The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1892-11-25
CHlCAGOANS TOO GREEDY
Don't Want Anybody but Themselves to
Make Money Ont OF the Fair.
Palmer and Farwell Try to Induce the Rail-
ways to Carry Passengers Without Profit
Interview with President Roberts

rating the particulars of the conference
that recently took place between CON-
mittee of leading merchants of Chicago and
the trunk-line presidents The former mad
heard that the railways proposed to make
no reduction for the Columbian exposition
except on thirty-fve-hour trains, and the
hotel men promptly proceeded TO form an
expostulation committee. 1t was finally
decided that Mr.. Potter Palmer. of the
Palmer House, and j. V. Farwell, of the
big dry goods firm of that name. should
repair to New York. meet the trunk
line presidents and insist upon
general reduction Of passenger rates on oil
trains during the exposition Mt. Palmer.
1t is said, was the first speaker. He dweit
at length upon the great benefit the fair
was to the country, and of the thousands
who would attend it, and of the thousands
more who would be debarred from travel
ing IL the present transportation rates
What rate would you suggesti" asked
President Roberts, of the Pennsylvania.
ga single fare for the round trip. cover
ing period of from thirty to sixty days"
was the response.
The railroads. in preparation for the ex-
position, are laying out vast sums of mon
ey," observed Mr.. Roberts. I'm addition
10 hundreds of thousands of dollars we are
spending between New York and Pitts
burg, we are double-tracking the Fort
Wayne road Its entire distance from Pitts
burg to Chicago at an expense OF seven or
eight million dollars"
"But.r broke in one of the Chicago men,
lyon will more than get your money re-
turned to you by the unprecedented travel
next year."
Eat half ratesf" asked Mr.. Roberts
Yes; at half rates."
Now, Mr. Palmer" the railway presi-
dent Is said to have exclaimed, ''let me ask
you few questions. You run big hotel.
Do you intend to lower your rates while
the exposition Is under wayp
Certainly not" was the prompt reply.
ION the contrary. have you not already
intimated that you intended to advance
pricesp
1.-The matter has oeen under advisementr
was the answer, so the story goes.
Now. Mr.. Farwell." turning to the
millionaire merchant, You are the owner
of vast establishment. Do you propose
80 make reduction in the price of your
goodsi"
The merchant is said to have scratched
his ear mechanically.
Don't you" continued the railway presi-
large profitsf Now, you gentlemen come
Co us in the face of all this and insist that
We should lower our rates end lose money
for your benefit As business proposition
don't see why, In the face of the enormous
outlay the railroads are making We should
not profit from the worlds fair as hotei
men and merchants expect to do"
Csr-service Associations Unsatisfactory.
Said q general superintendent of one of
the Indianapolis lines: "Car-service asso-
Citations, so far as my experience goes, are
fraud. for the reason that the rules of the
o,o<;
roads belonging to this association which
pay no attention whatever TO collecting
demurrage charges, and this places the
roads which do In bad position. shippers
and consignees who are favored being
allowed all the time they desire to load
and unload cars" That there are two sides
ing. clipped from the American Mill er. re-
gardlng the operations Of car-servlce asso-
Citations:
The heavy shipments and scarcity of cars dur
Ing the last two months has given carriers many
opportunities 70 charge up. demurrage against
shippers and receivers and they have not been
backward in taking advantage Of it. The grain
ofEastern millers has been delayed week after
week. and frequently aD delivered about the
same time Then If the miller does not unload
oil OF IL within the prescribed time he is charged
demurrage The carrier delays shipments weeks,
frequently MONTHS and pays nothing to the
owner. The miller delays a car but an hour or
two beyond the time and Is charged 81 to 50.
Such is justice dealt out by rail- carriers. n is
doubtful that carriers can collect this one-sided
90 pay Carriers make the rule, but the courts
have not nor Will they upholdit Pennsylvania
carriers have adopted the unlawful method of
forcing millers to pay back demurrage charges
by holding grain until paid The courts have
frequently decided that this cannot be done.
When carrier accepts grain for shipment it
contracts to deliver 1t, and the refusal of the
owner to pay q debt. even just one will not
Justify the carrier IN breaking its contract Sew
n
and paid damages to the receivers besides.
Great Record of Engine 3s5.
Engine $751; on the Bound Brook road,
last Friday beat all of Its past records of
fast running, covering one mile in thirty
seven and q second one in thirty eight
seconds. The locomotive is of the Vau-
CLAIM compound type. and was built at the
Baldwin ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS in this city.
Its weight complete is 125. 500 pounds, and
it is equipped with 7s-inch driving wheels.
No. 1856 Is the engine that made q record OF
39le seconds in February last The engine
was attached to the regular express train
winch leaves Ninth and Green streets
daily at SIS NJ. for New York. and which
consisted on Friday of three heavily
loaded coaches. No attempt at record
breaking was made until the train neared
Neshaminy, when engineer Hicks gradual
ly opened the throttle wider and wider
until n mile was made in thirty nine
seconds
This, however, was destined not TO he
tho greatest feat of the day. for as the en-
CINE turned into the long level stretch of
track between Plaintield and Elizabeth,
engineer Hicks again pulled the throttle
out, and again the engine responded with q
dash of two miles In thirty seven and
thirty-eight seconds. Attempts were made
to still further lower the record. but they
were futile. In view of the fact that this
heavy wind the Baldwin people are firmly
convinced that Fridays record will Yes be
surpassed.
Personal, Local and General Notes.
+. Z. Sargent grand master of the Broth
erhood of Locomotive Flremen, has gone
10 New York To look after some grievance
matters East.
In making comparisons of earnings IT
should lie remembered that the earnings of
November last year were largely In excess
of any former year.
The Toledo. St. Louis & Kansas City
earned In the third week of November
SO. $50 an increase over the correspondent e
week of 1891 of 81. G5S.
Russell Elliot, who for many years was
auditor of the Indianapolis 81 ST. Louis
road, has taken position with Hadley *
Fay. insurance agents.
c. III. jackson. formerly master mechanic
Of the Big Four shops at Brightwood has
~e<sd ,are o 4. .<,f