The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1896-04-23
UP TO H STANDARD
THE L., n. A. & @. COMPARES FAVOR
BLY, WITH THE BEST ROADS.
Excavations to nc Run ON n Less Lib
eraI scale This senson Diversion
Of Grain To the Gulf Ports.

ITO jill AA4[
railway inspection party. consisting OF w.
n. McDocl. vice president and general man.
ager; George Lowell. general superintend-
cnt. and Chief Engineer Hall. with Bridge
Superintendent Caldwell. spent n portion
of yesterday looking over terminals here.
and then left for Michigan City to inspect
that branch. Mr.. McDoel is feeling very
cheerful over the situation with the Mo-
non. IL being one of the few lines which.
with each week, is showing Increased earn
ings ever corresponding weeks of 1895. both
passenger and freight, and Nr. McDoel pre-
diets that this system will this year show
larger earnings than in any year In its his
tory. Regarding the roadbed, he says
every foot of the main line and branches,
except the side tracks at stations, is now
laid with good steel rails. This season not
a pound of new rail need be laid. Every
bridge Is In first-class condition. The COM
pany has purchased 10000 new ties. which
will be put under the track this spring, and
he thinks the track of the Monon compares
favorably with the hest. AS TO equipment,
the company has just purchased one hun
dred stone cars, one hundred stock cars and
one hundred furniture cars forty-five feet In
length, and no more cars will be purchased
at present. The power of the Monon. he
says. was never before in as good condi-
ton; still, the company has no more power
han is actually needed. The new shops OF
the company at Lafayette have proved al
ready Of great value In rebuilding some of
the lighter engines, and no new engines will
be purchased until the lighter locomotives
by heavier ones. Chief Engineer Hall says
most OF the money expended this year will
be at the larger stations. such as Craw-
louisville. Frankfort, Greencastle, and that
in the way of improving the depots and in
creasing side tracks a good deal will be
done. All the officials are working in har-
timated that the Monon might shorten the
between Indianapolis and Chicago with
the aking effect of the summer time table.
Excursion business.
With passenger men there seems 10 be
a difference OF opinion as to the probablli-
ties of excursions being run this year to the
extent they were Hast year. One thing is
very certain. they say, and that is that
the rates will not be as liberal as last year.
1t is not questioned that through the sum
mer months the roads really profted by
running the numerous excursions, but from
the fact that travel dropped off remarkably
through the fall and winter months, some
of the more conservative general passenger
agents argue that this unfavorable result
was due to the large excursion business
which the roads did during the summer.
mat tlcIt Is a. QlsDOSlIlOn 10 move more
cautiously In this matter is shown from the
TACT that many Of the roads have decided
That when an excursion train Is asked for
the company will run IL on its own Plan
and not charter the train to some agent.
the agent. In some cases, getting more
money than the company. A general pas
senger agent says a good many excursions
VIII be run this summer, but under differ
ent conditions than last year. and so ar
ranged as not to cut into regular business
to the extent ii did in 1895.
-
Southwestern Roads at War.
Trouble has broken out again among the
Southwestern roads regarding the rates on
freight to gulf ports. The Missouri Pacific
has repudiated the finding of arbitrator
Faithorn and Howe In the cases recently
submitted to them. The decision OF the ar
bitrators was that rates from Kansas points
TO Galveston should be 1 10 3 cents lower
than<the rates from the same points to New
Orleans. The Missouri Pacific has announced
a schedule in which the rates from these
points are from l to 3 cents lower to New
Orleans than to Galveston. The reasons
given by the Missouri Pacific for it's action
are that New Orleans has reduced its port
charges and made other concessions hat
they have been unable TO secure from Gal
weston. The merchants of Galveston are up
faith OF the Missouri Pacific In regulating
the decision of the arbitrators and have re-
quested the Atchison to make rates sufi-
ANAtit w W III Tic ullItIenIlaiS
made by the arbitrator. The Atchison has
promised TO take the appeal under consid-
Grafton; but has not given any hint as to
what the result will be.
Freight Business via Gulf Ports.
Chairman Midgley, Of the Western
Freight Association, has addressed a cir
cular letter TO the general managers of the
roads in that association. in which he at
to explain the cause of so great
diversion Of the export grain traffic the
last few months via the Southern ports.
According TO Mr.. Midgley. the situation
which has caused so much distress to West
ern roads all winter was due to the failure
or the cotton crop. Shippers from Liver
pool had no cotton TO take back, and SOUTH
eoIf loads foads had no freight to haul to the
ships carried grain at a very low rate. and
so did the railroads, rather than send empty
probable, however. that with the building
or new southwestern lines, the construc-
ton of a deep water harbor at Galveston
and the erection OF grain elevators OF enor-
nous capacity at New Orleans, grain rates
TO gulf ports will never be completely re-
stored TO the old schedule and Western
roads will continue to suffer.
PERSONAL, Local and General Notes.
Roswell Miller. president of the Chicago.
milwaukee, & st. Paul., has one 10 Europe.
10 be absent several weeks.
The NandaIfa company has donated $50 TO
aid In fr~Ditni2g the reading room which
the ra.g<sd employees at Logansport have
recently opened.
William Lynn. city contracting agent of
the Big Four, VIII on May 1 become the
agent of the Nickel-plate at this point, vice
j. Whitcomb. resigned.
The Traffic Association has
decided TO discontinue the payment OF rental
on tank cars. and will hereafter pay only
the established mileage rate.
William Caughlin, division superintendent
OF the Missouri Pacific, has resigned and Will
be succeeded by Il. o. Mann, now superin-
tendent OF the Central branch of the system.
The Louisville. New Albany e. Chicago line
earned i'm the second week Of April $65. 43s.
an increase over the corresponding week OF
1895 OF LAOS. Since July l the increase has
been sos. 966.
F. w. Morse. who on May becomes SUI
perintendent or motive power Of the Grand
Trunk. has the entire system under his SUI
pervision. Over twelve hundred locomotives
are required to operate the system.
The Lehigh Valley railroad. which. ON
April q. reached its semi-centennSal period
now has in its system 2,49O miles of main
line, owns $50 locomotives, LII passenger
cars, 1859 box cars and 1926 coal cars.
Robert Ray. OF Rochester. ". Y. has is
sued invitations TO his railroad friends for
an at home" on May 1. from 2 TO 10 n. M
in celebration OF the hftieth anniversary OF
his connection with the New York Central.
c. G. Waldo. general manager of the Gin
cinnatf. Hamilton x Dayton. spent yesterday
in the city, In the forenoon with the Louis
vile. New Albany q Chicago officials. and
the afternoon looking into internal matters.