The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-01-04

come effective until June ~ LOO naHy
contracts are now in force to put it in force
at an eaIiisr date. 1t makes general ad-
vance on all rates.
Thomas N Jarvis, general manager of the
Traders Dispatch, has rendered his resig-
nation, to become general Eastern freight
agent of the Lehigh Valley, with headquar-
tiers at New York city. Mr.. Jarvis has been
in the freight service for twenty years. and
sumo his new position Feb. /.
The demand for freight cars broke out
afresh yesterday, and all lines were short
of filling their orders The demand is heavi-
est for grain, stock and furniture cars. If
the weather is pleasant this week the Van
dalia. the Big Four and the Indiana, De-
catur e. Western expect the shipments of
corn to reach the maximum.
Pursuant to the agreement arrived at re-
Gently by the presidents of the trunk lines
and their Western connections, the restora-
went into effect to-day. The articles of
agreement admit of no misunderstanding it
is said, and there is reason to believe that
any attempt at rate cutting VIII be Vlgor-
ously dealt with.
The Cincinnati Hamilton & Dayton has
contracted with the Haskell & Barker car
works. at Michigan City, for several hun
dred cars with a carrying capacity of $4,000
pounds. The specifications were prepared by
T. A. LaweS, superintendent OF motive
power. The ears are thirty-six feet long
and have capacity of 1176 cubic feet when
loaded level with the top of the sides.
The monthly statement of the Railroad
Gazette shows that in November there were
211 railroad accidents in the United States,
in which thirty-one persons were killed and
191 injured. The number of accidents was
the largest of any month in the last four
years, but the number of persons killed was
not unusual. The average number killed in
November for five years past was forty
three.
A meeting of the Western lines has been
called for at Chicago to-day to consider the
question of homeseekers' excursions. The
fight which developed Saturday resulting
in the reduction of the rates between St
Paul and Kansas City has caused the lines
to desire another meeting for the purpose
of seeing if the trouble over the excursions
cannot be adjusted and all the rates re-
stored.
The operation Of the switches of the
Vanderbilt lines at Buffalo by a mechani-
al device will be ready for testing by Feb.
l. The device does away with manual labor.
visiting the yards and studying the COM
plicated working of the system, and they
agree that it is likely to revolutionize the
present hand style of throwing trains from
one track to another.
The Railroad Gazette says the locomo-
tive shops, other than railroad shops, built
1,251 locomotives in 1897. as compared with
LIS in the previous year, and 1,1Ol in 1895;
1856 were for export this year, in preceding
year 800 were for export. Number of freight
cars built during 1897 was 43,5SS, as COM
pared with 51,1S9 in preceding year and SS,1OO
in 1885, The same companies built 494 pas
senger cars. 20 more than in 1896
Indianapolis still leads all other points on
the Big Four system in it's increase of re-
ceipts from the sales of tickets, in Decem-
Der the receipts being, as stated officially,
fully so per cent. in excess of those OF De-
cember, 1896, and there was not month in
the year 1897 that there was not an increase
shown over corresponding months of 1896,
when the expenses were heavier, as in 1896
the Big Four maintained office near the
Union Station
The Big Four has under consideration
the putting on of a new train to leave st.
Louis at a. M, reach Indianapolis at 2:30
p m, Cleveland at 10:45 p. M, Buffalo at
5 a. m, New York at p. M, and Boston
at p. m. next day. The business of the
Knickerbocker has become so heavy that
some steps must be taken to in part re-
lieve it, and it is thought the train proposed
will at once become a popular one, as 1t
is scheduled at about the same speed as
the Knickerbocker.
Reported paying of large commissions is
disturbing passenger circles. Three roads
east out of Chicago are paying commits
sions, the Nickel-plate. being one of the
number. which 1t is alleged IS paying IS
commission on tickets to Buffalo, which
sum agents are dividing with the purchaser
paying commissions on a large scale has
been again inaugurated, and unless prompt
action is taken in the matter demoraliza-
tion of rates is imminent.
The Peoria, Decatur & Evansville closed
the year in greatly improved condition. both
financially and physically Many improve
ments were made during 1897 chief of which
was the placing or ABOUT forty mites OF
gravel ballast This is not only gratifying
to the parties who use the line, but to the
management. Considering the limited funds
with which they have to operate, General
Manager f. o. Hawkins and General Su-
perintendent r. b. Starbuck, as well as
the other officials connected with the road,
have reason to feel proud of their achieve
ments.
P. 2. Dove, president of the Commercial
Travellers National League, says that his
Organization is prepared on the reconvening
of Congress to vigorously oppose the anti
scalping bill now before that body. This
bill prohibits the sale of railroad tickets by
any one except the authorized agent of a
railroad company. Mr.. Dove dsclaims any
connection between his organization and the
scalpers, saying that the league will not OPP
pose any legislation directed against the
business of scalping. He thinks the bill, if
passed, will be a prelude TO a general ad-
vance in passenger rates all over the coun-
try.
The Michigan Central and the Lake Shore
roads have issued statement to the effect
that they will accept the Interchangeable
mileage tickets Of the Central Passenger
Association roads on all of their trains, but
they say they have prepared a. ticket which
is superior to that of the association in that
it will be accepted on the trains of all the
roads which are members of the new inter-
changeable mileage ticket bureau. All the
roads which have agreed TO mt or the
new ticket have declared that they will re-
tain their membership in the Central Pas
senger Association and will continue to be
members of the old ticket bureau as here
tofore.
The old fight between the Canadian Pa
citic and the Western roads over the ques-
ton of differentialS has broken out again.
When the recent agreement between the
Western roads and the ocean steamship
lines was reached it was understood that
all differentialS should be withdrawn at
New York and Boston. The Canadian Pa
cific has, however, been applying it's diff
ferentialS on all business arriving at the
Canadian ports and the Western roads have
found this to be a disturber of their rates
and they are now anxious to have the
Canadian Pacific pull out its differentials,
and that road refuses to do anything of the
kind.
President c. P. Huntington, of the Cen
trail Pacific Railroad, which is indebted to
the. government to the extent of $10,614 ,120.
declared yesterday that he would be Just
as pleased to have the government put up
the property for sale. I'VE are willing to
pay as much for it as any outsiders" he
said but 10 more One thing is certain;
If the road goes into a receivers hands its
earnings will fall off at least one-third."
Mr. Huntington added that the officials of
the road were negotiating with the repre-
SentativeS of the government and that some
amicable adjustment of the trouble was not
unlikely Speyer & Co., the New York
bankers who recently requested deposits
of the Central Pacific bonds with a view to
securing an adjustment with the govern
ment. refuse 10 say whether or not the road
will be placed in the hands of receiver.
Simultaneous announcement was made
yesterday by ]. p. Morgan e. Co., in New
York, and j. S. Morgan & Co., in London,
that, having made a contract with the New
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