The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1894-02-03
ONE pHasE Or RAILROAD LIFE.
The Car Searcher and the Difficulties He
Has to Overcome.

The Car Searcher and the Difficulties He
Has to Overcome.
IL you want to get an idea of the i'm
mensity of American railroading, talk to
a car searcher. The United States cover
pretty large area, as some one has obsery
ed, but the railroad men, and particularly
the car searchers, know their way about
it as policeman knows his beat. A car
searcher, be it said for the benefit of the
uninformed, is an official sent opt by one
of the companies to look for cars which
have been borrowed by other lines and
treated like borrowed UNI brellas Of course
these officials are experienced men, a great
trust is reposed in them, and they have a
great weight of responsibility to carry Oh
their shoulders.
One of these men whom I met few
evenings ago talked of one car somewhere
around by Eagle Pass, or chance of
finding another at Portland, Or, as if
these places were only few squares the
other side of Broadway. He had been sent
out by one of the big lines that cover the
territory between New York and Seattle to
find certain freight cars that had been run
ming up long bills for 'demurrage" against
their borrowers. "Demurrage" is a charge
made by the owners of a car, at SO much
per day, for the time car is kept away
from it's own line.
'tThey'Il take car" he said, stsome-
where down south, and instead of sending
it back when they're dons with it will use
it for some other work. That goes on and
on until, first thing you know, the car gets
in smashup."
'tThen you have no more chance of find
ing it, interrupted. This was where
displayed my ignorance.
Haven't I, though? go where the car
was sent and make them shcw- Ere the
hacks, Let me tell yeu about one car be-
longing to'ouf> hsie that got away down
south, and nobody could trace it. The
agent at that depot was little bit of a
man, all beard. When I showed him the
entry ON his books and asked him where
that car was, he said he didn't know any
thing about it. One night, he says, i
left it here on the siding, and when came
next morning it was gone. Some one of
those freight conductors must have come in
here in the night, and looking around for
car they just took that one.' YOU'RE a
liar said. 1--we been railroading all my
life, and know that conductors don It go
rawhiding about yard at nighttime
looking to get cars. They amt so anxious
to find extra work as all that. Now,
said, you just tell me where that cars got
to, or will report that you lost it. Well,
he commenced whimpering about his fam
lily, and how he'd lose his job if got him
into trouble about that car. At last he
owned up that one day they were short OF
cars in the yard. They took and loaded up
our car with agricultural machinery for
Atlanta. The train was wrecked, and the
car was all burned up. If you had told us
that at the time said, you would have
had to pay $500 or $500. Now you II have
to pay about 81 900 for demurrage, and
serve you right. AS for your family, I've
got family too. If I go back and tell the
company can't find that car; what is my
family to do?' And I was right. They
had to pay about 81 1000. Louisville
Courier-Journal.