Los Angeles herald., 1891-09-28
THE RAILROADS.
THE BULK OF THE FRUIT. CROP is
MOVED.
Several Southern Pacific Branches Pro-
iecte i-Asphaltum Beds to be Opened
News Notes.

The greater part of the California fruit
crop has already been moved, says the
San Francisco Examiner, and the bulk
of the shipments now being made by
rail are fresh grapes, pears and peaches.
Many grape shippers are abandoning
the refrigerator cars in favor of the ven
tilator cars. They have found that
grapes keep better in the dry ventilator
cars than they do in the moist air OF the
refrigerators.
The bloom which appears on the sur
face of tbs grape and plum has been
found to be yeasty fungus which starts
fermentation when brought into con-
tact with moisture, and it is to this
quality that many spoiled refrigerator
carloads is ascribed. There is no mois-
ture in the currents of air that pass
through the ventilator cars, and it has
been found by several shippers that
grapes keep better in them than when
surrounded by ice.
The grape, pear and peach crop is be-
ing shipped from Woodland, Vacaville,
Winters, Suisun and Sacramento. Other
fruit freights are reported slow.
SOUTHERN PACIFIC NEW BRANCHES.
Vice. President c. F. Crocker was in
terviewed on Friday, says the Chronicle,
with reference to the proposed lines of
the Southern Pacific company in the
southern part OF the San Joaquin valley.
He showed map on which was traced
a new line projected by the company
from Wade, a station on the main line
short distance from Bakersfield, to Ar
mona, the southern terminus OF the new
West Side line which the company in
miles long.
Chief Engineer Hood has prepared
plans for another road, which will branch
off from the one from Wade to Armona
and tap large deposit of asphaltum in
the Coast range. This line has been To-
Gated and is between twenty and thirty
miles in length.
Mr.. Crocker spoke with emphasis on
the importance of reaching the asphalt
tum beds. The new line will give San
Francisco a good supply OF this material.
He showed some bricks made OF asphalt
tum and coal dust which had been
formed under hydraulic pressure by the
company for use as fuel in its locomo-
tives. W. S. Douty, of the Pacific I'm
provement company, who was with the
vice-president, said that the fuel gave
satisfaction to the engineers. 1t is being
made in small quantities at the end of
the company's freight wharf in Oakland.
If the asphalt can be obtained cheap
enough the company will make use of
large quantities OF it instead of the high
priced coal now consumed.
NOTES.
The wisdom of requiring the prompt
unloading of freight cars for the benefit
OF shippers, as we'll as carriers, is appre
ciated by the Texas railroad commits
sion, which has just issued the following
ORDER
From and after the 1st day of October,
1891, all railroad companies in the state
shall charge and collect from consignees
the sum of SO per car per day for the use
OF all cars not unloaded after forty-eight
hours notice to the consignee or his
agent (not to include Sundays and legal
hoIidays). The notice to consignees to
unload cars must recite the penalty
herein provided for.
A party OF eastern ticket agents who
have lately attended the Ticket Agents
convention at ST. Paul arrived on Thurs
day. They came from New England,
and prominent among them are G. A.
McAlp inc. president of the New Eng
land Railroad Agents association, and
W. S. Rodiman, agent for the Connecti-
cut river railroad, who has come from
Northampton, Mass. The party has
visited the Yellowstone park, and came
here by the Shasta route.
morning paper says that w. A. Bis
sell denies the report that there will be
a change in the presidency of the Atchi-
son, Topeka and Santa Fe, says the San
Francisco Call. This course settles the
matter. The directors would hardly
make a change of this charac-
ter without consulting their San Fran
cisco passenger agent.
Southern Pacific engineers are per-
tecting points in the surveys for the bay
shore line OF the coast division. 1t is
expected that considerable work on the
section from San Bruno to the first tun-
mel, about four miles, will be COM
menced before winter.
John j. Bryne, assistant general pas
senger agent of the Santa Fe at Chi
cago, is in San Francisco on brief
vacation. auo
Victor Schilling, travelling passenger
agent of the Union Pacific, has been
transferred from San Francisco to Port
land.
The change recently made in the
freight tariff of the Transcontinental
association have been on the average in
the direction OF a reduction. The only
change of Importance has been the re-
duction of the freight on raisins from
$1.55 per 100 pounds on carload lots to
S150 per 100-a difference of $40 car
load
F. Loomis, a business man of Boston,
bought ticket in that city recently for
his passage from Boston to San Fran
cisco by way of Portland, Ore. When
he reached Portland the ticket agent of
the Southern Pacific company took up
his ticket and gave him through check.
He returned in little while saying that
he made mistake and took the check
back. Then he demanded that Loomis
should pay his fare from Portland to
San Francisco alleging that Loomis was
not the original purchaser of the ticket
and that it had been scalped at Port
land. Loomis denied the imputation
and signed his name for the train agent,
but that official refused to accept his
signature and compelled Loomis to pay