The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1902-10-12
Not Enough Yard Room, IL IL Said, 10
Meet the Requirements Of In
dianapolis Trade.
GREAT CLAMoR FOR BOX CARS
SWITCHING CREWS EMPLOYED By
THE RAILROADS. t
A ComicaI Side tn the Present Rush
of Freight Business-Search for
Carload of Sugar.

If anyone wishes to make certain of the
fact that Indianapolis is experiencing a
year Of great business activity. all he has
TO do is TO pay visit to the local freight
yards OF the various railroads. There =
never was a time when the yards were 50
congested with freight cars, and. accord
ing to the yardmasters and the crews Of
the switching engines, there has never
before been so prolonged a period OF con-
tinuous heavy freight business. AS one
overworked railroad employe said. there
has been hardly any breathing time for the
men that work about the yards during the
last two months. and II looks as II the work
* steadily increasing In proportions"
The wholesale dealers and manufacturers
unanimously declare that there is not near
ly enough locomotive power and yard
room in Indianapolis to meet the require
ments of the trade and trafrc of this fast
growing city. and they say that the sooner
the railroads realize this fact the better
II will be for all concerned. More engines.
more switching crews and more freight
yards are sadly needed. There Is no more
room in the city limits for additional yards
ana II will be only question of a short
time when new yards will have TO be To-
Gated along the Belt road. The consensus
among the business houses that patrosize
the freight yards is that the railroads show
a tendency to 'economize at the wrong
end" and that If as much money was spent
in the improving OF the facilities for hand
ling freight as is spent In the securing OF
elegant and costly private for the chief
railway officials, there would be little
cause for grumbling on the part Of the
business concerns that are dependent upon
the receiving and shipping of valuable car
goes of freight in the pursuance of their
enterprises.
CLAMoR FOR CARS.
At the present time there is a continuous
clamoring in all of the local freight yards
to secure ''empties." and II is rather anus
ing to any disinterested person to observe
the strenuous efforts of the shippers to get
ahead of each other in obtaining their
wants. There was a time when a-carload
of freight was often allowed to remain UNI
touched until actually needed by the dealer
or merchant to whom IT had been con-
signed. but none Of that goes nowadays,v
as one Of the yardmasters remarked with a
shake of his head. II a car Is not unloaded
within forty-eight hours after its arrival in
Il
certain amount for each day that the car
load remains intact. In other words. "car.
service" now begins after the second day,
whereas in former years the consignees
were allowed to suit their own convenience
In sending their drays to haul away the
shipments of freight made them. So great
is the present demand for ''empties" among
the local shippers and so hard a matter 10
II to obtain them that most OF the manu-
facturers and wholesale houses have en-
ployed men to be constantly on the watch
for the much-desired empty freight vans.
and no sooner is car OF freight unlosded
than several shippers are battling to secure
possession of IL for their own uses.
This state OF affairs keeps the switching
crews on the jump from the moment they
take possession of an engine until. thor
oughly worn out. they turn over their
charge TO another little company OF men.
There are few persons not directly cornect-
ed with the ms and outs OF railroading
that can understand or appreciate the difi-
culties that beset the path OF the con-
scientious fellows who operate a switch en-
gine To couple a locomotive 10 a long
train of freight and run 1t safely to
the point designated in 1.-The orders Is not
the simple matter that It appears TO be.
There must always be the very strictest
obedience to ''the ORDERS to disobey them
in any way does not mean the reprfmand
that would perhaps be the only punishment
in another occupation-it would mean the
loss of the job or suspension for an indef-
mite period without pay. just as sure as
fate.
A HARD COMPANION.
The locomotive itself 10 sometimes
hard companion TO get along with Any en-
gineer will tell you that every locomotive
is as whimsical a grand opera prima
donna. and that IL you take a dozen loco
motives. all made in the same shop and
along the same lines. they will develop as
many eccentric personal traits as did
the twelve brothers in the old Grimm
fairy tale. Master mechanics, with
their scientific minds. are inclined TO
sneer at statements like these, but
nevertheless the engineers. who spend
the greater part of their lives in the
little locomotive cabins, ought 10 know
what they are talking about. Uncle Jess"
the oldest engineer in Indianapolis and for
many years connected with the Big Four,
once described in the following apt words
two engines which he had been running:
"One is a free steamer. but doesn't seem
to know IT. She is 'logy' on a hill. ana
somehow or other can't get gait on her on
the level The other one will fly like the
mischief for a short distance. but no
amount of expert engineering can make her
keep up her steam pressure. You simply
can't remedy those troubles-the engines
were born that way And then. even IL
the engineer Is sure Of his engine and his
crew, there are other matters with which
he has to contend over which he has no
control. Section men. track watchmen and
train nagmen. by slight neglect of duty.
may upset all of his precautions for the
fulhIlment Of the all-powerful orders. or
may even endanger the safety OF his train.
SWITCHING CREW
There are four men TO a switching crew
the engineer. the fireman, the switchman
and the switchman's helper-and these four
men are expected 10 work twelve hours out
of every twenty-four. running heavily
loaded freight cars TO their proper places
IN the yards for unloading. placing
.'empties'' in the proper positions 10 re-
ceive their new cargoes. taking numerous
cuts Grains of freight cars) 60 the