The record-union., 1895-05-01
Big REDUCTION IN FRUIT RATES.
More About the New Ventilated Car
System.
The Railroad Company to Compete
Against the Refrigerator Com
panies This Season.

Yesterdays REcoRD-UNIoN contained
brief reference to the fact that the
Southern Pacific Company is preparing
for the shipment of fruit the coming sea-
son in perfected ventilator cars at great
reduction in rates from those heretofore
charged by the refrigerator companies.
The full particulars of this new departure
which is altogether in the interest OF
the growers-are given in the San Fran
cisco Chronicle, which says:
The refrigerator companies now en-
gagged in the transportation OF California
fruit to the Eastern markets will lind
themselves called upon this summer to
meet a vigorous competition from two
unexpected sources. The advent of the
Armour Packing Company in the fruit
transportation business, and the effect on
refrigerator charges resulting therefrom,
have been the subjects OF various news
paper articles during the past few weeks.
The fact became known yesterday that
the Southern Paclflc Company intends TO
become a competitor in the business
heretofore controlled exclusively by the
refrigerator companies.
The railroad company, IN the past, has
been content with the earnings derived
from the transportation of the cars owned
and operated by the refrigerator COM
pdDl6S, duu ndS tu6
Rtors companies to do all the business
with the shippers and growers. The
Southern Pacific has now tired of seeing
the refrigerator com panles share among
themselves all the revenues from the
profitable traffic, and is preparing TO es-
tablish a fast fruit line of its own. In
conjunction with the Union Pacific and
the Chicago and Northwestern railroads,
it will iuaugurate a fast fruit line between
California and Chicago about the middle
of June! Between l,200 and 1000 venti-
lator cars are now being built in the East
for the purpose.
The arrangement entered into by the
three roads will deprive the refrigerator
companies of large share OF the buS1-
ness. The Southern Pacific will furnish
600 cars, and The other two roads will fur
nish their quota. They are ventilator
cars of the newest design, and will en-
able the companies. it is estimated, 10
handle between 1000 and 5000 carloads of
green fruit at a cost which is not TO be
met by the refrigerator companies. The
cost of refrigeration being eliminated
from the expense Of getting the fruit to
the Eastern markets, the Southern Pacific
Company expects to be in a position TO
offer rates to shippers and growers which
will bring it all the business it can
handle.
Heretofore the fruit-growers in Califor-
labor car for the reason that the service
was not fast enough to get the fruit to
market in good condition. They have
preferred to pay the extra cost of refrig-
Grafton to avoid the risk of having the
fruit spoil before it reached its destina-
ton. The railroad companies have agreed
on time card which they believe will
insure the successful operation of their
ventilator cars between California and
Chicago.
The time will be five days between
Sacramento and Chicago. A train will
leave Sacramento every night at midnight
while the green fruit season lasts. During
June, and until the fruit crop ripens sufh-
ciently to warrant the daily service, trains
will be run but twice week. 1t is
thought that by the lst of July, at the
latest, there will be enough ripe fruit to
insure the profitable maintenance OF a
daily service.
The Southern Pacific will carry the
trains to Ogden in forty-flve hours, and
the other two roads have agreed to make
the time over their roads sufficiently fast
to insure five days service to Chicago.
The railroad company does not expect
to handle cherries in its ventilated cars,
or any other fruit which will not stand
transportation without refrigeration.
That branch of the business will be left to
the refrigerator companies. The COM
pany expects, however, to handle not
less than 1000, and possibly 5000. car
loads Of other varieties OF fruit during the
season, including peaches, pears, apples,
plums and possibly apricots. The South
ern Pacific Company is preparing to edu-
cate the fruit-growers TO the advantages
of the new fast fruit line.
The principal arguments to be offered
in favor of the ventilator car service will
be the fast time and reduced cost. The
dead weight in refrigerator car loaded
with fruit is just twice the paying weight
of fruit. In ventilator car the dead
weight is about one-haf and the paying
weight is one-half. The cost of hauling
dead weight is reduced in the ventilator
car, and the cost of refrigeration, amount
ing TO SIPS a car on long haul across the
continent, is also saved.
The refrigerator companies are now
earnestly engaged in trying to solve the
important question of how to meet the
competition inaugurated py the Southern
Pacific, the Union Pacific and the Chicago
and Northwestern Railroads. The COM
panies have decided that they will have
to make material reductions in their re-
frigerator charges or suffer the loss of an
important percentage of the business.
G. III. Appel, manager of the California
Fruit Transportation Company, says that
the refrigerator companies are now work
ing on their rate schedules for the coming
season, and that the fruit-growers may
expect a material reduction from the
charges assessed last year.