The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1901-07-21
. RAILWAY PRESIDENTS DAY.
Some of the Things to Which He
Gives Attention.

Charles De Lano Hine, in The Century.
After being for a few hours with a rail
road president, one has a better conception
of the magnitude of the Chinese treatise
On all things. The president, perhaps, has
just returned from a trip to New York,
where he has attended a conference of pres
idents of allied lines. He has been on the
road all night, but, thanks 10 that business
like institution, the private car, often err
roneously considered a luxury, he appears
in his Office fresher for work than the SUI
burbanite who has just come in on the
commuters train. While the president is
looking over mis- personal mail word spreads
about the big building that the old man
is back" Gradually the private secretaries
of the different chiefs drop into the outer
office 10 learn from the presidents private
secretary what business is most likely TO
come up first, and what chance tnere Is
for action on some pet measure. The bell
rings, and for q few minutes the private
secretary is closeted with the president.
Daily Geographic reports have kept the
president informed OF events on the line,
but In a surprisingly brief time h. learns
OF smaller happenings. Of messages left by
prominent callers, ana of the general be-
hayior Of his child. the railroad.
Then the president Sends for his chief as
sistant, the general manager, ana learns
officially some of the things the private sec
rotary has told him as gossip, and many
others of greater moment, but perhaps OF
less real interest. The half hour with the
general manager may mean decisions in
volving the expenditure OF hundreds OF
thousands of dollars. 1t may mean happi-
ness or anxiety 10 hundreds OF homes. tor
example, il may be decided 10 move the
company'S shops from Dan TO BeerSnepa.
This means a move for employees, a break
ing of home ties, and perhaps dlsappoilt-
ment TO engaged lovers. Again. IL may be
decided TO extend the Utopia branch, Whlch
means a fortune to investors In land beyond
Utopia. and ruin TO some in the old terml-
] ms The president may tell the general
manager that the demand Tor d dividend on
the preferred stock is becoming more clam
orous. and that they must get along an
other wear without the 1900 new box cars
that are badly needed, and the building or
which would affect many ldle men Inc
president very likely calls the attention OF
the general manager TO the auditor 5 est-
mate of last weeks earnings, and asks why
expenses cannot be reduced Just d nteag
manager that the contract for hauling
Chicago dressed beef Is conditional
upon a second-morning delivery at
TIE seaboard two hours earlier than that
previously given by a rival line. He also
| deserves that the reliability and regularity
of the passenger trains Is helping the
Western tourist business. that the delay
TO the hotel mems special by a freight
wreck last week will hurt the winter traNel
to California. and that the new dining car
must be made 10 pay expenses; lie asks
why the ton-miie cost of moving freight
has not decreased in proportion TO the re
cent outlay for big engines. lie ventures
the OpluiOn that the superintendent OF the
Slowburg division must have been asleep
while the city Council IN Rinsvllle passed
an ordinance requiring the company 10
erect ten more electric lights at street
| crossings. He expresses polite establishment
fnent 70 book the headquarters tram IoI the
next Grand Army encampment. lie makes
no attempt at concealing his disgust over
a competitor : securing ten tralnlodds OF
agricultural machinery for the Western
~prairies. He then takes up the question Of
a larger terminal charge for switching cars
to connecting lines, and suggests 20 the
general manager that the revenue would
be increased by more favorable terms III the
next contract with other roads.
The patient and loyal general manager,
who has taken al this in the PickWicklan
sense in which it was intended. now has
his turn. From the bundle OF papers under
his arm he draws a condensed estimate
Of an elaborate plan for reducing the cost
of transportation on a certain DIVISION py
running around a bluff and locating freight
yards near a busy river. instead OF CHIMP
ing into the town. The trained eye or the
president catches the salient points. ana
he tells the general manager whether or
not funds are likely TO be aVallaoie,
whether or not 1T is polite 10 antagonlZe
municipal or other interests. The general
manager automatically shows the presl-
dent that the New Orleans cotton tallc
is suffering because of the presidents or
der to consider all Minnesota flour as rush
freight. He asks authority 10 increase the
paw of a superintendent who has a better
ofrer from another road. From the bundle
of condensed reports he shows a saving
of one hundred tons of coal the previous
week by reason of better fuel furnished
from the new mines. He tells OF a new
gasoline engine at Pumptown which VIII cut
in two the monthly bills for water supply
for locomotives. He reports a conference
with the mayor of a big city about the
smoke nuisance near the freight yards. he
opines that the presidents last visit TO the
state capital has killed the Populistlc Leg
islature's bill for granger rates. He sug
gests that ii would be we'll for the passen-
ger department TO stop promising dollar
excursionists a two-hour schedule Tor A
hard three-hour run. He urges c~oncilIa-
tory measures toward the City Council OF
Bucktown, which will repeal the speed
ordinance as soon as the old morning &C
commodation train is restored, and NUN
Der Six" (the ST. Louis express) can then
get through the town on time In the most
nonchalant manner he asks TO be excused,
that he may catch a train leaving In flve
minutes. as he has an appointment for the
next morning some six nundreo miles
away.
Before the general manager has finished
the private secretary Is entertaining two OF
three reporters Of afternoon papers. The
president sees them, comes out, shakes
hands and tells them rates are TO be stluef
than ever; that the stockholders are tired
of hunting snipe for the fun of holding
empty bags. He then loosely asks them
for news about his road, as ne mas peeh ~
New York helping his wife DO her shop
. ping