Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1892-12-07

-"ooDs MONTH ON TIE ROAD FROM PHIL
ADELPHIA - TIE SITUATION DESCRIBED As
WORSE THAN IN WAR TIMES.
Washington is suffering from freight block
sde, and "a a natural sequence there L. wrath in
the hearts OF Washington merchants and pro-
family on many lips. Never since railroads
first entered the District Of Columbia has there
been greater discomfort with freight
handling methods than is apparent in
about every business establishment in the CITY,
Men who have for years been struggling to
build up regulations for meekness and every
day piety no longer endeavor to con-
ceal the warmth that is within them
when any one makes mention of rail-
road ffeights. Go where you willard e
STAR reporter wandered haphazard into a num-
Der OF stores and offices this morning-the
as long as it possibly could be. Mod
ern railroads are supposed to eliminate
distance from mercantile calculations but the
roads that walk into Washington they used to
run in, but they don't do that any more) are
only making the element of distance more con-
plcuous.
LOOKING FOR WATER COMMUNICATION.
few of the business men who have suffered
most from the delays are on the verge of de-
spair. and several of them are figuring out how
best to establish satisfactory water COM
munication with Baltimore, Philadelphia and
New York. for only by some such method can
they get eastern freight within a reason
able period. They cannot, however,
map out water route from
the west, and there Is sreally
more trouble with western freight than with
that coming from the east they don't know just
what TO do That is why many of them swear.
Judging from a number of interviews secured
today the situation il very bad indeed. II isas
bad on one road as II is on another. and, as a
grlmbling Irishman said, perhaps q trihe
worse" Most of the persons seen wanted
to know why Congress did not permit the
Norfolk and Western road to come into the
CITY, and there was pretty general condemna-
ton OF the Pennsylvania and Baltimore and
Ohio managementfor efforts which were alleged
TO have been made to keep the new line outside
the District. The demand is for increased
activity on the part of companies now in here
or the Introduction of such corporations
want to do business with the people of Wash
ington.
ONE MERCHANTS EXPERIENCE.
This freight blockade is extremely serious"
said Mr.. Frank Hume, the Wholesale grocer, to
STAR reporter, who met him on the street.
''There is choice between the roads; one
lie Just bad the other. II seems
to me that tho companies not aware
of the fact that Washington is doing very much
more business today than il was five years ago
Our trade has grown immensely, and vet the
freight facilities of the companies are no
better today than they when the
volume Of traffic was not half great
Quite frequently it takes month to bring any,
thing from Baltimore here, while freights from
the west are moving in on good time if
they reach here within twice that period.
Ever since early in October we have had a car
OF hominv on the road from Cincinnati;
suppose it will be along about spring time,
when nobody eats hominy. If the companies
have not sufficient room here to conduct their
business properly why don't they buy the prop
erty they need? If they have sufficient room
why do they place their business in the
hands of incompetent subordinates? / don't
mean to say that their subordinates are incom-
petent, but it would necessarily follow that
such is the case If the companies have a suffi-
Gent quantity of space at their command"
Mr.. M'CARrY "KICKs."
II am a kicker" said Mr. D. J. McCarty, the
contractor. at would tire me to figure out
how much money have lost through delays
caused by the railroad people. Never was
the trouble 80 great a. it is at this
time. When anybody complains they try
to switch him off the track with pleasant little
fairy tales about the Grand Army encampment
and the manner III which it hung the freight
up. Any one would naturally suppose
that by this time the situation would
have improved somewhat but instead
of improving it is getting worse right along
Just imagine what a serious fix a contractor is
in when he is under heavy bonds to
complete building before GER
tain date. and cannot dc it because
the railroad company has his car load or two or
three four loads of iron sidetracked any
where from fifteen to fifty miles away. l want
more railroads and would like to have two or
three of them in 4 hurry"
WORSE THAN DURING THE WAR.
"For twenty-one years / have done business
in the city of Washington said II. o. Towles,
the furniture dealer. land have never in all
that period been so much annoyed by freight
troubles l have been during the past
six months. II makes me feel like
shooting everybody connected with the railroad
freight CARRYING. 1t takes two months to get
shipments here from Chicago and about
but when you add to it the annoy
ing and Improbable fact that freight was
never carelcssly handled you have a griev-
ance of more than ordinary proportions. There
Is carelessness somewhere, for the amount of
freight coming in bad condition and the num-
Der OF pieces lost is steadily increasing.
Do You know that the situation is actually
worse than it was during the war. when every
thing came in and went out the Baltimore
and Ohio over single track? | find it pays me
TO get everything can get from New York.
Philadelphia or Baltimore by steamer; the
shipments get here on time and unchanged.
Under present railroad conditions can do
but little business with Virginia. for the Penn
sylvanis road insists on the transfer of all
freight at Alexandria l am an earnest advO-
cate of increased railroad facilities. Give us
one or two new roads. Let the Norfolk and
Western come in.
MONTH FROM PHILADELPHIA.
I l.,
trouble about freight l am having now"
said Mr.. b. F. Guy, the dealer in stoves.
at frequently takes month to get any,
thing from Philadelphia; two weeks seems
to be about the regular schedule. Goods
have ordered have been promptly shipped,
and when they failed to make their appearance
three weeks after shipment l had the firm du-
plicate my order. Two weeks later both orders
came on the same day"
WOULD NOT BE TOLERATED ELSEWHERE.
"Freight conditions as they exist here would
not be tolerated elsewhere for one day." said
Mr.. James F. Oyster, who deals in such perish
ables butter and eggs. Twice or three
times the necessary amount of time is consumed
in the transportation of almost every shipment.
Something ought to be done, and done SOON"
DELAY Is THE RULE.
when freight is on the road eleven days be-
tween Culpeper and this city there Is some