The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1900-02-26

life TO the project. The road is now in
operation from Mount Vernon to Chester,
Ill, sixty-five miles.
Local freight and passenger agents are
receiving invitations to the first annual
social and banquet OF the travelling freight
and passenger agents of the various rail-
way in the Central States, to be held in
Fort Wayne March o.
The Chicago & Eastern Illinois last week
inaugurated through freight service in con-
nection with the Cotton Belt. by way OF
transfer boats between Thebes, Ill, and
Gray's Point. On March passenger serV-
ice will be inaugurated.
General passenger agents OF the roads
terminating in Chicago have decided TO
retain Frank Scott as agent for all lines
in hotels in the city. Mr.. Scott has main
tanned railroad ticket offices for several
years, selling on commission.
James McCrea, first vice president, and
L, F. Loree. general manager of the Penn
syIvania lines, who last week inspected
several of the Western lines, on Saturday
returned to Pittsburg to await rnilder
weather to complete their inspection.
The glass combinations have succeeded
in getting old commodity freight rates re-
established for short hauls. These rates
went out with the sweeping changes OF
the first of the year. and the resulting pro-
test OF the glass men has been successful.
President o. d. Ashley. of the Wabash.
comes out from New York five times dur
ing the year to look over the property and
consult with the general manager and
heads of departments. He is well pleased
with. the present earnings of the Wabash
The newly appointed General Superinten-
dent Stuart, of the western division of the
Baltimore * Ohio lines, will take charge
March 1. His headquarters will be Chi
cago. 7. ]. English, superintendent, made
a trip over the Western lines the latter
part of the week with the new official.
On Feb. % the outside ticket offices of
the roads centering in Kansas City are to
be closed. Under the presidents agree
ment to abolish commissions the usefulness
of the outside ticket offices is gone and
ticket scalpers have been given the field
at Kansas City. The greatest portion of
the men affected will be retained in the
service of the respective companies in other
positions.
At the meeting of the board Of directors
of the Lehigh Valley Railroad David G..
Baird's resignation as assistant secretary
of the company was rendered and &C
cepted. and Edward Y. Hartshorne was
elected to succeed him. Mr.. Hartshorne
was formerly assistant purchasing agent
of the company, a position which was abol-
ished Mr.. Baird assumes the duties OF
secretary of the Lehigh Valley Coal Com
pany.
THE Pullman sleeping car between New
York and Hot Springs. Va, via the Penn
sylvania Railroad and the Chesapeake &
Ohio Railway, now running triweekly, Will
be changed to leave daily except Sundays
days from Hot Springs. The car Will be
changed to Pullman drawing room COM
partment The first south bound un-
der this new arrangement will leave New
York to-day.
A threatened rate war has been averted
by the action of the Illinois Central in
withdrawing the rates recently made by
IL on traffic to gulf ports. The maintenance
of this rate would have resulted in d.
verting a large amount of traffic, especial
ly in grain, from Atlantic to gulf ports.
The trunk lines realized the seriousness
of the situation and notified the Illinois
Central that they would correspondingly
reduce rates to the Atlantic seaboard.
The passenger equipment of the Erie is
to be divorced from the freight more
definitely than it has been, according to
an order that was received last week from
President Thomas. Heretofore the Erie en-
gines have been held in readiness to do
either freight or passenger business, ac-
cording to the exigencies of the occasion.
Hereafter passenger engines will be set
aside for passenger business and freight
engines will not go outside of their
province.
The Missouri Pacific will carry out in the
near future it's plans for extension to Dem
ver AT present the tracks of the d. & r.
G.. are used between Pueblo and Denver.
The condition of the Missouri Pacific has
so improved during the last year that it
Is In position now to do some building on
an extensive scale. The line has shared
in the prosperity of the times more than
would be considered its proportion. AL
ready a corps of surveyors is surveying
line from Bagnell to Springfield. Mo-, and
1t is expected TO build to the Arkansas
river.
Fort Wayne Gazette: Every railway pass
ing through Fort Wayne is to-day employ
ing the greatest number of engineers and
trainmen in its history. Nevertheless, the
men are worked to the limit of endurance,
and no LAY OFFS are permitted except for
sickness or absolute necessity. The read
ers will, perhaps, more readily comprehend
the situation and the great volume of bust
ness If they will take into consideration the
recent increase in the capacity of locomo-
tives and cars. Twelve fifteen years
ago the standard car carried twenty tons;
to-day thirty tons is the rule and there
many cars in service that carry forty
and even fifty tons. Then the average
load for a locomotive. leaving out weight
of cars, was about six hundred tons; to-
day the standard engine will haul 1,400 to
LOCO tons. 1t requires no more men to
handle the 1.400-ton train than it did the 600
ton train Of fifteen years ago.