The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-11-03

=
help over the rush in the coal traffic These
engines readily haul thirty loaded cars
from the mines to Indianapolis.
So saturated with oil had the floors in
the basement story of the Union Station
become that the fire insurance companies
would not insure the buildings unless the
wood floors were replaced with cement and
the Improvement is now in progress.
A meeting of the Western Joint Freight
Traffic Bureau was held in Chicago yester-
day, at which the subject of unauthorized
rates was again fully discussed, but no
definite conclusion was reached regarding
them. The deliberations of the bureau will
be continued to-day.
Charles f. Smurr freight traffic manager
for several years of the Southern Pacific,
died at San Francisco on Monday, follow
ing a surgical operations. He had been in
The service Of the Southern Pacific since
1872, going to that road from the Wabash
He was a native of Ohio.
The November number Of the Locomotive
Firemen's Magazine is out, and its two
leading editorials are bitter attacks on the
late George M. Pullman and Sheriff Martin
who took part in the miners Strike at Haz-
elton, Pa, the magazine characterizing it as
the master Hazelton slaughter.
Superintendent Zion, of the Union Rail-
way Company, IS negotiating with William
Garstang superintendent of motive power
OF the Big -Four, to prepare plans and spec
ifications for two new switch engines for
the Belt road. and he hopes to secure the
consent of Mr.. Garstang to do so.
The elevator companies of Kansas City,
after strenuous opposition, long kept up,
have decided to pay demurrage on freight
cars. as demanded by the Kansas City Car
service Association. In times when BUSH
ness is as good as now with railways, the
value of the car-service association is very
apparent.
The Big Four on Monday increased it's
working force at the Delaware, o.. shops
forty men, and will probably increase the
force in the near future, IL business contin-
ues as heavy now, at some of the other
shops. At Indianapolis full complement
of men is employed, and also at the shops
in Nation
The improvements on the Monon at Cedar
lake are nearing completion The cut is
completed and trains running through it,
and the track is now being ballasted with
gravel. The cutoff will enable the Monon to
reduce the time of it's fast trains between
Rensselaer, and st. John, distance of forty
miles. twenty minutes.
The last number of the Railroad Gazette
contains cut of the new box car designed
motive power of the Big -Four, and gives
complete it's dimensions and special fea-
lures. Two thousand cars are to- be built
after this pattern, 1000 for the Big Four
and LOCO for the Chesapeake & Ohio.
Dating from Nov. l, suspension of en-
ployes on the Erie lines east and west was
abolished, and the system of discipline by
record for permanent employees adopted A
circular has been sent to such employees
setting out in full the plan and stating that
individual account will be opened with each
employe in book in the superintendent
office.
1t is stated that on Nov. the Monon will
become q party to the new interchangeable
mileage book. This done, all the important
roads in Central Passenger Association
territory, the Lake Erie * Western except
ed, Will be parties to the agreement The
come after Jan. /, when all other classes
of mileage tickets expire by limit on the
books of the old issues
A branch of the Young Mems Christian
Association of Cleveland is to be estab-
lished at LinndaIe, a suburb of that city,
where the Big -Four shops and extensive
yards are located. The plans call for a
two-story frame building, which will con-
tain a reading room, restaurant, rest
room, barber shop and a parlor. The
branch will be for the exclusive use of the
employees of the Big Four Railroad Com
pany.
A railway attorney. yesterday, in speak
ing of the wretched condition the Ohio
Southern is now in financially and physical
another similar case to it in the country.
In 1898 it was looked upon, he said, as one
Of the best and most. promising roads in
Ohio did a good business, paid it's debts
promptly, and always carried big bank
account. Now it is in the hands of a re-
ceiver. very deeply in debt, and with each
a.onth the situation is becoming worse.
Members of the Transcontinental Freight
Bureau are in session at Chicago inquiring
into number of complaints regarding ia
equalities in rates. They are also trying to
adjust percentages so as to make them ac-
ceptable to all the interested roads. A
proposition for revision of the present
considered. Roads represented at the pres
ent meeting are the Canadian Pacific, the
Southern Pacific, the Union Pacific the
Santa Fe, the Texas Pacific, the Burlington
and the Rock Island.
Just as business to the Pacific coast be-
gins to improve, passenger rates are be-
coming demoralized, and, strange to say,
the strong lines are leading in this unwise
policy. A competitor alleges that several
passengers have recently gone to Los An
geles and other Pacific coast points via
cago, Burlington & Quincy route, at cuts of
S. to SIS. 1t is not claimed that the Indian
apolis initial line shares in the cut rate.
but that the shading of the rate is done
entirely west of st. Louis
1t is stated that President Mellen, of the
Northern Pacific, is not happy in his posi-
ton, and the Minneapolis Times predicts
that he will be succeeded by Daniel Lamont
len was elected president of the Northern
Pacific 1t was looked upon a victory for
the j. Pierpont Morgan syndicate over ]. J.
Hill, president of the Great Northern. Mr.
Hill wanted Lamont for president while
Mr.. Morgan did not think him well enough
informed in railroad matters to become
chief Of such a system of roads as the
Northern Pacific embraces
The Pennsylvania Company has inaugu-
rated system of having a certain class of
work done at several shops as an economi-
cal measure. For instance, hereafter all
boiler work will be done at Columbus shops.
OF late years there has been so much i'm
proyement in machinery to do the different
kinds of work that to provide all the shops
with such improved machinery would be
very expensive, while by dividing UP the
work such heavy expense can be avoided
and experts be employed steadily at the va
rious kinds of work in the way Of building
or repairing rolling stock.