The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1891-04-24
EFFECTS OF THE BOYCOTT
Lines Engaged in the War on the Alton
Said to BE Losing Business.
Eastern Roads Still Paying Commissions De-
spite the Recent 0rder-The Canadian Pa
ciflc's Cut Net by the Great Northern.

Every day brings new phases in the Chi
cago 81 Alton boycott. and usually they are
IN favor of the boycotted road Now sew
eral of the Western roads have notified the
Eastern lines which are boycotting the
Chicago & Alton that should the &. q A.
carry out its threats to cut rates they
will be obliged TO meet the cuts, and will
depend upon the Eastern lines to bear
their proportion of whatever the re-
duction from tariff rates may be. In
this territory and at Cincinnati the Big
Four seems to be the principal sufferer.
as from Cincinnati west, and from Indian
apolis west. and from st. Louis east, the
Big Four is the only line in the boycott.
and they are really in ar unpleasant pre-
dicament, as agents who ara anxious that
the G. g. A. should win aIe ali working for
the roads which continue to work with the
Chicago & Alton. The Lake Erie g. West
ern is seemingly in the best position of any
of the roads crossing Indiana, east or west.
as since the interstate-commerce law went
into effect the road hae not paid commits
sions. so il can consistently work with the
Chicago * Alton or any of the roads en-
gagged in boycotting the G. 81 A.
President ingalls,, of the Big -Four, IS
quoted as saying that he was much opposed
to the payment of commissions. thinks 1t
an unbusnesslike method of securing bust
ness. q very expensive one. and one which
leads to a Generalization OF rates, yet ne
questions the advisability of b0ycotting
road to bring about q reform on the COM
mission question.
Officials of the Chicago & Alton road say
that the board of rulings of the Central
Traffic and Trunk-llle associations IS
welcome TO all the encouragement it is able
to get out of the action of the Chicago "
Grand Trunk in deciding to take the AL
toms tickets of sale by way of it's Niagara
frontier route, which was announced to-
day. The New York Central and the West
Shore, with which the Grand Trunk con-
meets at Niagara, are participating in the
boycott, and the best that was open to the
Alton by that route was business To and
from Buffalo, which was of very small bene-
tit to it. The Grand Trunk Will continue
to handle the Atoms business by way of
Montreal, and besides there are still thirty
seven roads In the territory represented by
the board OF rulings that have refrained
from taking part in the boycott. Ii 10
claimed by the Atoms friends that at least
two of the Eastern trunk lines are to-day
paying commissions TO the agents of con-
Meeting lines, and it is further asserted
that every one of the roads that issued the
order against the Alton is paying q COM
mission OF 10 per cent. on every ticket sold
over t0elr lines DY the Steamship COlu-
panles bringing emigrants TO this country
As yet the boycotted road has found no
difficulty In sending all its through passen-
gers East without Inconvenience, and the
crowded condition of ITS trains indicates
that il is getting its share of west bound
business Much interest attaches to the
coming special meeting of the Western
roads, as they will be called upon to decide
whether they will stand by the Alton in its
fight with the Eastern lines, or hold aloof
LA kIu.~ 49,. h. xc1
From an official who on Wednesday had
q conversation with Chairman Blanchard.
of the Central Traffic Association, is learned
that Mr.. Blanchard Is very confident the
roads will whip the Chicago d Alton into
line. He says it is fight which has been
brewing for some years, and it will now be
fought to the bitter END. 1t ia now stated
that the Chicago & Alton proposes to go
into the courts and test the question of the
authority of the board of rulings. Rail-
will do when the Alton directly charges 1t
with conspiracy. Can the board evade
thisi 1t hardly seems possible. and the
general counsel of the Alton also believe
the court will give ample relief in case the
railroads carry out the instructions of the
board of rulings, as there now appears to
be an indication of doing. The Alton IS
moving slow in the matter, but it will
doubtless have pretty sound footing when
1t begins action. General Manager Chap
pell. of the Chicago & Alton, 10 equally
confident with Mr.. Blanchard that the Chi
cago & Alton will be the winner in the
tight on the commission question.
The Canadian Pacific's Cut Met
The Great Northern road 10 the first to
meet the reduction in freights inaugurated
by the Canadian Pacific between New York
and st. Paul. President Hill, of the former
road. insists on the differential for lake and
rail traffic that was agreed on at the New
York conference, and to preserve it he has
announced alexandria, tariff on the
basis of 20 cents. first class. from New York
to St. Paul and Minneapolis by way of Du-
luth. This is reduction of IL cents, the
same made by the Canadian Pacific on all
rail business. No action has been taken
looking To a reduction by way of Chicago,
but q conference of the interested lines
will be held In q day or two to decide what
shall be done. Chairman Miduley is trying
to check the threatened decentralization of
rates. ana has asked the Western roads to
take no action until he has had an oppor-
tunity of communicating with the parties
responsible for the cut. There seems to be
little hope however, that rates will be re-
stored and maintained on the agreed basis.
East-bOund alexandria, rates were cut
before a vessel left Chicago for Buffalo,
and the indications are that they win strike
bedrock very early in the season. One
ldkc lino Ddo just tahcu Oh
export grain for Boston at I'd cent bushel,
or about IL cents per 100 pounds, against
the regular rate of 20 cents.
The big Four's New Locomotives.
After carefully looking over the bids of
the several locomotlve-w works to build
twenty locomotives for the Big Four. As
sistant General Man ager Barnard awarded
the contract to the Brooks locomotive
works. Two of these engines will be for
passenger service. and will weigh 135, 600
pounds, being about four thousand pounds
heavier than the passenger locomotives the
company purchased last year. They will
rest en- three pairs of driving wheels. feet
inches IN diameter. and four " heeled
front truck; they will have 1879 by 24-inch
cylinders. The twelve freight engines will
be ten wheelers. weighing $4,000 pounds;
they will have 20 by 24-inch cylinders and
4 foot inch criving-wheei The switch
1Dg engines. Six IN number. will be six
whoelers, weigh 9S, 900 pounds, have rs by
24-inch cylinders and foot 6 inch driy-
ing-wheel. All arc to be delivered between
now and Aug. I. Ii is stated by an officer
of the ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS that the passenger
engines will undoubtedly be among the
finest and heaviest ever built at American
acknowledgements, they are designed TO
make great speed. as well as To be very
powerful
Union Meeting of Employees.
grand union meeting of railway en-
ployes will be held at Fort Wayne. June Q
and 10. under the auspices of the following