The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-03-23

service will commence two weeks earlier
than In past years.
The heavy grade on the Baltimore & Ohio
east of Deer Park is being cut down; also
several other steep grades west of Oakland.
and when the work is completed a single
engine Will haul forty cars over this division
east from Terre Alta.
Eighteen members of the senior class at
Purdue University, accompanied by Profes-
sors Father and Goldsborough, have start,
ed on a trip to visit some of the principal
railroad shops chiefly to inspect their power
plants and new machinery.
All but two Of the ticket brokers in To-
ledo, it is stated. have gone out of business
Between the interchangeable mileage of the
Central Traffic Association and that of the
Northern Mileage Bureau, the scalpers
operations are much curtailed.
1t is stated officially that the Wagner
palace car service will be extended to the
Union Pacific at the expiration of the Pull
man contract in 1899. The Wagner Company
is steadily making encroachments on the
Pullman Company's present lines.
The March earnings exhibit of the Penn
sylvania lines promises to be even more ia
vorable than that of January or February.
In the first twelve days of this month the
Pennsylvania lines handled 25.7 per cent.
more coal, coke and iron structural work
than in the corresponding twelve days last
year.
The prospects for reorganization of the
Columbus. Sandusky & Hooking Valley are
very favorable. d. S. Gray, of Columbus.
and w. A. EVEN and Charles F. Dean, of
New York, have been appointed a commit
tee to prepare the plan. and it is said it will
be satisfactory to a majority of the bond
holders.
A. J. Cassatt was on Monday reelected
president of the New York. Philadelphia q
Norfolk, branch Of the Pennsylvania sys-
tenn A disposition is shown to keep Mr..
Cassatt in the Official roster of the Penn
sylvania lines, Notwithstanding his desire to
be relieved of some of his responsibilities
in that direction.
The Belt road has now been in operation
twenty years. The first year it was opened
$500 to 1900 cars per week were thought to
be big business and the owners of the
road were then coming money, as every car
which was transferred paid them 80 cents.
Now it is operated by the Union Railway
Company a wheelage basis, and the
transfers are averaging $4,000 cars per week.
The Cincinnati, Hamilton & Dayton and
the Monon passenger departments are be-
coming ureasy as to where they will secure
a room on Washington street. between IL
linois and Pennsylvania streets, for their
ticket offices. On June l they must vacate
their present quarters, and there is appar-
emily no room to be had in the location de-
sired, nor any prospect that there will be
one in the near future.
Shipments of early vegetables and fruits
from Florida have reached such quantities
that the railroad and express companies
putting forward every effort to give
Florida growers the best service that mod
ern rairoading permits. On Monday the
Florida lines put on special trains to ac-
commodate this business. Shipments of
fish from Florida into Northern markets
have become an important industry, feacn-
ing carloads on some days
AT a conference of railway representa-
tiveS held in New York yesterday
system of lake and rail and all-rail trans
Paul to the seaboard on flour and grain
products was formulated for the approval
of the Central Freight Association, the
lines from the Northwest to Chicago and
the associations of lake and rail and all
rail routes. The members of the confer
ence expressed the belief that their recon-
mendations will be adopted
The long fight on flour rates from Mime
apolis and st. Paul to the Atlantic seaboard
was declared off yesterday and the flour
rates went back to the regular basis. Dur
as low as s cents per hundred. All the
Western roads at the outbreak of the
trouble accused the 500 line of being the
cause of the trouble. This it denied, but
it is now a party to the present agreement
to maintain rates on flour, and the Western
roads say they have no fear that there will
be any more trouble
1t is announced that lake navigation will
open on April /, and If that date did not
come on Friday a large fleet would sail, but
sailors are superstitious and a large part of
the boats will not move until after midnight
on the morning of April 2. The outlook is
for an immense traffic, far exceeding all
previous records, at low freight rates. AS
yet the prospects of an early opening of
navigation have not affected the business
of the all-rail lines. These lines are carry
ing business at the lowest rates ever known
when they had full control of the traffic.
To-day the executive officers of the roads
which are members of the Western Freight
Traffic Bureau will met to determine the
fate of that organization. 1t is not thought
likely that the matter will be decided in
one day. as there are a number of matters
to be taken under consideration, but by
Thursday night 1t is expected that the mat
ter will be settled and the future of the
bureau definitely arranged. The opinion at
present is that the bureau will be continued
in a much smaller shape than at present.
1t is practically certain that but one COM
missioner will be retained and that he will
be given full charge of the issuing of tariff
sheets, which will be the chief duty of the
bureau in the future.