The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-10-31
Trouble Brewing Between the
Southern Pacific and the
Santa Fe.
HARVEST FOR THE sCALPERs
The First Important Skirmish Set for
the Early Part Of Next
Month.

| rich harvest with the Inauguration of the
Sunset limited train on the 9th of Novem-
Der. simultaneously with that departure
will come another change of policy.
There will be an invasion by the Southern
Pacific Company of what has been neutral
territory, as agreed upon between the
Southern Pacific Company and the Santa
Fe, and counter-nvasion by the Santa
Fe OF Southern Pacific territory, which it
had agreed to keep out of as long as the
Southern Pacific kept out of mutually pre-
scribed neutral territory.
This virtual declaration of war between
the two great California rival roads will
not be opened with direct cut on rates,
but rates will be so adjusted that while the
railroads will not be engaged in welding
the knife it will gave the scalpers SPLEEN
did opportunity of doing SO, the advantage
lying With the company which gives the
scalpers the widest margin to divide with
passengers, and from the start the advan-
tage will be with the Southern Pacific
These new arrangements will not go into
effect until the 9Th by either of the roads,
but should it then prove to be seriously
injurious to one or the other of the con-
testants, general rate war may follow,
with the result of threatening the exist
ence OF the Western Passenger Associa-
ton, of which both the roads are members.
1t is charged by the Santa Fe that the
changed conditions that will obtain on the
9TH will be the result of the action taken
by the Southern Pacific people, and the
feeling of the Santa Fe representative is
anything but amiable, particularly as in
this first skirmish the Santa Fe will be
taken at a disadvantage.
According to the story told at the Office
OF the Santa Fe, 7. H. Goodman, the gen.
eral passenger agent of the Southern Pa
chic Company, made an agreement with j.
}. Byrne, the general passenger agent for
California of the Santa Fe, to discontinue
the sale of "elbow" tickets. viz: tickets to
st. Louis and other points north of New
Orleans, via New Orleans, in consideration
OF the Santa Fe not selling tickets to
Omaha, via Kansas City. Each line, how
ever, reserved the right to inaugurate these
rates again whenever it saw fit.
In order that the full significance of the
situation may be comprehended it is neces-
sary to state that the trip from San Fran
cisco to St. Louis via New Orleans over the
Southern Pacific Railroad takes consider
ably longer, owing to its circuitousness,
than by some more direct route, such as
the Santa Fe, and for this reason the same
rate, SAT so, is made by the Southern
Pacific Railroad for the journey to st.
/ Louis as is charged to New Orleans.
Similarly the passenger travelling from
San Francisco to Omaha via Kansas City
on the Santa Fe road consumes more time
than by the more direct route of the
Central Pacific and Union Pacific, hence
the Santa Fe makes the rate to Omaha $40,
the same as it is to Kansas City.
Where the scalper gets in his work is on
the respective coupons for the trip be-
tween Kansas City and Omaha and
between New Orleans and st. Louis. The
local rate from Kansas City to Omaha is
Sc 80 and between New Orleans and ST.
| Louis it is So so. These figures are for
| second-class tickets only, but the Southern
| Pacific will also offer tirst-class tickets two
| days each week on the same basis. AS the
| tirst-class local rate between New Orleans
and st. Louis is SIS, this leaves good
sized plum to be divided between the
| scalpers and the passengers.
| About a week ago Mr.. Goodman notified
Mr.. Byrne that the ''elbow" tickets would
again be placed on sale by the Southern
| Pacific Company on the 9th of November.
| To this, as stated by the Santa Fe's
representative in this City, Mr.. Byrne
replied that he would restore the old rate
| of $40 for second-class tickets and $50 for
| first class to Omaha. Council Bluffs and
Sioux City, and thus the matter stands,
| the real battle fixed to open on Tuesday
next.
Speaking of the action of Mr.. Goodman,
the Santa Fe's agent in this City said:
For harmony's sake we went out of the bust
ness to Omaha at the time they went out Of the
business via New Orleans to points north of
that city. In this matter, as it now stands, the
Southern Pacific has somewhat of an advant-
age 1t is useless to try to conceal the fact that
this striving for increased business will be q
picnic for the scalpers, while passengers will
also reap some benefit
Take the situation over our line. A man who
wants to go to Kansas City will buy ticket to
Omaha, and by prearrangement through the
scalpers agency here he will be able to dispose
of his coupon between Kansas City and Omaha,
and whatever he gets for it will reduce the
cost of his passage Then the Kansas City
scalpcr sells the coupon, and again the pas
senger between Kansas City and Omaha saves
our route there is but So 80 to be divided be-
tween two scalpers and two passengers. while
en- the Southern Pacific coupons from New
Orleans to st. Louis there is margin of $12 so.
Thus the scalpers here have the greater incen-
tive to work in the interest of the Southern
Pacific, and virtually become their agents.
At the passenger department the situa-
ton was somewhat tempered by the ex-
PLANTATION given. 1t was stated that at the
present time the Southern Pacific Railroad
issues no tickets to points west of line
drawn through Cincinnati, Cleveland and
New Orleans, via New Orleans, but that,
beginning with the inauguration of the
Sunset limited trains on the 9Th of Novem-
Der, and which are to run every Tuesday
and Saturday thereafter till further notice.
nTSU-ClaSS UlCkelS only Will Dc SOlQ them
to ST. Louis and the intervening territory,
via New Orleans, at the same rate charged
to New Orleans.
1t was further stated that beginning
with the first Monday in November a
through car to Chicago would be run on
that day each week on the Southern Pa
cific Railroad, the Illinois Central hauling
the car to Chicago from New Orleans. On
this train second. class as well as first
class tickets would be sold to all inter-
vening points.
Tickets. via New Orleans, to points west
of the line drawn through Cincinnati,
Cleveland and New Orleans would not be
sold for any other train than those speci-
fed.
In conclusion it was stated that there
was very little passenger business over the
Sunset route to New Orleans, most pas
sengers being bound to points beyond, and
that therefore there was little for the
scalpers in the proposed new adjustments
TO CHICAGO IN THREE DAYS.
High Speed Promised on the Line via Omaha
and Ogden to California.
The alert passenger agents of the rail-
way systems of the United States study
the currents of travel on land as q navi,