Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1891-07-19

consequence the latter road is inclined to
| fight. 1t has longer line TO Chicago and
| is consequently handicapped in securing
business for that city from Missouri river
| points. To all its requests for n differential
| ON Kansas City the other lines have turned
| a,deaf ear.
Now if any man thinks for a moment the
Maple Leaf is going to have empty coaches
| for the benefit Of other association lines,
| that man is badly off, The Alton gener-
| ally uses considerable wind in telling what
| it proposes to do, which it never does The
Maple Leaf says nothing, but draws its
little knife, and by the time the other roads
| find out what is going on the cut has been
| made and the tide of travel turned to the
Maple Leaf. General Manager Egan and
Traffic Manager Bugenburk are both jolly,
good-natured fellows, and they have not
the appearance of fighters, but if another
line treads on their toes they suddenly
manifest John L. Sullivan tendencies and
speedily knock out their opponents. The
GAZETTE, from personal knowledge of the
gentlemen, feels safe in predicting if the
Maple Leaf don't get what it wants the
other association lines will hear somthing
sdrap.''
Another point on which the roads are
about to split is the split tickets in use
These tickets are ones sold for round trips,
the retutn part of which is not purchased
by the person going over the line, but is
torn of and given to scalpers to handle at
the other end
The split ticket is favorite with agents
who desire to build up business for their
roads. 1t is easily handled and hard to de-
tect. For instance, man purchases a
ticket in Chicago for Fort Worth. He does
not want return ticket to Chicago, but he
is sold ''split," and the return part comes
to Fort Worth, where it is turned over to a
scalper at a nominal sum, and the road gets
thf, hnS hntt 70
only round-trip tickets sold, and in this way
the earnings are increased and a cut rate is
made. Whenever one road discovers an
other doing this there is a row, and a gen
eral rate war usually follows.
1t Is said there is an unusually large
number OF these split tickets in use in the
West, and that by their use great deal of
business has been routed over the Alton
despite the boycott, and which the Eastern
roads are unable to trace These tickets
are in use by the Union Pacific and when
General Passenger Agent Lomax re-
ceived protest from the Eastern roads de-
handing their withdrawal he politely in
formed them they could visit his satanic
majesty, but instead of doing this they pro-
pose to go for Mr.. LomaX's scalp, and in
the effort to get it the knife will be used
fully in self-defense, and rates will be arts
tically carved
These are only few of the indications
of breakers ahead. With the Maple Leaf |
and the Union Pacific on their muscle, the |
Alton in the sulks, the Chicago, Milwaukee |
and St. Paul and the Wisconsin Central |
making cheap rates to the educational con-
vention at Toronto against Mr.. Finley's |
ruling, there is every prospect that the |
black flag will be run up and the rate |
sheets consigned to the demnition bow |
vows.
The hot weather seems to be seriously |
affecting the livers of the general passen- |
ger agents in the West and Northwest, and |
they are venting their spleen.