The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1897-09-10
SCARCITY OF CARS.
INDICATIONS POINT TO A SHORTAGE
IN WASHINGTON.
Immense Crops and Revival Of
Trade Tax the Railroads to Their
Utmost CapAcdty-LumAer ana
sAfnsie shippers Uneasy n tie
Prospect OF Famine,

Lumber ard stinSse snsppsrs OF the Pa
&C Northwest are beginning TO look tuss
= 1s1s Anxsotaszy toward the possible
e1e& -ase OF ears caused by the enormous
STA-n crops OF the Made West. The i'm
ms1se yseld os wheat and corn In tina. SEQ
t-eA . gong 10 tax the roads 70 their ut
..-ose c~S<1aIy, and eli the systems triba-
" = are oversaaling all their old
1<s1Sa1 roQing sock and buying new cars
NeoF3sAA alone has S.eoe 90 bushels OF
wheat n ssgnt and about Ss ooa 40 In corn.
10 SAY nothing Of the old crop Q large
A.i1ouiis OF which WAS held In o~her states
the product Will be equally largo
40 great extent the roads leading into
seattle are dependent on Eastern business
ioT sher supply o. cars. Thus far, fortu-
nate-y, DO actual shortage has occurred
Fred A. Allen. of the Seattle & Interua-
tiona1. the great lumber and s.lingle road
OK the state, sad yesterday that while
some delay had been caused IL orders on
account OF the slow movement Of cars
suA the cars had been forthcoming In duo
course or time. and he did not anticipate
any serious shortage He was free 70 adj
nit that owing 10 good prices the move
msnf In lumber ard shingles would be
heavy this season but suggested that
some relief, so far as the roads OF the MID
Gle West are concerned, nigh. be had
from the fact that rhs great crops now
ripeniIlg there Will not ell have TO ba
moved al the same time, since they ma
ture at different time in different states
Other railroad men IN the city were not
as sansuine as Mr.. Allen, and several Of
them expressed the conviction that 8
shortage OF freight cars Is liabl 20 occur
at any time They believe that in addi-
ton 10 the lumber and grain shipments.
the coming season will witness a great
Increase IN the general volume OF business.
ut Ia significant fact" said one OF
them yesterday, that this impression
seems general throughout the East. Such
houses as Marshall Field & Co.. Of Chi
cago, are now working their entire force
three nights during the week all night
long. This has not occurred since the
Worlds fair. / have been told by persons
just returned from New York that there
are more buyers now in that city. and
they are buying more heavily, than for
years. All this points 10 big increase In
the volume of trade. and 1t is going TO
tax the roads TO handle it,
The extraordinary demand for wheat in
the Eastern markets has led 70 an unusual
state Of affairs In Kansas City and other
shipping points during the past few
weeks. The grain has been required for
shipment as fast as IL came in, so that IL
has not been allowed 10 lie IN the elevators
al all. IL has been found, however, that
the easiest way TO transfer II IS to run II
through the elevators. Accordingly the
cars from local points are run IN on one
side of the elevator. and cars or in Duluth
the boats, for the East on the other. One
leg OF the telescope chute, with its end
less belt of cups is let down on the re-
eelving side, and the grain is hoisted up to
the lofty roof of the elevator and rushes
down on the opposite side without paus-
ing moment in the transfer. The ele-
vator men have thus been able still TO col
lect their toll of u cent per bushel for
transferring the grain.
Latest estimates place the total wheat
crop of the United States this season at
500 600. 600 bushels.