Los Angeles herald., 1891-09-18
THE RAILROADS.
President Marvel Due Here
on Wednesday.
Another Phase of the Cable
Electric Road Fight.
A Good Suggestion for Preventing
Air Brake Accidents.
why Not Put Hand Brakes Inside of
Blind-End Cars?-The Texas Rail-
way Commission Fight-Ex-
cursionists Arrive.

1t was learned yesterday at the Santa
F6 headquarters that President Marvel,
of the Santa F6 company, is due to
arrive in this city next week, probably
on or about Wednesday.
He will be accompanied only by his
private secretary, Mr.. Allen, and will
spend week or ten days here, part of
the time to be given to much needed
rest, and the remainder to thorough
inspection of the company's lines.
THE CABLE-ELECTRIC ROAD FIGHT.
What reads like an authorized explain
alton of Attorney General Hart's posi-
tion towards the Los Angeles Gable road
company was published yesterday. 1t
appears that Mr.. Hart as private at
torney has brought suit against the
Gable company for Hoadley and Hendy,
of San Francisco. He has also brought
& suit against the Gable company. this
time apparently as attorney general, as
foreign corporation which has no
right to do business in this state.
Mr.. Hart is quoted also as
admitting that cit will be his duty"
to proceed in the same way against the
electric company. The affair is ex-
planned by surmising that the cable
company will be transferred to the
original California company, which for
merly owned the property.
The article fails to state whether Mr..
Hart will deem it "his duty" to SINH
larly proceed against the Southern Pa
cifc company OF Kentucky, and hun
dreds OF other foreign corporations doing
business in the state.
The facts of the case are simple. The
cable road company is now an Illinois
corporation. Under the constitution of
Illinois no provisions are made for cor
porations of that state doing a foreign
business. Such provisions are in the
Kentucky and the Arizona constitutions,
and no amount of actions can affect the
right of those companies to transact
business.
What effect this transfer of the cor
poration from the Illinois to the Cali
fornia corporation will have on it's
numerous creditors is another question,
in which the general public has no in
terest.
GOOD IDEA.
Mr.. G. w. Schroeder has thought out
an excellent plan which would go far
toward preventing such accidents as the
one which occurred recently at Te
hachepi.
An overland train usually consists
nowadays of about eight coaches, bag
gage, mail and express car, tourist
sleeper, a smoking car, day coach and
two Pullmans. OF these the three first
have "blind ends !" that is to say, there
are no doors opening on the platform,
and in case of accident the inmates have
no means of getting at the hand brakes.
AS a rule, these three cars are the
heaviest on the train, their momentum
being the hardest to overcome. Yet
is no way to stop thesesave by applying
the hand brakes on the lighter coaches
to the rear.
Mr.. Schroeder's idea is to place hand
brakes inside of the three cars men,
toned. Usually there are two men in
each of these cars; so, in case their
services were needed, there would be
six men at the brakes where now there
are none. Ii the plan of not having end
doors is continued, system of signals
p by gongs attached to the bell cord or to
a secondary cord could easily be ar
ranged, so that at the first intimation
that the air brakes would not work the
hand brakes could be readily and
forcibly set throughout the train.
Nine out of ten of the railroad acci
dents are due to some trouble with the
air brakes. Mr.. Schroeder's plan is
simple, inexpensive, and would in
crease the safety of railroad travel by a
large per cent.
THE TEXAS FIGHT.
The Texas railway commission is in
trouble all around. 1t has just ordered
a reduction in freight rates on all the
important lines running through Texas,
and in consequence the members of the
commission have big fight on their
hands. The Southern Pacific is inter-
ested in the squabble, and Vice-Presi-
dent Stubbs is now in Texas looking
after the interest of his road. The lines
specially concerned in the recent reduc-
ton on account of Galveston traffic
affirm that the rates as set by the COM
mission will drive all cotton shipments
to New Orleans. Close upon this un-
popular decision comes another, requir-
ing the Gulf, West Texas and Pacific
road to run a train daily each way be-
tween Victoria and Lavaca. The road
has brought suit against the commits
sion, asking that the order be set aside,
claiming unconstitutionality in that Sec
ton OF the commission act which re-
.quires the running Of trains as ordered.
BOYCOTT RAISED.
The boycott recently inaugurated by
the Southern Pacific against the Della
ware, Lackawanna and Western road,
has been raised. The cause of the
trouble arose out of the D., L. and w.
refusing to settle promptly for tickets
sold over the Southern Pacific COM
pany's lines. This neglect was contin-
ued for several months, despite frequent
letters on the subject between officials
of the companies. General Passenger
Agent Goodman yesterday received an
accounting for all moneys due up to