The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1899-10-26
CAR SHORTAGE CONTINUES.
Roads Compelled to Use the Local
Supply for Coal.
NEEDED IN THE MOUNTAINS.
The Northern Pacific Countermands
Via BilIings-Several Cars DtsAp-
pear From = Train Awaiting 10
Continue Uatil Next spring.

The car situation Is ssill commanding tie
attention Of all the freight agents at this
end OF the great traRscontsnentaI lines. as
well as the local representatives OK all
lines who are interested In securing the
Eastern end haul The general belief pre-
walls that there viii be no let-up In the
demand for cars until after the new year
at Ieast. and many place 1t az late as ths
early spring. The volume OF wess5ound
business Is as great az this time as II was
three months ago. when Ii was predlc.ed
IL would ease OF In less than ninety days.
All All hope OF securing the cars, cars 6so sh,r.I
ments East from the Coast. has been
abandoned, as they are being reserved 70
carry coal into the mountain districts.
where heavy falls Of snow have resulted IN
hiockaces and require the constant oper-
alton OF snowplows TO keep the line open.
The rotar1es now at work on the Great
Northern and Northern Pacific eat up coal
at an enormous rate. and as the supply of
coal cars on the Coast has proven inade-
quate to keep the piows supplied. IL mas
become necessary to withhold great ma
1ority OF the poxcars In Seattle anu VI
cfnlty for that purpose, These cars, I'M
Ill few days ago, the fumbermen ex-
pecied to get. and as a consequence the
situation is more aggravated than ever.
Owing TO the general shortage of cars.
ten days ago the Northern Pacific issued
an order declining to accept shipments TO
the East routed via Billings. except in Bur
their cars were too long absent from their
own road This order was met by the Bur
lngton people by an offer to turn over
daily certain number OF cars to the
Northern Pacific, and a further offer 10
make transfer at that point. These Of
fers resulted In the Northern Pacific coun-
demanding It's previous order. but as only
a few of the Burlington cars have reached
here. and none of the Northern Pacific
cars are back from the transfer point. the
situation Is in no way relieved.
Y ,trVahn f.s,, AA1e
cars intended for the Coast are used In
Eastern Washington for wheat. and are
never sent TO Seattle. This the railroad
officials deny. and state positively that
they are using every effort TO bring to the
Coast all the cars OF which they can get
trace.
As an illustration OF how badly cars are
wanted by Coast lumaermen. a few days
ago train OF cars was run In on a siding
at Ballard to he loaded by O certain mill
The cars arrived about dark, and conse-
until morning But when daylight came
and the loading crew assembled for work.
II 49, discovered that several OF the cars
Wei Missing. A search was at once In
stitu.ed. which resulted in the finding OF
the cars in another mill yard. and crew
about TO begin the work OF loading them
They were pushed back by hand, and
hereafter no more cars will mysteriously
disappear.
j ". GAM. of the Denver & Rio Grande
trafnc department. who came over from
portland yesterday, tells the worst car
shortage story. He states that a short
time ago a car construction concern ship
ped several hundred freight cars to his
road. billed TO Salt Lake City. After sew
eral days tracer was sent out. but all ef-
forts 10 locate the cars were without avail
A few days since IT was learned that they
were scattered over several different lines
and were doing active service. 1t will 90
some weeks before the Rio Grande can get
them back.
The Northern Pacific reports besides a
shortage on lumber cars coal. wheat and
miscellaneous hoxcars. The Great North
ern has brought in over 800 ears during
The past week. but they lasted only a few
hours.