The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1901-12-08
Among the Railroads.

| The Portsmouth Star gives an outline
OF the novel plan put into effect by the
| Seaboard Air Line management at Ports
mouth, which will be of great value. 1t
| says:
"The Seaboard Air Line Railway has
erected in it's car service department, in
the headquarters building in the city one
of the most UNIQUE devices that has ever
| been employed by railway system TO
locate missing fast freight to hasten the
| dispatch of perishable goods.
THE device consists of a large board,
| perforated at intervals to permit the in
sertion of pins denoting the whereabouts
OF the freight at the time of the last re-
/ port received.
| I'm double columns on either side Of the
board are painted the names of the sta
| lions as they occur in rotation. They
| are divided into columns and there will
be such perfect system to Geographic
| tracing in effect that a glance at the
| board will enable the car service depart
1nent to advise shipper of the where
abouts of his car of freight, thing that
is we'll nigh impossible with the average
railway company these days.
Whenever a shipper dispatches from
| Florida to this port, say carload of
oranges, he can with a great degree of
certainly advise his customers at this
end OF the line that he has shipped the
| fruit and that it will arrive on a certain
date.
| GAS soon as this car of freight is re-
ceived by the railway company and made
up into train, the fact is telegraphed to
headquarters here and all arrangements
| are meantime made to have the ship
ment put through with the least delay
feasible.
.'All agents along the route at desig-
mated points shown by the board are re-
| quired to advise the time the train pass
ed, or the disposition of the cars in
/ question at their stations.
"As each Of these advices comes in
there is a little red pin that is moved
in manner to correspond with the po-
/ sition of the car in question at the time
of the last report
If this town never gets union de-
pot until it voluntarily relinquishes it's
/ claim to Peabody street we had as we'll
/ give the matter up as a lost hope. OF
course the Southern road would do great
things If it was not for this suit, but
the older inhabitants remember it has
i never given the town anything in the way
, of proper depot accommodation, though
| ii was badly needed long before the
| question as to the ownership of the street
| arose The fact of the matter is that II
this excuse was not handy the road
could as easily hatch up another.-Dur-
ham Morning Herald.
1 ---~-
! o - n ;at,Yn nd
have issued a statement of the earnings
of the Seaboard Air Line Railway. Writ
ing of that statement the New York
Financier SAYS:
John l.. Williams & Sons have issued
a statement giving the earnings of the
Seaboard Air Line for the month of
September. The earnings of the previous
months OF the current year have at
tracted considerable attention. because
of the remarkable changes in percen-
tages which they show. Gross earnings
for this month reveal an increase of Is
per cent; operating expenses and taxes
show a decrease of 1862 per cent, while
net earnings show the remarkable in
crease of 144.1 per cent. For the nine
months since January /, the gross earn
ings have increased 1873 per cent, oper-
/
GA per cent, while net earnings in
creased 69.5 per cent.
1.-The operating expenses of the con-
stituent companies which went to form
the Seaboard Air Line system were
1903 per cent in 1898, 72.43 per cent in
1899 and 1896 per cent in 1900, or an
average for the three years of 72.40
per cent. For the nine months of the
current calendar year operating ex
Ipenses and taxes have averaged only 6S
per cent For the same period of 1900
operating expenses of the separate COM
panies of what is now the Seaboard Air
Line system average over so per cent"
The new Carolina Northern railroad
has been opened up and regular trains
are being operated, the schedules be-
coming effective last Monday. This road
runs from Lumberton, N. c., to Marion,
S. c., distance of Al miles. putting the
Seaboard in connection into the Pee Dee
country. This piece of railroad has been
building for some time. A circular just
issued by President Mellier and General
Superintendent McNeely announces that
hencefOrWard the general offices of
the company will be at Marion, S. c.,
instead Of Lumberton, N. G.
The North Carolina stations on the
road are Pope, Kingsdale, Proctorville,
GAINESVILLE and Marietta, and the South
Carolina stations are bonneville, Pages
Mill Kemper, Fork, Zion and Rogers.
The officials of the passenger depart
ment of the Seaboard Air Line are very
much pleased at the manner in which the
winter travel is beginning. They say
that the outlook for the rush season to
Florida is most encouraging. The ma
jority of the travel this season is to
Southern Pines and the resorts to the
north of Florida, but that much of it al
ready goes through.
OF BENEFIT TO YOU.
d. S. Mitchell, Fulford, Md: During
| a long illness l was troubled with bed
sores, tried DeWitt's Witch Hazel Salve