The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1899-02-22

holders of the Chicago & Alton indorsing
the position ne has taken iii regard to the
proposed sale of the road TO a syndicate or
Eastern capitalists. Many of these letters
are from widows and representatives of
estates, all of whom denounce the attempt
10 change the ownership of the property.
The expansion of the business of the Wa
bash is beginning to attract attention. In
December the gross earnings increased $685.
4S5, or Is. per cent. In January, usually a
lean month. gross earnings increased $780,
735. or 20.SS per cent. Gross earnings for the
fiscal year TO date are by far the largest
of the history of the company and VIII
probably reach $l5,OoO.OO by the end OF the
fiscal year.
The general managers Of the roads con-
shutting the Union Railway Company held
their monthly meeting yesterday The only
business Of importance transacted was in
structing Superintendent Zion to readvertise
for bids for the construction of the new
Belt road, and he was instructed to pur-
chase $50 tons of new steel rail, weighing
eighty-1ve pounds to the yard.
w. C. Arp, superintendent of motive pow
er of the Vandalia. was in the city yester-
day. Mr.. Arp states that the first of the
large new passenger locomotives has ar
rived and will be put in freight service for a
few days. Mr.. Arp states that these engines
are expected to haul eight cars over any
part of the Vandalia main line at a speed
of seventy-fve miles an hour, and. if
pressed, at the rate of ninety miles an hour.
Much is being said about the unprece-
dented snow blockade in North Carolina.
Agents for the Southern lines are authority
for the statement that never before in the
history Of railrOading in that State has
there been an interruption in traffic from
snow drifts. They further say that the re-
ported damage to orange trees In Florida is
incorrect; that the blight was confined to
the buds, the trees themselves escaping the
frost paralysis.
The effect of the concentrating of the ac-
counting and auditing departments of the
Vanderbilt system is being felt by clerks
holding minor positions. Manager Nichol-
April 1, but many clerks in Buffalo, Detroit,
Cleveland and New York have received
notification OF their release after that date;
This consolidation means the discharge or
several clerks and will mean a saving OF
100000 per year in salaries.
On the Pittsburg, Fort Wayne & Chicago
congestion prevails along the western d.
vision. and General Manager l.. F. Loree
and Superintendent of Telegraph A. M.
Schover, of the Pennsylvania lines west,
are Strengthening matters out. The eastern
division has a great capacity for freight
movement, there being scarcely a limit to
trains, the only question being a sufficient
! number of locomotives to haul them. The
division is never blocked by reason of heavy
freight movement.
The Toledo Bee says: THE conservative
and careful management of Samuel Hunt,
receiver of the Clover Leaf. is reflected in
the December statement. which shows the
road was operated on Il per cent. of the
| earnings, compared with Sc for December OF
the preceding year" This reflection on the
| late receiver of the road is undeserved, as
1 al IOdI time receiver GelTC6, HOW OCCCCoCQ,
was paying for five hundred new coal cars
out of the earnings and making other Inn
provements Of which the present manage
ment reaps the benefit.
IT. r. Stone. of the Pullman service, who
had charge of the Presidents car to and
from Boston, and Mr.. Mckinley have made
no less than sixteen tours together. A part
of the preliminary arrangements, when the
President decides to leave Washington, is
the sending of a message to the superin-
tendent of the company at the capital, re-
uuesting that Mr.. Stone be detailed to look
after the Presidents car. This is an honor
of which Mr.. Stone feels very proud. His
long familiarity with these special duties
adds greatly to the comfort of the President.
In a paper read by w. Mcintosh, master
mechanic of the Chicago 81 northwestern
before the w Railway Club. last
week, it was shown that since 1886 the mile
| age of roads had increased 80 per cent, the
number of cars 33 per cent, and the number
of locomotives q per cent. The smaller per-
centage in the increase in number of loco
motives he thinks due to the greater hauling
capacity of the modern locomotive, and In
the paper he ventured the assertion that a
track and roadbed which would carry loco
motives of one hundred tons and cars Of
fifty tons capacity Will soon become among
the necessities.
Western lines are not at all pleased with
the prospects of the tourist season of 1899.
LThey are distrustful of the effect that the
granting of special rates on account OF the
National Educational Association and the
| Baptist National Societies, which hold con-
ventions in Los Angeles and San Francisco,
Will nave on general business. Inc lines
in the Northwest do not intend to see all
this travel carried through Denver or Kan
sas City, and already the Great Northern
has announced that it will apply whatever
| rates are granted to these conventions to all
points on the north Pacific coast. If 1t
| shall later be shown that rates west of Chi
| cago become demoralized because of these
| conventions it will go a long way toward
| abolishing the practice Of making conces-
siOns in favor of all kinds of meetings. This
idea has been under consideration by many
of the roads for some time, and it is among
the possibilities of the future that it may
be adopted.