Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1900-10-30
Burlington Road Oleverly
Siezes an Opportunity.
RUNS EXTRA MAIL TRAIN
Secures Four to Five Tons Of Mail
Which Formerly Went to the Mil
waukee-New Mail Train Put On
Story of Big Beat.

AS oul llh6LSl POI pSSi own ShAS ~
the cleverest tricks Sunday that has
been reported in railroad circles for
many day, as the result of which the
Milwaukee has been legitimately beat
en- out of from three to four tons OF
mail daily, and the Burlington is now
running an extra fast mail train from
Chicago to Creston. Further changes
in the train service of the Burlington
thru Iowa and Illinois is anticipated,
o. E. Stewart, superintendent of the
East Iowa division. and G. w. Messen-
ger, chief dispatcher at the Burlington
Office in this city, having been sum-
moned to Chicago late Saturday even
ing for the purpose of meeting other
officials of the road to make arrange
mems for caring for the new plum
which the company's energetic meth
DDS have secured. Neither Mr.. Stew
art nor Mr.. Messenger at the time OF
their departure knew what was in the
air, but Sunday afternoon, when the
one-car special went whizzing across
the state, the public inquisitiveness
became too great and today the follow
ing story leaked out:
The Burlington's Opportunity.
A train on the Milwaukee system be-
tween Chicago and Minneapolis was
taken off yesterday, the company ex-
pecting that the west-bound mail
which had heretofore been hauled on
this train would be held for the Mil
.waukees afternoon connection. There
is from three to four tons of mail ham
died daily on the run, and the Burling-
ton saw chance to get it by putting
on train with a schedule between it's
NO. and No. IL. Without any prev
1ous notice whatever, the Burlington
Jumped into the gap with special one
car train yesterday, and will continue
to run that way this week. A new
time card will be inaugurated next
Sunday, making the now special train a
regular mail train connecting with No.
9 at Creston. No. 9, at present. makes
direct connection at Lincoln with the
Lincoln and Billings train No. Al. and
at Billings with the train which for.
merly was connected by the train
which was discontinued Sunday by the
Milwaukee.
According to the regulations of the
government mail service a mail route
when once established cannot have the
mail diverted therefrom so long as
the carrying company makes time
equal to that of any competitor. The
Burlington, in this case, seeing a
chance to capture this mail and real
ize handsome revenue from it at the
end of the weighing season, seized the
opportunity.
Other Changes Anticipated.
Local railroad men were frank to
admit today that they knew absolutely
nothing about the new change and
could not say anything as to the in
tent1ons of the company or is object
In putting on the special flyer yester-
day. 1t was learned today from
very reliable source that the Burling-
ton company, now that it has secured
the new plum in the mail business, is
contemplating putting a chair car or
two on the stub mail train and thus give
its thru passenger sarvice a daylight
train for the west from Chicago. 1t
is also rumored that this will necessi-
tate some change in the trains from
the west. 1t will leave a crew to dead
head back and already it has one crew
that Is compelled to deadhead
from Creston to Ottumwa where
1t continues east on No. %. The
latter arrangement will, in all proba-
bility be officially announced tomor-
row.
According to the present schedule
the new train leaves Chicago at $50
a. M, arriving in Ottumwa at 2:55 d.
M, and at Creston at 5.35 p. m.