Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1891-03-27
MISSING CARS.
TRACING LOST ROIIING-STOCK
ON OUR RAILROADS.
Missing Railroad Coaches Fonnd
Sidc-Trackcd in the BackwOods,
With Families Living in Them
"A Record Bureau.

cars shipped over its tracks. If the
Pennsylvania sends iron over the Jersey
Central, the latter road becomes respon-
sible for car and freight as soon as it re-
ceives them, and unless both are de!iv-
cred the Jersey Central makes good the
loss. The cars are either replaced or
paid for at the cost price, less a sup
posed depreciation of six per cent. in
value for every year that the car has been
in use. With old cars the latter method
generally is adopted, ,as it is often cheap
or than repairing.
All railroads try to use their own cars
as much as possible, and it might be
added that they also endeavor to use the
cars of other roads as much as possible
also. A charge of three fourths of cent
is made for every mile covered by a
freight car travelling over a road that
does not belong to the owner of the car.
These mileage charges amount to large
sums in the course of year. The bills
of the New York Central for this one
item are from SIS 900 to S125, 900 a
month. Practically, this method works
like a great clearing house, as the ac-
count against the New York Central is
more than balanced by its own charges
for cars used by ether lines. Other rail-
roads in fact pay the New York Central
for the use of its cars sbout $40, 900 a
month more than the Central pays them.
"Our cars are seldom lost" said al
officer of the New York Central Road
yesterday, "siuce the present system of
tracing cars went into operation, about
four years ago. In the old days we
sometimes thought we had lost passenger
coaches. We even lost sight for several
months Of the car in which President
Lincoln's remains were taken to Spring
field for burial. We traced the car as
far as Syracuse and there lostit. Some
body thought he remembered that it had
been run onto side track to a gravel
bed, but nc did not remember having
seen it afterward. Several months later
an Elmira newspaper said that the fa-
nous car in which President Lincoln S
body was taken to Illinois was running
between that city and Corning"
A well known railroad man told an
other story of lost car. No trace
could be found of it beyond junction in
the iron regions of Pennsylvania. Finally
this officer became so interested that he
determined to investigate the case per-
sonaly. He went to the town where the
car had been seen last and followed
dlsused and grass grown track some dis
tance in the country. After prolonged
search, he discovered the car with a stove
pipe projecting from the roof and other
signs of habitation. He found family
in possession, but cvicted them without
attempting 10 collect back rents, and
saws that he believes the coach to be still
in use on a country road to which it was
sold several years after its discovery in
the wilds of Pennsylvania.
The Pennsylvania road lost an entire
train in the Johnstown food. 1t was a
minor incident IN the great disaster, but
it cost the officers of the road consider
cradle trouble until they could determine
from their records Just what cars had
disappeared. The Philadelphia and Read
ing recently had a similar experience
through the sweeping away of bridge at
Wilkesbarre. Among the cars lost was
one belonging to the New York Central,
which, with its contents, had to be paid
for.
Every great railroad, like the New
York Central, the Pennsylvania, the
Baltimore & Ohio and the Delaware,
Lackawanna 6 Western, maintains a
record bureau, which keeps so strict
watch upon its freight cars that the pre-
else location of any given car may be
known at any given time. The cars be-
longing to the railroad itself are entered
in large book, ruled SO that daily
record of the movements OF from twenty
five 10 fifty cars may be kept for Q month
on a single page. What are called for
cign cars, that is, cars belonging to other
companies, are recorded in another book,
ruled in such a manner that the numbers
and initials Of the cars may be recorded.
AS the conductors reports are received
they are checked off on the record books
of the home Office until every car has
been accounted for. A second set of re-
ports is also received from stations at
functions with other roads, showing the
transfers of empty and loaded cars with
the line, number and initials of each. IF
the cars are loaded, the contents, the
name of the shipper, aud the consignee,
are also matters of record. All station
agents submit to the car accountant at
the main Office a record of the cars loaded
and unloaded at their stations, from mid
night to midnight. In fact, the car ac-
countant practically has daily report of
the location and condition Of every
freight car in the service OF the road. OF
course, the passenger system is the sub
ject of even more careful record. .-Ner
York World.