The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-03-29
THE GROWTH OF TRAFFIC
STRIKING INCREASE IN BUSINESS
WITH INDIANAPOLIS LINES.
The PennsyIvania Paying for the
lott Gets Further Promotion.

Indianapolis" said a railway official who
is veteran in the service, "can substan-
tiate it's claim of being the railroad city of
this country. At Indianapolis the first
union railway company was organized, the
first union depot built. the first belt road
constructed, and for many years more rail-
roads centered here than at any other rail-
road point. and now is exceeded in number
of roads by but two points. Coming to
growth of business. no railroad center
makes q more favorable exhibit. In 1873
but 500 $40 loaded cars were received and
forwarded at Indianapolis; in 1888 there
were handled at this point 1880 loaded
cars; in 1898 the number was 03667, and In
1897 it reached 1907 120. From these state
ments which are taken from the train
records weekly and summed up to the end
of the year, it will be seen that the in
crease in business has been steady and
healthy, and it really represents larger in
crease in tonnage than the number of cars
shows, as the capacity of cars has been
largely increased. Where would we have
been but for the Belt road, over which
in the year 1897, there were transferred
1896, 10S cars? To have undertaken to move
this business over the Union tracks in adj
dition to the largely increased passenger
service would have been an impossibility.
The increase in passenger business has
kept pace with that of freight traffic. In
1853 when the Union station opened
for business, there arrived and departed
twenty-five trains a day, $3.50 during the
year; now over 5000 trains arrive and de-
part at Indianapolis per annum, and the
wisdom of constructing the Belt road is
very apparent. 1t is equally apparent that
the founders of the Union Railway Com
pany would have been wise had
they secured more ground for the Union
tracks and Union station than they did
when the company was organized in 1858.
Personal, Local and General Notes.
There are now 1886 miles of road in the
Wabash system, including the new Buffalo
division.
W. p Elliott. agent of the Pullman Com.
quite i'll with erysipeias.
The Pennsylvania Railroad Company, has
given orders that 1,50O freight cars be built
at the company's shops in Altoona.
The Wabash lines earned in the third
week of March $252. 726. an increase of $O.6l6
over the corresponding week of 1897.
The Chicago, Burlington & Quincy will en-
large its shops at Aurora ILL.,, and Increase
the classes of work to be done there.
The Lake Erie & Western earned in the
third week of March $60,006, increase
over the corresponding week of 1897 OF $2,lS7.
The general manager of the Indiana & IL
Br ooks locomotive works for two new loco
motives.
II. NJ. Bronson assistant general passen-
ger agent of the Big Four is so i'll that he
has been confined to the house for couple
of days.
The Terre Haute & indianapolis owes to
unsecured creditors $726,074.49 above the
debts that the Pennsylvania Company has
assumed.
Charles o. Skeers, who died last week at
Mauch Chunk. Pa. eighty years of age, had
been director of the Lehigh Valley for
nearly forty years.
Since the first of January the average
sales of the interchangeable mileage book
Of the Central Passenger Association have
been 436 books per day.
Herman Harper died at Akron o., on Sat
urday He was for some years an official
on the Atlantic & Pacific retiring on the
appointment of c. W. Smith as its receiver.
y J. w. McCaffrey, train dispatcher on the
Cleveland division of the Big Four, has been
appointed chief train dispatcher of the
Cleveland, Canton & Southern, at Canton
Since July / the Chesapeake & Ohio has
earned $S,541.3O, against S,754 $40 in the cor
against 81, 46S 731 in the corresponding period
ending March q, 1896
John F. Miller, general superintendent of
the pennsylvania lines southwestern SyS-
tenn. was in the city yesterday and in the
afternoon. on a special train went south
over the Louisville division.
The Wabash road, which was badly cut
By the high waters between Decatur and
the West yesterday notified the Cincinnati
Hamilton & Dayton that they would to-day
be in shape TO again haul the through cars
they run jointly between Cincinnati and the
West
ID. G.. Edwards, passenger traffic manager
of the Cincinnati, Hamilton & Dayton, and
Charles Rockwell, traffic manager of the
Monon, had q conference in this city yes
terday regarding the location of their out
side ticket office, but reached no definite
conclusion. Both returned to their respec-
tive headquarters last night.
Chicago freight officials are considerably
disturbed over the fact that the trunk lines
east from that city have decided to retain
the present tarff-on provisions. 30 cents.
grain 20 cents, and corn for export 171h cents
per one hundred pounds, Chicago to sea-
board points. They say that when naviga-
tion opens the roads might well go out
of business.
VIM, Cannon, treasurer and purchasing
agent of the Union Railway Company and
Belt road. has asked to be relieved of the
purchasing agency and Charles Vinnedge
auditor of the two interests, has gone TO
Pittsburg to confer with James McCrea
president of the Union Railway Company
expecting to have the purchasing agency
placed under his charge.
NJ w. Mansfield. superintendent of the
indianapolis 4 Vincennes, returned last
Ing high waters along the line of that road.
He stated that for three days five miles
of the road at different points were under
water and when the water receded it was
found that one thirty-foot bridge was gone
and about five thousand feet of embank-
ment washed out
1t is understood in railway circles chat the
Chicago & Rock Island has put on its fast
service between Kansas City and Denver
hoping to in the end secure the through
mail between those points now carried by
the Union Pacific, which has in the last
three months cut down it's time between
those points, the change of yesterday maxi
ing the run from Kansas City to Denver in
fifteen hours, two hours quicker than ever
before
The Pennsylvania Company, although not
obligated to pay for the twenty-five locomo-
tives purchased from the Pittsburg locomo-
tive works by the Nandalia-the latter was
to pay for them at the ate of $1,000 month
is taking up the notes as they mature,
which is good evidence that the Pennsyl-
vania is determined TO strengthen its hold
on the Vandalia. There are forty-three of
these notes, and seventeen have been paid
by the Pennsylvania.
G. r. Sheldon, president of the Detroit,
Toledo q Milwaukee. has issued a circular
stating j. r. Megrue, vice president and
general manager. has resigned and the
office has been abolished; the duties of the
general manager will devolve on N X Ell
lott, recently appointed general superin-
tendent of the property The chief engineer