The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1901-04-05
RAILROAD NEWS.
Conditions in California Fruit
Transportation Improve.
Santa Fe is Moving 100 Cars
East Daily.
TRAFFIC INCREASES.
Shortage of Cars and Engines
Has Caused Trouble.
TRAFFIC INCREASES.
Former Santa Fe Man Dying at
Chicago.

The present situation as regards the
California fruit traffic is reported as be-
ing much improved over that of few
weeks ago.
The railroads have experienced much
difficulty in moving the crop of citrus
fruit for this year. In the first place.
the yield is much greater than at any
previous time in the history of the
country. This in itself was cause suffl-
Gent for difficulty in marketing the pro
duct, but there were also other circun-
stances which tended to make condi-
tons much more difficult for the rail-
roads. The immense yield of wheat and
corn in the middle western states last
year gave an enormous amount of bust
ness to the companies in transporting
the grain to market. Especially was this
true in Oklahoma and Kansas, where the
wheat crop was Unusually heavy in yield.
The grain was not marketed immedi-
ateiy after threshing, but instead the
railroad companies have been handling
it along at different times as the ship
pers demanded. This was one of the
great causes for a scarcity of cars by
which the fruit crop was to be marketed.
When the time came for the fruit grow
erS to get the use of the cars they were
somewhere else. Some of the railroad
men deny that there ever has been a
dearth of cars but that the companies
not having the power to haul the fruit
to market refused to allow it to be
loaded. There is no doubt that the ques-
ton OF I0OLlNe power mas Deeu q per
picking one to some of the roads. In adj
dition to the increase in freight traf1ice,
which is usually considered the money
making part of a railroad, the passenger
business has exceeded by great odds
that of former seasons. and has there
fore taken away from the freight de-
pargment some of the motive power
which belonged to it properly
At a recent meeting of California cit
rus fruit growers some of these griey-
ances were set forth in resolutions
which were to be presented to the ex-
ecutives of the several systems. These
resolutions alleged that there was
scarcity of cars and that the engines
which should have been used in freight
service were put on passenger trains
The Santa Fe now is moving daily about
100 cars of fruit eastward from Albu-
Guerque- This would seem sufficient at
least to satisfy the appetite of the fruit
consuming world. But the producers
claim that they are still unable to fill
all orders because of the inability of the
railroads to do their part A Kansas
City railroad man, who returned only
a few days ago from California says
that still in the orange groves the fruit
almost covers the ground because of the
impossibility of finding market for It.
The railroad companies assert that
they will never again be found wanting
in cars and engines to take care OF ali
fruit that California can produce
Locomotive builders have received SO
many orders from the railroads within
the past year that it has been impossible
to fill all of them, and it is this that has
been part Of the cause of the trouble.