The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1896-07-30
STOPPED BY SILVER
All New Work Suspended
on the Pennsylvania
Railroad.
EMPLOYEES THE SUFFERERS
Chicago Convention Blamed for the
Disarrangemens Of
Plans.

PHILADELPHIA, July 80, 1s96.-The
Pennsylvania Railroad Company is deter
mined not to be caught by any depression
in business. and as the company's policy
has always been one of conservatism. it
has been decided to stop all work wher-
ever possible. and any work that has been
contemplated has been ordered to be laid
aside for the present. This order will
affect a large number of men who are
now engaged on numerous operations
along the line of the road. h cause
of this action is attributed to the general
depression in business, the uncertain
ty owing TO the silver craze.
For some time past the Pennsylvania
Railroad Company has been retrenching
and only a few weeks ago an order was
Issued restricting all new work to so much
per month. The new order is more dras-
tic and It puts a stop to all work ex-
cept a portion AT Mount Joy along the
line of the company. One of the vice.
presidents of the company said yester-
day that the reason for stopping the
work was on account of the financial trou-
bles which are now in existence all over
the country and the inability al this time
TO float bonds if it were so decided.
The work most affected will be along
the main line. During the latter part of
last year a number Of contracts were
gwen out for changing the line of the
road at various points between Philadel-
phia and Pittsburgh, and at some points
the change amounted to the construction
of a new line. When these operations
had been carried cut the road would lave
been considerably straighter and shorter,
besides having a number of dangerous
curves taken out. While there has been
considerable work done the order has
gone forth that nothing more will DE
done in the matter until further orders,
and 1t is understood that no other action
will be taken until there is some sign
of 'm~nrovement N general business
While most all the work Is to be stop
ped. that which is in course of c~onstrue-
ton al Mount Joy cutoff will be %centin-
ued. The work of changing the line at
RheemS and at Kinzer to Leaman place
and from Lilly's to Portage will be dis
baugh. which is partially finished, will
also be left as it is Il nothing more
done for some time to come The new
line under construction at Nineveh has
also been stopped.
notwithstanding the ompany has all
the plans prepared and foundation con-
structed, there will be nothing done in
the way of erecting the new Germantown
tQ-tCtlGH oldkiO4, dflilOQSh O4QS WCLC &
Gently asked for the construction of the
building. The new iron bulkhead shed
at Desbrosses street. New York. and a
new pier at Wharf No. 90, North River,
have also been abandoned until there is
a brighter outlook. The railroad business
throughout the country is in a bad shape,
but the Pennsylvania Railroad Company
IS doing its share. The d~iseontinuing of
the work goes to show that the silver
agitation by the Democrats is creating
uneasiness, not only in the ranks of inan-
ciers, but railroads and other business as
well.
An officer of the company said yester-
day that it would be folly to go ahead
TO work when there were no signs Of
any improvement and the situation was
growing grayer every day. He attributed
the falling off in business to the action
of the Democratic party at Chicago. and
he thought that unless the workingmen
Of this country showed by their vote that
they were not in harmony with any such
Anarchistic views that there will be fur
Their trouble ahead. He also said that it
would be almost impossible at the pres
ent time to sell bonds to raise money, as
there were no bidders for such things in
the market. OF course, bonds could be
sold. but they would not bring anywhere
near the price that they are worth. To
illustrate this he stated that New York
city met with a failure on Tuesday in
trying to float its new loan.