probability of
another which would work further dis
aster to Rock Island. The jurisdiction
Of Trainmaster Root, of Davenport has
been exte aided to Des Moines, while
lrainmaster Fox, of Atlantic, is to
be moved to Des Moines, and have his
territory extended from that city to
Council Bluffs, Trainmaster Giles Will
liams, of Des Moines. having resigned to
accept the assistant superintendency of
the Pittsburg & FIT. Wayne. taking his
chief train dispatcher Cooper. with him
as trainmaste:. The frightening of the
of the Iowa division FORE
Tells the running of freight trains from
Rock Island to Des Moines instead of
stopping at Brooklyn, and the running
Of the crews west of Des Moines
through to Council Bluffs, instead
IF turning at Stuart. But more-it
savors strongly of determines
ton to make Chicago and Des Moines the
two great division centers on the main
line of the system, running the engines
So I'll 4
back. and from Des Moines to Rock ISL
and and back aud to Council Bluffs and
back. This order of things would in
clude another blow to Rock Island, as it
would take about thirty engine crews
running west from Rock Island to Brook
Ign away from here and move them to
Des Moines. In fact if the Rock Island
carries out the scheme which it's recent
move dscloses. it will take all its engine
men from Rock Island as far as residence
is concerned; to express it pointedly, it
will give the city as severe thrust as it
is in the pow of corporation to infiict
upon community, especially one that
has contributed as handsomely to the
support of that corporation as Rock ISL
and has always to the road that so
proudly bears its name. So much for the
and possibilities.
Now as to the direct effects of the Or
der already issued transferring the crews
on the Illinois division to Chicago, and
Peru as a terminal point. to
which it has heretofore been the custom
for the Rock Island engines to run and
return. Aside from the disaster that it is
to bring to Rock Island in the substitu-
ton of trar sent railroad men for perma-
~ort ~ae;danta ond nrnnortv holdera IL ia