Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1896-08-01
RAILROAD CIRCLES
Interest in the Rate War Continues
Unabated.
REPORTED ATTITUDE OF TEE SOUTHERN
Said to Be Opposed to an Injunc-
ton Being Granted.
OTHER INTERESTING NEWS

| 1t is reported that the Southern Rail-
| way Company, notwithstanding 1t was an
officer of one of its allied lines who took the
action before Judge Simonton. will oppose
the injunction when 1t comes up for hear
! ing before the United States court at Spar
| tanburg, S. c., on the 18th instant
The jurisdiction of Judge Simonton, who
| issued the injunction, embraces the states
| of West Virginia, North Carolina and South
| Carolina, and his orders control every line
| connected with the present Southern rate
| war. 1t is thought some question may
| arise as 10 how far the courts can control
| the steamship companies on Chesapeake
| bay, but it is said that freight shipped
| over rail lines though part of The distance
be by water, come under interstate COM
| merce laws. and are subject 10 reg llations
| by the courts.
| III is understood that Judge Simontoa con-
| siders the Port Royal and Augusta railroad,
| on whose behalf the injunction was ap-
| piled for, under his protecti.n because
| he appointed the receiver for the property,
! ana IL is said that in the rate war between
the Seaboard Air Line and the Southern.
| ana the latters connections, the Port Roy
| al and Augusta would certainly have Keen
| seriously crippled.
| AT the time the injunction was issued
! tariffs were being compiled by the commis-
| sioner of the Southern States Freight AS
| ISOLATION i'm Atlanta and by the chairman
of the Southeastern Mississippi Valley
| freight committee i'm Louisville promul-
| eating the 80 per cent reduction agreed
| upon to meet the Seaboard Air Line cut.
| These rates, il is said, will be prepared 20
be used In case the injunction of Judge
| Simonton is not made permanent
lit is TO be hoped, said Z prominent
Baltimore banker last evening TO a Star
| reporter, that the injunction restrain
| irg the Scaboard and Southern railway
conn anies from entering upon a suicidal
railroad war will be made permanent. II
| they want to amuSe themselves by car
| rying passengers from Baltimore TO Nor
J folk and Richmond for nothing, all right.
| let them enjoy themselves. But when rail-
/ road managers recklessly enter upon
contest which will sacrifice the properti .
| upon which depend millions of securities,
| il is right and proper that the law should
| intervene, just il would b. proper q
the same property was in danger of de-
! struction from mobs and riot
Railroads Must Pay Postage.
| Second Assistant Postmaster General
Charles Nelson is believed, so il Is stated.
to be responsible for the issuance of TIE
recent order by Postmaster General VIII
son requiring the railroad companies TO
pay postage on their mail matter, and Mr..
| Nelson when asked last evening by a Star
| reporter If sach WAS The fact, did not deny
The Impeachment Mr.. Nelson Is OLD
railroader and has occupied very respon-
| sible positions with some of the most inn
p0rtant lines in the country. kailrja Off
| ClalS say lldl IL HdS IN lnOSe capacities
| that Mr.. Nelson became aware of In.
| practices of the companies ia respect 10
sondirg mail matter. and that when n
| laid the facts before MIR. Wilson the lat
ter MOI slow 10 act, ana II is thought
| from this time the United States postal
/ service will he able to earn its operating
| expenses and paid charges" without calling
! u on the national treasury annually "a
n AXE ~ lis deficit.
The Problem of High speed.
/ N with he extraordinary af-
forts now being put forth by capitalists TO
| construct electric lines over which cars
| may lie moved with almost phenomenal
| speed, the followii from the Railway
| Con missioners of Massachusetts is of spe-
| cial interest: with respect to speed, ex-
| traordinary claims are made by those in
| terested in the development of electrical
| traction; but there is no question that the
| steam locomotive is fully capable of devei-
oping high speed is desirable or pru-
| dent ID A railroad speed of l"r miles
| an hour more is for the present a mat
ter of merely curious speculation. Ii can
| not be shown that there is enough traffic
! demanding this speed TO pay the excessive
| expense of operating, even if, with present
| methods of construction and equipment. IL
| were otherwise at all practicable. Before
| such speed is seriously thought of there
| must be radical improvement in safety ap-
| pliances. as, for example in brakes and
in cignais. Whatever the proposed rate OF
speed, the question of signals becomes at
/
ton of electricity all systems of electric
| signaling which depend upon the use OF
| the rail circuit must be modified or aban-
| doned
Expected Consolidation.
1t is generally believed by those who
| have given the subject close study that the
| Southern and Cincinnati, Hamilton and
| Dayton railroad companies will at the
| special election to be held i'm Cincinnati
. ia @ ~ npl I4a
| for The pm chase of the Cincinnati South
| ern railroad. Under modified proposition
! of the two roads, represented by Vice Pres
! idents Andi ewS and Taylor. respectively.
| the city of Cincinnati is offered for the
| road sl9,Rn,op0. payment 10 he secured 10y
| a first mortgage 4 per cent gold bond
| Messrs Andrews and Taylor also agreed 10
| pay in cash sl.Iio.on. in quarterly install
| ments of $2b,Nn each: also a sum equal 10
| 10 per cent of the annual gross earnings in
| excess of A,.1nea after October !, lsr
| They propose, further, to pay the rental
| falling due upon various leaseholds. and to
| eNpend not less than S2!d'.Wn annually IN
! betterrlents. and TO secure the cash PAY
| ments and the betterments Will deposit as
| security s2,tn,oD in bonds.
| General Gossip.
| Superintendent Bush of the Panhandle
motive power and Superintendent Potter OF
the Pennsylvania lines motive power de-
partment are Investigating the merits OF
| the all-steel coal cars which have recently
| come into prominence, being exhibited by
! the Universal Construction Company Of
| Chicago at the last meeting of the Master
| Car Builders Association.
| IT is claimed that the steel cars are SIM
| pie of construction, will not shrink or dc
| cay, burst or splinter and have an increas-
| ed capacity over the wooden coal cars. 1t
| is said to be highly probable that the steel
| car will be the coming car on the Penn
| sylvania system, all the officials are
| known to favcr that style OF car. Thr
| nominal capacity of the steel car is SoVu,
| pounds.
| The board of managers Of the Joint Traf-
| ffc Association has is sued circular recon-
| mending that when shipments of lumber
| are desired to be returned to shippers on
| account Of refusal rejection by
| signees and the established tariff rates
| from the original point of shipment to
| original destination are less than those ap-
| plicable in the opposite direction. such
| shipments may be returned TO shippers
| points of origin via the railroad or route
| by which the traffic originally for
| warded at the same rates upon the GO
| ing shipments.
| the holders of the Ss5.tsa,WD bond issue
| of the Chicago and Northern railroad have