The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-03-03
HANDLING TROOPS IN 81
INDIANA RAILROADS WOULD NOT BE
SO CONGEsTED NOW AS THEN.
Jerome Whitcomb Recalls the Heavy
Traffic on the j., NJ. a i. i'm War
Days-Cars COnfiscated.

ling troops and supplies in the event war
were to be declared between this country
and Spain as was experienced here during
the war of the rebellion, as the railroad
facilities are SO much more ample, the num-
Der of lines has greatly increased and there
are five cars available now where there
was one then.
Indianapolis was a great center for the
mobilization of troops in the South The
most direct way of reaching Tennessee
Georgia and other Southern States was
through Kentucky via this city. AT that
time there were two lines to the South from
here, the j., M. & 1. and the l. q c., the
former running to Louisville, by way of
Columbus, as now, and the latter extending
from Indianapolis to Cincinnati. The quick
est route into Kentucky was via Indianap-
oils, so that most of the troops from Mich
igan, Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana and Ohio
passed through here, although a good many
Illinois troops went South through that
State via Cairo, and many Ohio troops
went by Cincinnati. Matters were easy
while the movement of troops was to the
East, but when the Eastern campaigns
were finished, and the Eleventh and
Twelfth Army Corps were ordered to Ten
nessee and thence South, the Eastern
troops could only reach their destination
by marching across country or by rail
through Indianapolis and to Kentucky over
the j., Nj. e l.
At that time Jerome G. Whitcomb, of 962
North Pennsylvania street, wasDthe agent
here of the j., M. & I. He has a very vivid
recollection of the trying demands that
were made on the road and its poor factl-
tiles for meeting them. He says that 1T took
three weeks to move the Eleventh and
Twelfth Army Corps and yet so complete
was the governments control over the
transportation facilities there was compar-
atively little delay and troops seldom re-
manned here longer than forty-eight hours,
waiting for empty cars returning from the
South, before they were on their way
again.
Governor Morton issued an ORDER" said
Mr.. Whitcomb last night, that gave us
the right to take cars from other roads
when they were needed We used every sort
of car for hauling men and supplies, even
Transforming f1atcars, coal cars and cattle
cars into passenger coaches, placing rough
benches in them. When the movement
against the South began, I thought the
furry would only be temporary, and be-
gan keeping an account of the number of
men that we carried, but in a little time
1 lost my reckoning completely and aban-
doned the task. Everything had to give way
to the governments service and all other
traffic. aside from the transportation of
troops and supplies was practically aban-
doned. We made no pretense of running
regular freight and passenger trains, but
managed to get freight through between
times some way, so that there was no suf-
fering among. citizens who were. not at war
on account of provisions not being shipped.
MOVED ON SHORT NOTICE.
"a man taking passenger train from the
East for st. Louis did not know whether
he would get there or not without having
to lay over in Indianapolis for an indefinite
time, as the coach in which he was riding
might be taken off it's road here and started
to Kentucky with soldiers. The same
thing applied to freight trains There was,
of course, some grumbling from other roads,
but they recognized the necessities, and
gave us all the aid possible with as little
grumbling as might have been expected.
An effort was made by Governor Morton to
keep me posted in advance of what would
be required, but often received orders TO
prepare to haul q whole regiment only ten
minutes in advance, and had to rush things
then. AT the beginning there was no tele-
graph line along the road and our train or
derS had to be telegraphed to Louisville by
the way of Cincinnati. Sometimes / got
them through all right, and received infor-
end of the line all right, but at other times
l was totally in the dark. When 1T became
apparent that telegraph line could not be
dispensed with, it was built, and after that
there was less trouble in handling the inn
menSe number of trains going south loaded,
or coming north empty and 1t was an easy
matter to have the track cleared for one of
the many specials that were likely to start
out any hour of the night or day. Most of
the time l worked eighteen hours a day
That was before the telephone was invent
ed, and messenger boys were kept busy be-
tween Governor Morton'S office and mine,
as well as those Of others.
I'VE were always in a quandary where to
get cars for transporting horses, field ar
tillery, camp supplies, army wagons etc.
ing wagons and artillery. Sometimes we
could get q half dozen cannon of small size
on a car, but frequently two field pieces
took whole car.
GOVERNMENT FIXED TARIFFS.
'"rhe government established the tariffs
that were paid the railroads. No company
could fix it's rates but had to accept what
the government allowed. 1t was liberal
enough. That was what made the j., M. q
I. road what it is to-day. Soldiers were
carried at so much a head, the price fixed
by the government. I have no idea how
many hundreds of thousands were carried.
Things would be different to-day A war
with Spain would mean that troops would
have to be carried east. There are five or
six lines now that have innumerable trains,
and there would be little delay in transport
ing either men or supplies, and the ordinary
freight traffic would be but little delayed.
Freight trains might have to be side
tracked, but they would move with COM
parative regularity.
Between here and Louisville we had four
trains day, one each way morning and
night 1t took from seven to eight hours to
make the run. Toward the end of the war
the traffic set back this way. Prisoners be-
ing sent here to Camp Morton; troops dis
banding, men on parol and others coming
home for various reasons passed through
Indianapolis, but there was less congestion
years..
Mr.. Whitcomb hopes that there will be no
war From his experience of the incon-
venience ii causes business and the delays
that result to traffic of all sorts, he believes
that a few weeks of it would cripple trade
to very damaging extent
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