The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1901-11-01
RAILROAD GOSSIP.
Car Famine Partly Due to Delay
in Shippers Unloading,
War TO Be Msde on the Tramp-.-Low
Rates TO Be Made for Road
Material,


traffic which exists at present caused
several conferences last week between
division superintendent and manag-
ing officers of several of the railroads
to discuss the problems, and to devise
ways and means :. for handling the
largely increased traffic in the most
expeditions manner. The division
superintendent and freight agents of
the Milwaukee met in Chicago with
President Earling to consider the mat
ter.
On the Burlington road orders have
been given that through freight trains
make as few stops as possible. All
through cars will be put in trains that
stop at the more important cities,
while other trains wilIssfollow to attend
to the "pick-ups,'
A we'll known North Western official
after a thorough investigation of the
question of cars, declares that if the
cars were unloaded as soon as they ar
rive at their destination it would go a
long way to simplify the situation
and keep more cars in service. He
says that shippers are greatly to blame
for these. delays and to reduce this de-
lay many roads have imposed a fine of
81 for every twenty-four hours after
the expiration of a two-day's limit
that car remains unloaded. Even
this does not seem to entirely remedy
the difficulty. The shortage in cars
remains practically the same, with the
demand increasing steadily. 1t is es-
timated that there is shortage OF
1. 500 cars at the head of the lakes,
alone.
This scarcity of cars is likely to
affect the everyday man in one par
ticular. The Car famine is likely to
cause temporary coal famine in the
more western cities. The eastern
roads refuse to transfer their cars to
western lines, and for this reason
many shipments of coal are long de-
layed in reaching their destination.
This is particularly true of the ship
ments intended for the smaller cities
between st. Paul and Chicago This
will not, however, increase the price
of coal as the supply at the mines is
large enough to supply demands.
A united war on the tramp is the
latest project to be considered by the
western lines. The problem of tramp
transportation is again facing the
companies, as the migrating season of
that individual is at hand
The Great Northern road has just
issued imperative orders forbidding
trainmen to allow tramps to ride on
freight or any class of trains under
any circumstances, and insisting that
trains must be looked over carefully
at all stops, and the tramp put off.
Several roads have commenced an in
tvestigation into the alleged practices
of trainmen to allow the hOboes to
ride by the payment Of a small fare.
This practice vii, be stamped out
A we'll known railroad man in discus
sing the proposed move said:
cit is one of the worst nuisances
transportation people have to contend
with. There is nothing particularly
new about the trouble except that
there appears more of an effort to rid
the cars of them this season than in
past years While the railways suffer
most in this way from thefts from
cars, there are other obnoxious fea-
lures connected with the evil. Those
connected with the railroads do not
like to see people killed, notwithsTand-
ing the regular impression that the re-
verse is the case We have no liability
when a person stealing ride is killed,
but we are not entirely devoid of SEN
timent, and do not care to countenance
human slaughter, regardless OF the
social standing of the Victims
A Chicago dispatch says that after
nearly a years consideration, it is
deemed probable that the plan to pen
sion employees of the Milwaukee & st.
Paul railway will be abandoned and
an accident and death insurance sys-
tenn substituted.
When the idea of pensioning the 10. =
600 or 20, 600 employees of this road was
conceived it was submitted to the
men, but did not meet their approval.