The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1898-09-09
MORE OF The DEFENSE
THREE WITNESSES TESTIFY IN
THE IRON ORE RATE
CASE
COMMISSION rs TO GO EAST

-COrrODOrat1Ve Evidence Given
Yesterday as to the Condition
and Cost of the Road In Question
and Its Additional Needs.
When the ore-rate case hearing be-
fore the railroad commissioners was
adjourned early yesterday afternoon it
was to meet at Cleveland next Tues
day. From there the hearing will pc
adjourned to Chicago and probably all
of next week will be spent in the two
cities. The expectation now is that
the hearing will be resumed at Du-
luth, though the date for taking up the
matter there is indefinite, as is also
the probable duration of the session.
Only three witnesses were examined at
the final session here, all Of them off,
Gals OF the Duluth, Missabe &, North
ern road. Their testimony was in the
main technical and largely along the
lines of the evidence OF Mr.. Philbtn
and Mr.. McHenry. During the day,
however, some interesting light was
thrown upon the methods of pioneer
railway construction in the Minnesota
iron country.
When the commission was at Duluth
among the witnesses who were ex-
amined was R. S. Munger, who was
largely interested in the Duluth e. Win
nipeg at the time when the road wa,
built through to Grand Rapids. Mr..
Munger, testifying for the complain
ants, stated that the eighty miles of
the Duluth q Winnipeg, the green road
that is, without equipment or balasting.
was built for $1,000000. This evidence
was submitted to show that the sched-
ule of cost Of reproduction submitted
by the Iron Range was excessive
Evidence on this point was given by
n. l.. Dresser, now assistant chief en-
gineer Of the Missabe road and its
superintendent of bridges and build
lngS, but who was from June, 1890. to
June, 1892 acting chief engineer of the
Duluth & Winnipeg. The period COW
cred by Mr.. Munger's testimony was
prior to the service of M. Dresser with
the road, but upon entering it's en-
ploy he made thorough inspection Of
the line, walking over it; and he told
how 1t was that the road was built
for the sum mentioned.
He found, he stated, stretches of
track Of five and ten miles across
swamps, where tie contractors had
simply laid planks down on the
muskeg, covered the planks with tam
arack poles and on this foundation had
laid the rails and ties, filing in with
original construction of the Duluth &
Winnipeg, he added. was as inexpen-
sive as it was possible for the contrac-
tors to make it.
AS bearing upon this some question
of the comparative cost Of the Duluth
& Winnipeg and the range roads, he
stated thai the cost of the Original
construction of the latter was two or
three times that of the Winnipeg line
hA ~ h. 1o%
Cloquet to Deer River was light work,
and on the track from Cloquet to La
Prairie the heaviest work was througs
sand. There was some swamp work,
but the difficulties did not comDar,
with those met by the Iron Range &
Missabe companies. The Winnipeg cut
above Grand Rapids was through flnI
sand and there was no material above
Cloquet that could not be ploughed and
scraped. On the other hand, the WI,
ness stated that the Missabe road, for
a considerable portion Of it's mileage,
was constructed through glacial drift,
large and small boulders, clay and
gravel cemented into a conglomerat~
that had to be in many cases drilled
and blasted. The mining spurs, he
testified, were on heavy grades aid
their construction was not only eXpen~
sive, but that they had to be changed
often two or three times in a season.
Mr.. Dresser confirmed the testimony
Of Mr.. Philbin that 81, $50, 600 was need
ed to put the road into condition TO
handle the present traffic cheaply and
safely. He also confirmed the figures
of Mr.. Philbin's schedule of depreca-
ton and gave reasons why the ore
docks would need rebuild ng about once
in eleven or twelve years.
The other witnesses examined were
William Smith, superintendent Of MT
tive power and cars on the Missahc,
and J. w. Kreitter, the superintendent
of the road.
Mr. Smith testified that he had been
with the Northwestern line from 1873
to 1895, in charge most of the time OF
the motive power and machinery; as
sistant superintendent from 81 to 80
and superintendent from 80 to '95, He
is now in charge of all the rolling
stock Of the Missabe, and stated that
at present most of the repairs had to
be made cut of doors. The company
needed to care for It's present traffic
and equipment, shops, which he es-
tlmated would cost $150,O00 and ma
chinery which would cost $4,000 more.
The ore traffic was especially severe
upon track and equipment and the
company already was in need Of new
cars and motive power. The traffic
in 1895 taxed the company's capacity,
and it was compelled to rent 400 ore
cars, Is fat cars and an engine. The
equipment of the road was rapidly
depreciating, and some sixty cars were
in every day for repairs. Illustrating
the severity of the ore traffic upon
equipment, Mr.. Smith testified that
In loading cars at the mines by steam
shovel, the dropping of a five-ton dip
per full Of ore was equal to a strain
Of more than twenty tons. Five such
dippers are loaded upon a car, and
with the necessary progression figured
the strain of every loading upon an
ore car was equal to $50 gross tons.
Another item was the small extent
over which the heavy load was distrib-
uted, about one-third that of ordinary
traffic; this was hard upon cars and
tracks alike, necessitating heavy rails
and road bed.
The evidence OF Mr.. Kreitter was
along the general lines Of Mr.. Philbin
He testified to having sixteen years
experience IN railroad work, 80 per
cent of it in ore traffic. He had been
with the Missabe since 1898 in charge
of it's operating department. Explain
ing the difference between an ore road
and one devoted to ordinary merchan-
disc traffic, he explained that the ore
road needed heavier equipment and
expensive ore dock terminals. It's bust
ness, especially as to the two range
roads, was done in six months of the
year, the greater part Of 1t in four or
five months, and the bulk in three
months. Another disadvantage was
that it's traffic was all one way and its
ore equipment being useless for other
purposes was idle the greater part Of
the year. Not only was the cost of
equipping an ore road two or three
times that of one for general mer-
chandise purposes, but there was the