Omaha daily bee., 1898-12-14
SEE A CHANCE TOCET SOL ARE
Railroads Somewhat Elatsd by the New
Movement Of Troops.
UNCLE SAM MUST SETTLE THIS TIME
Low Rates of the Early Summer and
Pools on the Business Not Likely
to he Repeated--Union Pa
ciRc Disappointed.

The announcement that six regiments OF
United States infantry will be sent to Ma
nila over the transatlantic and Red sea
route caused q stir in Omaha railroad cir
des yesterday. OF the six regiments that
will be moved only two named In the list
are from the transmssouri territory. the
Twenty second regiment az Fort Crook and
the Twentieth at Fort Leavenworth. For
the movement Of these two regiments there
will be a very lively bit Of competition.
The first report that the haul Of the two
regiments would probably be pooled among
the competing lines IL not now seriously be-
lieved. great deaf Of the army business
out Of Omaha during the last year has been
divided among the roads. who submitted
bids equal In amount. The prospect of a
pool on the business out of here
this time is weakened by the fact that only
two railroads have their own tracks into
Fort Crook, the Burlington and the Missouri
Pacific. The former road can haul the troops
to Chicago or to st. Louis, as is preferred,
while the Missouri Pacific can take them east
via st. Louis quite handily. 1t is not likely
therefore that the Missouri Pacific and the
Burlington will let the other roads In on the
deal at ali.
The Union Pacific people are bitterly dis
appointed because the six regiments we're not
ordered to Manila via San Francisco. All
the previous movements to the Philippines
have been westward. and the Union Pacific
officials for some time have been counting on
the movement Of several thousand
soldiers to the Pacific coast enroute
to Manila. Had the troops gone to Manila
over the usual route there is little doubt
but that the Union Pacific would have cap
tured big share Of the business.
Tn thn
the railroads for the business one Of the
fraternity said to Bee reporter: "The
decision Of the War department to send the
troops across the Atlantic on their way to
Manila is certainly hard on the transmits
souri, lines. 1t has, however, undoubtedly
prevented a rate war to the Pacific coast
that would have carried rates to q ridicu-
lously low figure. The recent award of the
transportation OF the First New York, from
San Francisco to New York, has caused a
whole lot OF trouble, and several OF the
lines are Just waiting for a
chance to play even. The business was
given to the Rio Grande lines from Ogden tc
Denver. to the Burlington from Denver e
Chicago and to the Vanderbilt lines from
there to New York. The business was Sc
cured on a rate Of 50. 80 per man from San
Francisco to New York. Out Of this the
lines from Ogden to Chicago got less than
IS per man, not enough to pay for running
the extra trains. The Union Pacific and the
Santa Fe were chagrined at such low bid
and are simply biding their time to square
accounts with the roads that agreed to such
O low rate. Had this movement Of troops
which has just been ordered been 70 Sau
Francisco there would have been quoted te
the government some Of the lowest ratet
from the Missouri river to the Pacific coas
ever heard tell Of. Perhaps it was to avoit
such q rate war that Uncle Sam decided t.
send his boys over the eastern route"