The Anaconda standard., 1895-03-09
RATTLE OF The RAILS
Fast Time Is The Order Of the Day on
the Big Roads.
CUTTING DOWN THE HOURS
But the Rates Are Not Being Cut
Down With Any Alarming De-
gree of AIacrity-Along the
TranscontinentalL Lines.

BCrTE. March S.-Fast time is the or
der of the day on all transcontinental
roads and the Great Northern is keeping
up with the procession. 1t will put n now
schedule into effect on March Is which
will reduce the time of its through trains
between St. Paul and Seattle from so
hours and 10 minutes to T2H hours.
1t is believed that this schedule wilt
soon bc again shortendcd by an hour or
two In order to afford prompt connec-
tion at Seattle with the coast lines. just
what effect tho new time card on the main
line will have in the Montana Central cam
not be stated, as tho new schedule has not
been,reccived here. 1t is presumed, how
ever, that the train from tho East will ar
rive earlier in the afternoon and that the
eastbound train will probably leave lit
tie carlicr in tho morning.
The Burlington has sc: very rapid
paco for fast passenger service to the
northwest and all of the other northwest
ern roads arc engaged in a practically
hopeless struggle TO keep up with it. The
Burlington's short limo from Billings 10
Omaha and the east and south gives il an
immense advantage over all competitors,
but beyond this is the important facts
that 1t runs its trains in a manner that
patrons. The passenger schedules are
all fast and whenever train happens to
get behind time the train dispatchers
never rest until it has made up the loss
and is running on time again. The Bur-
Hngton road is noted for its attention to
passengers, and taking all of. these facts
into consideration it is not surprising that
its new line to Billings is doing con-
stantly increasing business.
1t is an open secret that the reason for
the recent new time card on the Northern
Pacific was nothing more nor less than
the urgent desire of that road TO hold the
mail franchise, which is very valuable,
and which was in great danger of being
awarded to the Burlington on account of
it's faster time.
The Rock Island and Northwestern
roads recently made an unsuccessful but
very spirited attempt to get the contract
for carrying the mail between Chicago
and Omaha away from the Burlington.
After the other roads had shown what
they could do in the matter of running,
the "Burlington Fast Mail" was let out a
couple of notches, and it is now tearing
across Iowa at the rate of 102 miles in 105
minutes over one division.
Proceedings in the number of suits
necessary to decide whether or not
separate receivers shall be appointed for
the Oregon Short Line and Utah Northern
are nearing the critical point and are be-
ing CLOSELY WatcOed rallTOau men. ne
D. X. MI is the main plaintiff in the
first case, but the Oregon Short Line is
behind il and il is authoritatIvely stated
that If the latter road cap gain a separate
recelvership it will build system that
will be an important factor in transconti-
mental traffic. The Utah Northern would
also be very valuable piece or road with
recevership separate from that of the
Union Pacific. Butte is one of the cities
most vitality affected in the event of
l. n
the progress of the cases in the United
States court at Portland is being closely
watched.
So far as the passenger business is con-
cerned the two weeks past have been
about the lightest in the history of Butte.
Everybody seems TO have quit travelling
and about all the enjoyment that the
ticket agents can get out of life just now
is to call on each other and swap lies. Up
to a month ago j. L. Mccormick, he of the
bland smile and winning ways, who pre-
sides over the big ticket case iW the North
ern Pacific uptown office, was acknowl-
edged TO be the boss prevaricator in the
railroad business, but Ed Blair, the Great
Northern's new ticket agent, is pushing
him hard for first honors and Mac is
hustling so as to keep up his rep
aa0n fhat he fna' has lost a' ali friends eSance fear of
heaven. George Washington Lamson list
ems complacently to the fairy tales of
these two young Munchausens, and
quietly continues to present forcible argu-
ments that the Union Pacific is really the
''oniy" line to go east over.
The Santa Fe has given notice that on
Thursday next its second class rate to
Chicago will be restored, aud thus the i'm
mediate prospect of another western rate
war goes glimmerng. When western
travel opens in the early summer. it will
probably not take long for the big lines to
get their big knives out and commence
hacking away at each others throats.