The age-herald., 1897-10-05
DEARTH OF FREIGHT CARS
Attributable to Birmingham'S h.
 creased Efforts.
WAREHOUSES ARE PACKED
Freight is Coming in Faster Than Merchants Can Haul It 0ut-New Agent for
 the K C. Nj. & B. Railroad.

Freight for the fall and winter trade is coming info Birmingham faster than the merchants can haul it away from the railroad warehouses, and the rail- roads cannot supply enough cars for what Birmingham wishes to ship.
 Such is the situation. Despite the yell low fever scare, despite everything, the volume of southern trade is so increas- ing that the South=rn railroad has been obliged to- order 1000 new freight cars, which are now being built at Anniston and Gadsden, Ala, and Jacksonville, Ind.
 Future cars do not help the present situation. On the Mobile and B.rming- ham railroad are 276 empty cars of the Southern; on the Illinois Central are 400 more. The quarantine holds them. South ern railroad officials here say that the cars on the Mobile and Birmingham will probably be released in the immediate future, but those on the Illinois Central will have to stick inutile. Meanwhile
  The supply of cars one day last week was 125 short of the demand. The ex- port of pig iron over the Southern is 75 percent greater than last year. Cot ton is pilng up. Yet th=re is a short age of cars.
 The Louisville and Nashville general system is also badly short of cars. There are enough here to handle the local traffic, but there are not nearly enough to haul the cotton and pig iron which de mand transportation. All day yesterday Birmingham merchants were, upon re- quest of the railroads, hauling marchan- disc from the Louisville and Nashville warehouse, yet last night it was packed full and could not accommodate much of the freight from the unloaded cars. As a consequence the officials ara figuring on enlarging the warehous2t
 The Alabama Great Southern has not nearly cars enough to ship the pig iron cotton and coal demanding transporta- ton, partly because of increase in the shipmsnts of pig iron and partly be- cause cotton on fiat cars cannot be in- sured, which necessitates the use of
 
 box cars!
 Taloen all tn al.l, 'tfhough the quaranifne regulations have much to do with the shortage of oans, the increasing exports of the Birmingham d,elMde1 are .mallnly responsible.
 Birmingham riow has two union pas senger stations and leads some of her oldar sIislterts of the south. And what is more, they are beth Narge, ro1Iny and oomfoIil lable. The second StaliofG is situated tin the large four-story sl Iructure 1S16-1S Second avenue. Here congr;gal,e passengers for the Ensley au1i Eaelt Lake electric car 11nee and Bessemer and Birmingham, and Birmingham, Pow6terly and Bessemer steam car Hines. The Birmingham Railway and ElectSrc company, feeling the necessity of such a convenience, secured the quarters above mentioned and have fitted them up we'll. A porter calls out each train as it draws up at tine stallion tllus pre- verlikrg any incouvenrence to passen- gers
 The Southern and the Alabama Gtn5aIt Southern ara mIakIlng prepanalticlas to move hne O11lceS or Nne ffaVeL1ng paSSen- ger agents amid the division freight agerlhs. The quaIrterS in Ithe old Bee Hive building will be hands1melyv fijted up.
 IA new agent for iJhe Kannas City, Memphis alnid Birmingham railroad in tf.s city has been appd.rited in the per- son of J. B. Blcknen, of Memphis. This change comes about by the Memphis office berhg made vacarlt by the rel:lgna,- ltion of s. P. Brown, who ts to be sllc- ceeded by Chas. Keeler, iuhe former agent in this city.
 tB. Schryver ,aslzllstalnlt geinera1 agtslrit of the Cincinnati, New Orleanls and Texals Pacific railnoad. with lreadquar- tens at Chaitharlooga, ills En tha city.