Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1901-11-07

othtr railroads. ears and how the own.
ers keep track of them.
me first thing to be remembered /.
| ms; that the freight car business i,
d"ne wholly by trust. That is ever,
railroad trusts it's neighbor ana get,
trusted in return and then that every
| company IS supposed to pay So much a
mil" for the ears that are used which
| 10 rot belong to them and. of cours,
they receive the same amount for their
own cars when used by other rail
| roads.
HiN that IA new railroad has Il freight
train composed of its own cars and
Suppos" that they are bound for New
'rk or some place quite a distance
away The conductor Of that train has
/" know the number of every car in his
train ana make IA full report to the ear
accountant of every ear handled in that
train during the trip. and the number
"f miles each has travelled and he
tween what points. Then when he
comes To Il junction point the train and
all its way bills are turned over to the
agent at that point and from him
another conductor takes charge Of the
train and in turn takes the different
numbers of the ears.
Conductor number one who has
given the train into the hands of con-
du, tor number two. then notifies the
car accountant that ears number 80
AMI 50 haV" been turned oyer TO
another road giving the name III the
rr"d ana that Of til" conductor
The second conductor goes through
/
after tn. train has eon" over his road
hc turns il over t. Vet another road
ana notifies his ear accountant ana
tells HIM how many miles on their
read the cars hay" Travelled: tn. second
road owes the first 50 much Il mill. for
""ch car. and So it goes on.
A. thu different cars reach their drs-
tr.:.tinn tn. var accountant knows il
anG il is his business To- So. that tn.
ears re Kept moving as no pay is Re-
lived unless the ear Is helm: actually
used
tnc.. every month the accounts be-
tween IN" railroads Arc settled W and
tie work is begun all over again l." run
another month.
Railroads that own "A number ~ ears
of course haV- "A great deal NOR. money
Gu.. them than is due To other roads
ANA in this way a railroad may get
along with very few Of it's own cars.
using those belonging ~ other roads.
The mileage often amounts I" quit. q
sum : about six mills a mil. i the
rat. on a ear
Each car accountant has u large staff
OF clerks. some If whom are constant
~ tracing cars which have been III the
linz beyond q reasona bi. limit As, for
instance. a l.. & a ear might be
turned over by thu. Boston X Maine t.
III. y. y. Central and the last record
that the t. & a. would have would lie
thu reported junction delivery from III"
first to the last. After Il reasonable
time has expired and the ear is not
returned by tn. last 10 the first il is
tn. business Of the car accountant of
tn" J.. x 4. to communicate with the
corresponding official OF the y. Y.
Central and ask for specific location Of
the particular ear
This is furnished Immediately with
more OF less promises for the return of
tn. car at once. careful check in the
Ollie. Of the owner of the car Is kept
and If il does not show up within a
specified time. out goes another tracer
after it. Through this tn. ear ac-
countantS Of the different railroads Of
thu United States know approximately
just what road each ii his cars are
on but have no way of telling on what
division or at what station. except
as advised specifically by tn" ear ac-
co,lntant