The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1891-05-10
NEW OFFICES.
THE NEW FREIGHT DIVISION OF
FICES OF THE SANTA FE.
The Building and its OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES
intendent Parsons and His Work--A
Big Warehouse and a Finished
Building-The Santa Fe Yards
at Wichita and How They
are Constructed.

avenue.
This event outside of its Importance to
the town both in the way of recognition
and the addition of number of families
to the population, also had the redundant
effect of satisfaction on Mr. Parsons and
his clerks, who were all pleased to leave
their old quarters and get settled IN the
new and adequate building. And for this
Mr.. Parsons surely has cause. A look
over the building and its plans offers
study of elimination of careful enginery,
pleasing and skillful architecture and II
every way the most CAREFUL and thorough
completion.
In company with Superintendent Par
sons member of the EAGLE staff visited
this building yesterday. This building is
constructed of brick with stone trimmings.
The Office building, aside from the ware
house, is a two-story building. sixty by
sixty-four feet, and is constructed with
that stability and liberality characteristic
of railroad companies structures. Large
open windows, high heavy doors, thick
plumb walls, solid foundations and good
masonary and carpentry throughout.
Superintendent Parsons Office is on the
second floor and as with the remainder of
the building is finished in hard wood with
an oil polish. IL is comfortably fitted out
with complete desks and cushioned chairs,
and commands good view of the yards,
so that the superintendent can see for him
self at any time the work that is entrusted
to assistants.
Superintendent Parsons says he has the
incest Office and altogether the best freight
division headquarters in Kansas He
is very proud of it and as he has
been in good many offices of similar
business in the country, his judgment is
not to be questioned. Superintendent
Parsons management is known as the
southern division. This extends from
Purcell to Newton, which is called the
main line; from Winfield to Florence;
from Florence to Ellinwood; the Little
River branch: the Harvey county cutoff,
and the Wichita and Western. In all,
having control of six hundred miles of
road. AS Mr.. Parsons remarked, this is a
particularly and cleverly formed division.
Its chief excellency lies in the fact that the
offices here at Wichita are SO centrally To-
Gated, and all the lines are of unusually
easy access from the common pivotal
point For instance, Mr.. Parsons can
reach the FL Dorado line by going to Au-
gusta or Winfield and make a circuit by
the way of Newton in returning. He can
90 out as far as Burton and return over
the Frisco. Any part of the d.
vision is within few hours ride
of Wichita, and the superintendent
virtually has the whole division at his
fingers end.
Mr.. Parsons has brought the resident
engineer here and with his assistants is
now carrying on his portion of the man
agement from this point. Mr.. l.. b.
Speed is the resident engineer and has I'M
der him n general foreman, whose bust
ness it is to attend to the buildings,
bridges and water ways and report to MIR.
Speed. This is no slight duty, when it is
known that there are in the southern dl
vision $50 bridges. and some of these 6
LOCO feet in length, as the one across the
Canadian river in the territory. Mr.
Speed has nothing to do with the track
this being under an entirely different
department.
The track is superintendent by three gen
eral roadmasters, who report direct
to the division superintendent. Eact
t line is divided up into sec
lions some five or six miles IL
length and gang under boss takes care
of each allotment. 1t is the duty of eact
foreman to keep on a continual trip of in
spection, and issue orders to the section
bosses. 1t is this routine of carefulnes:
and close inspection that insures the safety
| of travellers One foreman takes care OF
| the line from Arkansas City to Purcell
A second is in charge of the line between
| Winfield and Florence, and another from
Arkansas City to Newton, Mcpherson, in
| Guiding the Wichita and Western and thu
Little river branch.
| 1t is not an item generally known, ant
consequently of more than usual interest
| that there are six local trains made VI
daily in the Santa Fe yards at this place
They are made up of pick ups and mer
chandise, and are run out: Two north ant
south. two east and west, and two on tn
| Frisco. These carry out the ware
of our wholesale houses, and com
back laden with country produce ant
what other freight that can be picked III
at way towns and division points. Their
are also large number OF through.freight
which go through the city, that carr.
only carload lots,
This division is an important as
! moments reference to the important point
it includes viii quickly demonstrate. N
other division in the system contains q
many important and fiourishing cities
| There is Florence, Newton, Ell Dorado
Kinyman, Winfield. among the count,
seat towns, aud Wichita, Guthrie ant
! Oklahoma City, Norman and Purcell Il
the territory furnish CONSIDERABLE
portion. The cattle receipts are excep
tiopally large as is the wheat shipments
An immense amount of business is don
and in the light OF prosperous times ant
the extention of the new territorial coun
try is constantly increasing.
At the rear of Mr. Parsons private OF
fee is Engineer Speeds Office where tn
assistants are at work. The room Is ca
pscious, we'll seated, amply lighted. III
next room is the telegraph room, which
supplied with both electric light and ga
appratus. dumb waiter that runs TO th
freight office below \ large new switc
board is being put in. Three operator
are at work here.
Across the halfway IS superintendent
Parsons clerks headquarters. The clerk
! Mr.. H. r. Reynolds, has six clerks unde
him who are busy all day long recordin!
the business of the division. The room
especially large and airy. 4ox2o feet. witt
an annex in the shape of a stationary room
where all the blanks and forms are KEPT
Back of il the battery room was discovere
and it was marvel of cleanliness con
pared to the usual room OF its kind. :
blue print case Is also shown, which
full of pigeon holes. which hold plans
all the lands and tracks in the Souther
! division