The Montgomery advertiser., 1902-11-15
FREIGHT CONGESTED
RAILROADS HAVING SNDUBLE
 IN HANDLING TRAFFIC.
Four Hundred Loads in Montgomery Yards Awaiting Removal-Dffh- culty is Caused by a Scarcity
 of Locomotives.

The railroad freight traffic of this sec tion of the South has assumed such enormous proportions during the past iew months that the railroads cannot get holo of enough motive power to handle the immense tonnage.
 The situation has become so grave ana assumed such enormous proportions dur- ing the past few months that meetings between freight men and mechanical de- partments are held every day. At these meetings the situation is "cussed ana discussed in its every phase, but so Tar the situation has not been relieved.
 In the North Montgomery yard of the Louisville and Nashville Railroad the congestion is beyond description. On the network of track at the south end of the yard limits below the shops up to the north limits beyond Riverside Park. are long rows of freight cars. Most Of these , cars have been in the yards for a good deal more than a week and the chances are that they will be there for at least week longer.
 Several days ago The Advertiser con- | tained a statement to the effect that there was a blockade in the yards and also that I the Louisville and Nashville was refus- i ing to receive any more freight from con- meeting lines. While the blockade was | even then beginning it was in it's incipien- | cy compared to the confusion that is the order in the local shops of the Louis vile and Nashville just now. | While this state of things is primarily caused by the lack of motive power overworked machinery Is in large part | responsible.
 l During the past six months the f.'eight business of the Louisville and Nashville has been larger than ever known before As result every freight engine on the | road had to be doubled" That is, as soon as a freight train from the Nortf | arrived at the Montgomery yards the | engine was hurried to the shops, ashes | and coals raked out. new fire built sne before the machine had cooled from 1t: run south it was pulling a train cut o | Montgomery en route to Birmingham.
 At the Birmingham yards and shops thu Montgomery performance was repeated | and a few hours after its arrival there the same engine would be pulling lon, freight train back to Montgomery. Be tween Birmingham and Decatur ant Decatur and Nashville the same thing Wal done, the engines not having time t' have anything but absolutely essentia repairs done to them.
 The result is that the hospital eng1n list is very large on the Louisville ant Nashville and there are more crippled | locomotives in the different shops tha1 have been there for a long time. Th' different locomotive works have doubled
 their forces and are working night ant
 day in efforts to fill the orders that hav'
 been pouring in on them.
 The Louisville and Nashville has place,
 orders for something like fifty nev
 engines, but the orders cannot possibly b.
 filled for eight months at least Tn
 Southern Railway is in the same predica
 ment. Yesterday in Birmingham Presi
 dent Smith of the Louisville and Nash
 vile. General Manager Ackert of tn
 Southern and other railroad officials Wer
 trying to untapgle the difficulty.
 There are something over 400 loads il
 the Montgomery yards of the Louisvill
 and Nashville and if would be IS eas
 to move the Exchange Hotel across Com merce Street as it is to have these car moved.
 The Atlantic Coast Line is in almost a
 bad shape and between here and Bain
 bridge, Ga, it has something oyer lC
 loads that cannot be moved
 The Western. Mobile and Ohio, Sea
 board and Central are in good condition Q The soliciting freight men of the Louis vile and Nashville have received instruc
 tions not to take any more business Rcln north. The southbound business Can b . handled all right