The Olneyville tribune. (Providence, R.I.) 1893-189?, 1894-02-03
THE A EARCHER.
His business Is To Trace Cars That Have
Been Borro we'd.

His Business Is to Trace Cars That Have
been Borro we'd.
II you want to get an idea Of the
immensely OF American railroading,
says the Louisville Courier-Journal.
talk 10 a car searcher. The United
States cover a pretty large area ar
some o has observed, but the rail-
road men, and particularly the car
searchers, know their way about il
as a policeman knows his beat. A
car searcher. be il sa d for the benefit
OF the uniformed, is an oricial sent
out by n OF the companies to look
for cars which have been borrowed
by other lines and treated like Dor
rowed umbrellas. or course these
officials are experienced men, a great
trust Is reposed in them and they
have a great weight OF responsibility
to carry on their shoulders.
One OF these men whom 1 met a
few evenings ago talked OF one car
somewhere around by Eagle Pass"
or a chance OF finding another at Port
land, Ore, "a IL these places were
only a 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 running up long bills
for ''demurrage" against their Dor
rowers. ''Demurrage" is a charge
made by the wne OF a car, at SO
much per day, for the time the car is
kept away from its w line.
They'll take a car" he said,
Somewhere down South, and, in
stead or sending it back when they're
done with IL, will use il for some
other work. That goes on and on
until, first thing YOU know, the car
gets in a s%mashup"
Then you have no more chance Of
finding it," l interrupted. This
was where / displayed my ignorance.
Haven't L, though? go TO where
the car was sent and make them show
me the books. Let me tell you about
one car belonging TO our line that got
away down South, and nobody could
trace it. The agent at that depot
was a little bit Of a man, all beard.
When l showed him the entry on his
books and asked him where that car
was he said he didn't know anything
about it. One night he says, Il
left it here on the siding, and when
| came next morning it was gone.
Some OF those freight conductors
must have come in here in.the night,
and looking around for a car. they
just took that one Your -
liar l said. 'pve been railToading
all my life, and | know that con-
ductors don't go rawhiding about a
yard at night time looking to get
cars They amt so anxious TO find
extra work as all that. Now, | said,
you Just tell me where that car'sgot
TO, or / will report that you lost it,
Well, he commenced whimpering
about his family, and how hS6 lose
his job IL / got him into trouble
and that car. At last he owned UP that
one day they were short OF cars in
the yard; they took and loaded up III
car with agricultural machinery for
Atlanta, Ga; the train was wrecked
ana the car was all burnei-up, III
you had told us that at the time l
said, you would have had to pay $500
or $500. Now you'll have to pay
about 81, 900 for dcmurrage, and it
serves you right. AS for your family,
I've got a family too. If L go back
and tell the company l can't find
that car, what is my family &c do?'
And / was right They had TO pay
about 81, 00O."