Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-04-20
TO HAUL THE CROPS
Railroads Have Had to Double
Equipment
BOTH EAST AND WEST
PREPARING FOR GREATEST FALL
TONNAGE EVER CARRIED.
Erie to Adopt Progressive Program
and Tunnel for New York
Terminal.
BOTH EAST AND WEST

WnlIe the recent occasion INC Noi III
ern Securities case seems to be dis
astrous blow to that particular manner
of merging railroads. the railroads them
selves are still here and very much in
evidence The biggest winter wheat crop
in the history of the country is to be NOV
ed this fall, while the corn acreage has
been increased enormously also. COM
pilation of facts bearing the ability
of the western roads to handle this enor-
nous freight tonnage next fall shows that,
while the railroad f1nanciers of the country
may have been busy with their combina-
lions. the men in charge of the practical
opera ton of these great lines have not
been idle.
During the past three years the rail-
roads entering Chicago have spent for
additional equipment, including locomotives
and freight cars, the sum of s17O.052, 900.
The average cost of a locomotive is $17,OOo
and of a freight car $1,000. This taken
in a whole shows an increased equipment
in locomotives of 43 per cent and OF Al
per cent in freight cars. Besides this, or
ders are now being executed for both
locomotives and cars which will bring this
percentage of increase much higher
The heavy crops and generally increased
freight business of the country last fall,
taken in conjunction with the coal strike,
resulted in one of the most general freight
blockades ever experienced in the railroad
history of the country. Officials who have
been studying this Situa ton with a partic
ular view to remedying 1t the coming llar-
vest season predict that a much better con-
dition will exist. Besides the great increase
in car capacity and traction power. the ter
minals of nearly all of the great roads are
being enlarged; better methods for return
Ing and utilizing empty cars are being
devised; the elevator and storage facilities
are being made more adequate; there will
6ty,iGi Of fI,n
freight. instead of its all passing through
Chicago much will go through Canada, and
much more than usual will be diverted to
the southern lines: roadbeds are being i'm
proved. grades and curves eliminated, and
the hauling capacity of locomotives thus
increased. Besides all this, repetition Of
the coal strike is not expected.
Erie Improvements.
The enlargement of railroad facilities in
the east have been source Of almost con-
slant comment for many months as the
various gigantic systems have made an
nouncements of intentions to spend millions
in terminals. double acking and increased
equipment The latest enterprise of this
character is the announcement that the
Erie Is to spend $50.O 900 in improving its
line. and that it, too, is to tunnel under the
Hudson river for New York city terminal.
The Erie is one Of the oldest roads of the
east. Its territory Is. from a railroad
and it's Chicago connections most satisfac-
tory. To continue to do business along
the old lines, has been demonstrated as
1mpracticable. and with the requirement of
management the old conservatism Is to be
abandoned and the road put into condition
to compete with it's progressive rivals.
The plans for its New York terminals are
vague. at least SO far as the public is con-
cerned, and with the long struggle of the
Pennsylvania in it's efforts to get proper
franchises and legislative rights for its
New York improvements. the task would
tracking Of the road which Is considered
one of its imperative needs at this time,
will undoubtedly be carried forward to
speedy completion. Erie's present New
York terminal facilities may be put up
with for some time to come.
Pennsylvania Keeping Up.
More projects are actually under way
with the Pennsylvania railroad looking to
increasing its passenger and freight carry
ing possibilities than In any previous time
in it's history.
President Cassatt, who is the prime mover
in this campaign of improvement and ex-
tension, made inspection Of the line be-
tween Philadelphia and Pittsburg Satur-
day, In company with Chief Engineer w.
H. Brown. 1t Is stated that there are not
less than two dozen corps of engineers a
work east of Pittsburg laying out new
branch lines for this road. In addition to
the new branch lines already announced,
the officials of the road are planning to lay
many new tracks in the state of Pennsyl-
vania where railroad facilities are at pres
ent inefficient to meet the demands Of bust
ness. The principal branch lines in that
state which have been single-track
branches are to be equipped with an ad-
ditional track. The greatest delay being
experienced In this connection Is the short
age of rails. This has been due somewhat
IL
The prediction is made that within year
the greater part of the improvements now
under way will be completed.
Rate Troubles.
While the question of railroad rate adj
justment seems to be always a live one
there are three principal complaints just
now agitating the railroad world. The most
important comes from the twin cities Of
st. Paul and Minneapolis where the millers
are making life a burden to the roads by
their emphatic stand in their efforts to
maintain that it is an Illegal discrimination
for the roads to have one rate on wheat
and another on flour. The millers have
gone to the extent of shutting down their
mills and have issued an ultimatum to the
roads. The mil1ers charge that by reason
of this DISCRIMINATION" the roads are en-
abled to build up or tear down the milling
business in any section Of the country The
railroad side of this particular controversy
is that the handling Of wheat is an entirely
different problem from a railroad stand
point than the handling Of -four: that the
former is much less expensive and that
logically less rate can be fixed on wheat
than on flour. The millers are endeavorIng
however. to get an adjudication of the
matter.
The pine lumber dealers Of the south are
making an appeal to the interstate COM
merce commission on what they regard as
a discrimination against certain of their
members in certain southern states by the
roads in favor of others. The discrimina.
ton in this instance is said to be the rebate
of certain amount of the freight to GER
tain dealers having short lines of roads In
their logging camps. on the ground that 1t