Idaho County free press. [volume] (Grangeville, Idaho Territory) 1886-current, 1892-10-21
TAPPING THE CARS,
How Thieves Rob Grain-Laden Cars
ri

How Thieves Rob Grain-Laden Cars in
Transit
IL could afford to give a great
many dollars to charitable institutions
each year If had the grain that is
stolen while in transit IN the United
States remarked grain operator to
Chicago News man. and then he read
communication from farmer in
South Dakota who told how he had
shipped |. 500 bushels net of grain and
by the time il had reached Buffalo and
the warehouse tolls had been paid tn.
grain nettcd him 1925.
Aside from the heavy warehouse
drain and storage charges and the
natural and allowable shrlnkages. that
grain, | dare say, lost many bushels
by theft " continued the Fargo man.
"One OF the most ingenious and at
the same time the hardest to detect
plans OF stealing grain from cars in
transit is the boring process. Great
numbers Of complaints are daily re-
ceived at terminal points about the
ravages Of 'borers.'"
How is the boring process per.
formed?"
You know that it is almost an i'm.
POSSIBILITY to move a car of wheat
from Western point TO an Eastern
market and keep the car going con.
tinually-that is it has to Lee
switched from one road's yard to an
other. and very often when "a conges.
ton occurs it frequently remains for
hours on a lonely ide track. There
is whore the borer gets his oppor.
tunity.
LAS it is impossible to watch each
house in great city continuously for
night so it is practicable for II
railroad company to watch ea n car
on side track. The borer is gener.
ally Il poor fellow who lives near the
track and who keeps poultry and per.
haps milch COWS. TO sneak up to a
/ freight train, glide beneath the car
bore an inch holo in the floor and fill
several bags from the downpouring
stream is safe task. Railroad men
might pass ana repass without OBJ
serving the 'borer who might
easily conceal himself behind a
truck. Should man attempt TO
break seal and force open door
the chances are that he would be de.
tected. The DO ing process is safer.
1.-The depredations of these borers
are becoming so alarming that the
railroad companies have in many
cases doubled their forces of watch
men. Strenuous efforts are put forth
to capture these maraudcrs and make
examples of them. The shippers
would not kick SO hard if the borers
would content themselves with taking
a bag or two of grain from each car
bat when they drill into load. fill u
few bags and leave without plugging
up the augur.ho the grain leaks out
and is scattered along tho tracks for
miles. With an inch hole in tho
floor one can appro INNATE the leak
age from II thirty thousand pound
load. /. would be enormous on a
trip OF 100 miles
Careful car rcpaircrs are detailed
to watch for these leaky cars and by
this species of precauton the poor
shipper is often saved many dollar.
Fortune often comes TO the rescue
when the cars cargo happens to Be
oats or corn. as the grain is apt tC
clog up and thereby stop the leakage.
Between this evil and the octopu.
that controls the storage OF grain a
Buffalo. where the law regarding The
elevator rates and transactions seem.
to be violated without fear the poo
grain shipper is kept guessing as t,
where his profits ARE coming from.