The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-07-09

former year, so bountiful were the crops
in all sections.
The Panhandle is now building at its
shops at Columbus three siXty-foot bag
gage cars and five combination baggage
and passenger cars.
The bureau Of transportation at Cincn-
natl, which passed out of existence six
months ago, has been reorganized on
better basis than al any former period. The
directors will meet in few days and Sc
lect a commissioner.
The Big -Four has. again reached its old
time popularity with live stock shippers,
and for weeks past has had every stock car
the company owns in constant use. Eighty
per cent. of the business goes East over
the old Bee-line division.
The Cincinnati, Hamilton & Dayton has
sent one of its dining cars and two of it's
vesubuled coaches to the Indiana, Decatur
q Western shops to be rebuilt and also two
locomotives. Over one hundred men are
now at work at the shops full time.
J. II. Donan, general agent of the Rail-
way Officials and Employees Association, is
in the city for d conference with General
Manager Bells. He reports the business
of the association highly satisfactory in the
territory over which he has 'lIi- diction.
The Chesapeake & Ohio is eadly in
creasing its facilities for norIlrg the coal
mined on it's lines This department is en-
tirely under the control of George ingalls,,
son of President Ingalls, who is already
making his mark first-class railroad
man.
Trouble is expected when the car-ferry
line between Benton Harbor and Manito-
woo, in the interest of the Big Four, goes
into operation, as it will be the cause of
a serious controversy between the railroads
of the middle West and the ferry COM
panies.
The passenger conductors On the PAN
handle lines have selected one from each
division to go to Pittsburg and have a
conference with General Manager Loree re-
garding their new summer uniform which
are as heavy as they really would need for
winter.
A second sixty-four foot mail and bag
gage car Of the blind-end pattern will be
Eastern this week This car attracts
good deal of attention owing to its different
construction from the ordinary mail and
baggage car.
All the records of the Terre Haute & In
dianapolis Railroad Company (the Van
DALAI. are to be put in book form and fifty
copies printed. H. c.. Sleight has for years
had charge of this department, and the
records are very complete, giving all i'm
portant matters in detail.
The Norfolk & Western is anticipating
a harvest if the coal miners strike is con-
tinued, as it taps the best coal fields Of
West Virginia. The strike is not likely to
should, under the protector OF the courts,
other men would be employed to take the
place of those who might strike.
The Big Four has spent considerable
money in the improvement Of its Cairo div
vision and the business of the road is now
being handled with more promptnes5 and
at smaller cost than at any time since
the Big -Four took control Of the property.
AS yet it has hot proven a very profitable
division for the Big -Four to operate.
The Indiana. Decatur & Western on
Wednesday had the largest Sunday school
picnic train of the season. carrying nine
teen coaches well filed with Sunday school
people to Roachdale. The train was hauled
by one of the companys large locomotives
and made the run in one hour and ten
minutes; distance, thirty-eight miles.
One of the best judges of track in this
country recently rode TO Louisville from
Indianapolis over the j., NJ. 81 [. division Of
the Pennsylvania lines The train was late
and very fast time was made, and he said
that without question it was the best and
smoothest 10 miles of track in this coun-
try, and he had been over most of the
standard roads.
At the Union Station a careful record is
kept of the arrival Of trains, and in no
previous month in the years the records
have been kept have trains come so near in
every case arriving on schedule time as
in June. On several of the lines there were
practically no late trains. This shows that
roadbeds and equipment are in excellent
condition and that the weather has been
favorable.
F. S. Montgomery, agent of the Indian
apols d Vincennes at Vincennes was in
the city yesterday. The first carload of
billed here yesterday He says the corn
the last few days on the line of the road
has made a remarkable growth and farmers
say that corn is now in better condition
than at the corresponding period last year.
The hay and oats crop is the best on the
line for many years.
All hopes of reaching an agreement be-
tween the Big -Four and the Cincinnati,
Hamilton e. Dayton to econOmiZe by taxi
ing off some of the passenger trains be
tween Indianapolis and Cincinnati have
been abandoned. In each case if any train
were taken off they would be those which
the management of the respective compa-
MES thought ought to be continued, con-
sequently twelve trains each way daily be-
tween indianapolis and Cincinnati will con-
tinue to be run.
A letter written by Chauncey Vibbard in
1856, then general superintendent of the
New York Central, to one of the division
superintendents, complaining of the fact
that he had learned that but one freight
train in two days was sent over the road
from Rochester to Niagara Falls is in
the possession of a Buffalo railroad man In
the letter Mr.. Vibbard says that complaint
was made that it put too much work on
of the men at the time the train was
sent forward, and suggested that a daily
train be put on. Now there are sixty to
seventy trains day over the same piece
of track.
The double track at Seven Curves on the
Baltimore & Ohio was opened for traffic
July A. During the past eight months a
large force of men has been engaged in
making deep cuts through the hills to
the Baltimore & Ohio and the cOmpany's
officers felt very much gratified on In
dependence day when the chief engineer
announced that the work was completed
and ready for the trains. Not only will
this Improvement prevent a great many
derailments and reduce the cost of opera
ton, but it will make riding very much
more pleasant over that division. The cost
of this work was very nearly 100000
An attorney connected with one of the
parties interested in the Vandalia says he
sees no prospect of the road being out of
the hands of the courts for some years. An
impression existed few months ago that
the security holders of the Michigan divi
sion would stir matters up and force a set
Element Of some kind and end the receiver
ship. hut the Indifference manifested by the
Penns ylvania Company to at once come
into possession of the property has said
the attorney, cooled their ardor in the mat
ter, and to such advantage was the pres
ent receiver operating the road and pro-
tecting it's interests that it is really ques-
tionable whether any move could be made
under present business conditions better
than to let the road rest in the hands of
the court Were the earnings at the aver
age of former years the disbursements or
dered by the court would so far toward
lessening any friction that might arise.
HITV NEWS NOTES