The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1898-03-23
RAILROAD NEWS.
The Rock Island Wins in the
Fight For the Mail.
First Mail For Utah, Colorado
and New Mexico
is GIVEN THAT ROAD
In the Contest For Fast DeliV-
cry With the Union Pacific.
Rock island AbOlishes Time
Card and Runs sEWi1d.''

Kansas City, March 23.-Under orders
issued yesterday by the postal authori-
ties, all mail for the territory reached
by the Denver & Rio Grande road south
of Colorado Springs, and by the Rio
Grande Western and the Colorado Mid
land roads, originating at or passing
through Kansas City, was given last
night to the Rock Island instead of the
Union Pacific. AS the weighing of mails
by the government preparatory to
awarding the contract for carrying the
same was begun at Kansas City yester-
day morning, the first mail for Utah,
much of Colorado and a small part of
New Mexico was weighed to the ac
count of the Rock Island.
1t is understood that it is a mail
rather than a passenger war and that,
although passengers may take advant-
age of the fast train schedules to make
quick trips to and from Colorado points,
the contracts with the government for
carrying the mails for the next four
years, which are to be awarded soon,
were the occasion for the establishment
of the fast trains.
Neither the Union Pacific nor the
Rock Island would give out any infor
nation regarding proposed new time
cards yesterday, although it is known
that both roads have been reStringing
their Colorado flyers with a view to
making absolutely the fastest time pos
SlbIe between mere and Denver. 1t was
stated, but not officially, that the Union
Pacific revise its time card to arrive
in Denver at 1920 instead of 11:20, as
under the nearest time card. The Rock
Island is running on special instead of
schedule time between LimOn and Den
yer, a distance of go miles. Its through
train runs through LimOn to Colorado
Springs, and the Denver train, with
which it connects, at LimOn, is held on
the tracks there ready to start imme-
diately upon the arrival of the through
train. When it starts it has the right
of way, and makes the fastest time
possible to Denver, as it does no local
business whatever between the junction
point and the terminal, and has no
schedule and the right of way.
The Union Pacific, on the contrary,
has been attempting to care for much
of its local business with its fast Den
yer train, and in doing this has allowed
the Rock Island to beat it into Denver.
1t is reported that the Overland is
awakened to the full Importance of the
Rock Islands shrewd move, which was
explained fully in the Journal yester-
day, and that it is likely during this
week to put on a Kansas City-DenVer
flyer, the sole purpose of which will be
to leave Kansas City at the latest hour
and reach Denver at the earliest time
possible, with a view to recovering
whatever advantage it can in the fast
time war for mail contracts.
An interesting feature of the fast
train war is the fact that the Rock Is
land runs over the Union Pacific tracks
for $50 miles of the distance to Denver;
from Kansas City to Topeka, 81 miles,
and from LimOn to Denver, SO miles.
The distance via the Union Pacific from
Kansas City to Denver is six miles
greater than via the Rock Island, 633
miles via one and 500 miles via the 9TH
er.