Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1901-04-02

gains In importance reSafuleSS O1 HOW
great or small the town may be where
it is located. That Willmar has dur
ing the past several years been stead
lily gaining is evidenced by the in.
creased facilities that have been ne
cessitated to properly care for the
Company's business, and these in evil
dencing the fact are worthy of special
note.
A freight "yard" giving a storage
capacity of $50 cars was for number
of years all that was required here.
Last year at an expense of over 49,
10000 an entirely new yard was con-
structed giving twelve tracks of 5000
feet each, approximately storage room
for 900 freight cars, exclusive of the
main lines and "leads" or switching
tracks, and separate passenger yard
with trackage of 2400 feet
A round-house of fourteen stalls be-
came entirely too small to house the
increased number of engines, and car
ing for the present and anticipating
for the future, the Company had, dur
the past summer, erected for them a
round-house equalling any on the sys-
tenn, capable of housing twenty-six
engines, and modern in all respects,
embracing in it's equipment monster
steel turn-table, thirty-six feet in length.
Changing the round-house location to
the east end of the yards necessitated
the erection of new machine shops and
a new storehouse, and in connection
with the latter, six huge, under ground
oil tanks, capable of storing a total of
FIVE thousand gallons of oil, were in
stalled. Also, that every plan of the
engineers to make amodel yard might
be carried out, the mammoth coal
chute, with its twenty-six 'pockets"
and bins capable of storing 270 tons
of coal, was abandoned and torn down
and an entirely new one, although an
exact counterpart, erected in more
convenie Mt location. This work, aside
from the cost of rebuilding the yards,
demanded an expenditure Of nearly
thirty thousand dollars, or a total of
$8l 10000 to complete all improve
ments including the building of two
':repair" tracks of 1000 feet each, a
caboose track of 1000 feet, storehouse
track of 100 feet, an ''icing'' track of
400 feet, and new ice house of 5000
tons capacity.
Also as a further proof of Willmar's
growing Importance as divisional
point, may the increases in the vari-
Gus forces be noted. Without going
into detail as to the actual number of
men, reference to a comparison of the
monthly payroll will be sufficient.
During the past year of 1900 the aver
age for the twelve months was S14, O5O
total per month as against the aver
age of S11, 900 for the year OF 1893, re-
markable for its heavy business, and
especially must be taken into consider
alton the fact that in the latter men,
toned year the train and engine crews
unning over the lines between Will
mar and Breckenridge and Willmar
and Huron were shown on the rolls as
drawing salary here. A superinten-
dents Office force of six was, until
within the last few years, quite able to
take care of the business of the divis-
ion, but each succeeding year,
more especially the last two, has
found increase necessary until now
the regular force numbers twelve. An
assistant superintendent acting under
the orders of superintendent
stationed in Minneapolis, was able to-
look after the general business of the
division. Now both superintendent
and assistant superintendent, each
with their especially designated clerks
and stenographers require their head
quarters here to enable them to prop
erly carry on all their work.
Before leaving the consideration of
Willmar as divisional point'
some idea of the amount of business
handled through may be given by the
following figures: During the year
ending February 18th total Of 1853,
896 cars were handled in and out of
the yard. This represents an average
Of 20,400 cars per month, exclusive
|of the passenger or any specisl trains.