The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1892-02-05
WILLING To VOTE MONEY
Towns Along the Route of the Proposed
l., r. & G. Want the Road Built.
Enthusiastic Meetings at Several Points-How
Il lay Enter This City-Refrigerator-
Car Mileage-The W. & l. Z.

d. p. Erwin, Gen. r. r. Cowan, of Gin
~cinpati. and I. L Patrick, Of Columbus. re-
turned last evening from q trip ove o por-
ton of the projected indianapolis. Rock
port & Chattanoogs road. While absent
they attended several large meetings. At
one in Rockport over five hundred tax-pay-
ers were present. and on a rising vote ev-
cry one present, with one exception, favored
Offering q liberal subsidy to the enterprise.
Roekport votes next Tuesday on giving q
subsidy TO the road. At Grandview anoth-
er rousing meeting was held. and every
body there is enthusiastic over the build
ing Of the road. All want it built through
to Indianapolis. Between now and March
8 the several townships will vote on the
question Of aiding the road. Messrs. Err
win, Cowan and Patrick returned more i'm
pressed than ever with the value OF such o
road TO Indianapolis. and its prospects for
business. The fact is" said Mr. Erwin,
"it seems to us that Indianapolis nov has
an opportunity to get q new railroad If it
viii take hold and simply secure q right OF
way for 1t to q connection with the Union
tracks This is all the company viii ask.
and it could not be . large expense. as the
old canal bank can be used from the south
ern limits of the city to q connection with
the tracks which lead to the Premier steel
works. and this track can be leased. doubt
less. on very reasonable terms TO q connec-
ton with the Union tracks. The road Will
be 100 miles long, and Mitchell will be the
center of IL; ninety miles have already
been surveyed, and a very feasible route TO
CLOSES IL is expected to nave trains running
as far north as Mitchell. which Is eighty
miles north from Rcckport" General
Cowan says the beauty Of the thing Is that
il will not Interfere with other roads in
roraara INIT will Uiva railrnad faQflifiaa IN
territory which has none and needs them.
MIR. woodford and the C., II. 6 ID.
The retiremens of W. d. woodford from
the presidency Of the Wheeling & Lake
Erie road Was much of o surprise to most
of the directors and q matter of much re-
gret. George w. Davis, one Of the di-
re ,tors, said that Mr.. Woodford alone
SHOULD have the credit Of making the w. &
l.. I. what it Is to-day. Whep he took hold
of it the road was no better than q tram
way. did not pay running expenses. and he
retires from Its presidency after having
made il one Of the best paying pieces of
railroad property in Ohio. Other directors
made remarks of much the same tenor. Mr..
20 = reporter of the Toledo Blade he said:
This W.. q l.. L. road is no longer an in
FAINT, IL 10 q full-grown and q strong
one at that. fgurstively speaking. and
should have the entire attention OF one
man to look after its interests. The c., III.
& d.. IL q system large enough for any one
man to look after, without bothering
with anything else. The c., III. & ID.
its lines in all directions. and every
year it will require more atten-
tion TO direct and ana its affairs.
All set out to do for the Wheeling &
Lake Erie has been accomplished. We
have secured the coal lands, built the
depotf and bridges, constructed immense
coal docks at Huron and Toledo, relaid the
trneks with steel rails. built our car shops
at Toledo. and last. greatest and the crown
ing point OF our efforts has been to see our
trains crossing the Ohio river and running
into Wheeling last Monday morning. /
have done everything for the company that
I SET ont to do. and now it is well able to
Cincinnati. Hamilton & DAYTON securing
control of the Indianapolis Decatur &
Western, Mr.. Woodford said to the Blade
reporter: well. things are shaping them
selves in that way. and when the proper
It takes time to bring ell these things
about They cannot be done in q day"
Mileage on Refrigerator Cars.
The manager of the Chicago east-bound
railroads were in session all yesterday try
ing to reach an agreement on the question
of mileage on refrigerator cars. Before the
meeting the opinion was expressed by sew
eral of the interested parties that there
would he no difficulty in getting o unan-
imous approval of the proposition to re-
duce them ileag &c from I cent to a of O cent
per mile. This opinion was based on the
fact hat all contracts on the one-cent
basis, so far as the American roads were
concerned, had expired. and all seemed
anxious to reduce the rate of mileage paid
on private cars. The Chicago 81 Grand
Trunk was willing to do this on shlpm ents
Via the Niagara frontier. but its compet-
ttors were ell aware that it could make no
reduction via the main line Of the Grand
Trunk to Montreal and New England
points, because of the competition of the
Canadian Pacific, which Is now the one
road bound by contractt 20 the o~ne-centrate.
situation would be waived in order to
bring about the desired change by the di-
rect routes to the sea- board. but 1t wasnot.
Two roads took the position at the outset
that so long as the Wabash. IN connection
with the Canadian Pacific and the Chicago
az Grand Trunk. in connection with the
Grand Trunk railway of Canada, con-
tinued to pay / cent per mile they would
be compelled to do the same. After much
wrangling the whole matter was dropped,
n was not again taken up.
On the question OF abolishing switching
charges and carriage In Chicago. TO meet
the action of the Chicago & Grand Trunk,
there was another proftless discussion.
1t was decided. however. hat q committee
composed OF the general freight agents
should meet with q similar COMMITTEES of
the Western roads. next Thursday, for q
joint discussion Of the subject.
Mileage OF the Pennsylvanfa System.
A record Of all the transportation lines
owned and operated by the Pennsylvania
Railroad Company has been issued by
Chief Engineer Brown. and shows that
during the year 1891 nearly eighty-seven
miles of new road east OF Pittsburg and
Erie were laid and about sixteen miles
west of these two cities. If ell the sidings.
main roads and turn-outs were Joined to-
getber and made into . single road it
would form q line from New York to San
Francisco and return and then have
enough for sidings and yard-room. The
total srackage amounts TO 1865 miles,
nearly 5000 OF which. including sidinQs
and turn-outs. Is in the State OF Pennsyl-
vania. The number or miles of first track
IS Z,S5; second track. 1875; third track.
2e6s fourth track. III, and the company's
sidings. 3,4ll.
Another Freight Blockade.
Complaints are again being made of q
freight blockade on the Eastern roads. The
main trouble seems to be in the Trunk-line
territory. where the roads are so crowded
with cars that it Is next to impossible to
get shipments through to the sea- board.