The Kootenai herald. [volume] (Kootenai, Idaho) 1891-1904, 1891-07-18
HOW THEY RUN IT.
THE OFFICIALS. GREAT AND SMALL,
WHO MANAGE A BIG RAILROAD.

Mysterious Rules with which 1t Takes
Time to Form an Acquaiptance-WOrk
Done by Subordinates-Presid Who
Earn Their Salaries.
Very few persons comprehend or in any
way understand the organization and man.
agement of the large railway systems which
are now such an important factor in the
commercial affairs of the country. The gem
eral organization is about the same on all
the large systems, there being, however,
some difference in titles of department Off
GERS and matters of detail, according to the
fancies of the directory or president, or the
peculiar necessities of each case. AS the
properties in this country are owned by
private individuals, who naturally try to
obtain the best service at the least cost, it is
presumable that no extravaganza or unneces-
sary positions or departments are provided.
1t is usually thought that the president of
a large system has an easy place to fill, al
really gets large salary to do comparatively
nothing. In many cases this is true, and
that dignitary is nothing more or less than
figurehead, whose duties are performed by a
vice-president or general manager, and who
may not have the slightest knowledge of the
manner in which the business is carried on,
excepJ that at the annual stockholders meet
ing he will present them an elaborate state
ment of earnings and expenditures, which
has been formulated and prepared for him.
Such presidents are, however, rare, and
nearly all of them earn their salaries. Really,
the president should be the financial head of
the company, and it is usual for him to dele
gate to a general manager the management
and operation of the road. The officer is,
therefore, necessarily practical railroad
man, and from him the officers of all the de-
partments receive their instructions.
THE SUBORDINATE OFFICIALS.
These departments are the accounting
sometimes presided over by comptroller
who may report either to the general man
ager or the president; the traffic department.
which may have for its head traffic man
ager, assisted by general freight agents and
general passenger agents; the operating, in
charge of a general superintendent. The
accounting department is the one in which
all accounts are kept, and the auditor, who
either assists the comptroller, or where there
is no comptroller, is responsible to the gem
eral manager, who receives an impression
copy of each sway bil,n which shows the
name of the shipper, the point of shipment,
the name of the consignee, the destination,
the marks and the weight and freight
charges on each consignment carried over
the road. This way bill he scrutinizes care
fully, and sees that the charges are in ac-
cordance with the rates announced by. the
general freight agent. If they are found
correct, he makes from them numerous rec
ords, crediting agents or connecting rail
roads, and charging others. The ticket
agents send him either daily, weekly or
monthly reports of their sales, which are
checked with the tickets forwarded to him
by conductors when taken up on trains.
The operating department is one of the
most important on railroad, as the success
of the whole depends ON its efficiency. The
general superintendent is assisted by SUI
perintendent of roadway, superintendent
of machinery and a superintendent of trans
portation. The superintendent of roadway
/ has charge Of all tracks, and usually all
bridges and buildings pertaining to the track
department., although some roads provide a
separate officer who looks after bridges alone.
The superintendent of roadway is assisted by
roadmasters, who have charge of divisions,
varying according TO the physical features of
the track. These roadmasters direct all
work performed on their divisions by section
foremen and trackmen. The superintendent
of machinery has charge of all locomotives,
and is responsible for the performance of
proper service. lie also has charge of en-
ginemen, firemel and machinists.
The superintendent of transportation has
charge of the movement of trains over the
line, appoints conductors, brakemen, agents
and train dispatchers, distributes cars where
they are needed, and is generally responsible
for the safe and speedy movement of passen-
gers and freight He is assisted by train
masters, whose duties vary on many lines
but they are generally Immediately under
the direction of the superintendent of trans
portation.
THE TRAFFIC DEPARTMENT.
The traffic department is really the com
mercial department. 1t is divided between a
general freight agent and a general passen
ger agent, both of whom report to and re