The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1903-11-02
RAILROAD NEWS.
How Will Railroads Handle
Worlds Fair Traffic 2
People May Have to Ride in
Box Cars.
1,472 MORE COACHES.
Also $40 New Locomotives and
Baggage Cars Needed.
Expected That 80, 900, 900 Peo-
pie will Come.

In an interview on the present pas
senger traffic situation and the prob
able traffic to the Worlds fair. w. p.
Deppe, chief assistant general passen-
ger agent of the Big Four Railway
company. recently transferred from
Cincinnati to St. Louis in charge of the
passenger business in ST. Louis. says:
Some of the lines into ST. Louis will
be handling; people in box cars next
summer unless they provide additional
passenger equipment.
IF the hopes of the Worlds fair
officials are realized in securing as
great attendance for St. Louis in 1904
as Chicago had in 1898, it will require
the railroads to bring into St. Louis
about 100000 over normal business
next summer.
Within 500 miles of Chicago in 1898,
in fifteen states, there was a population
of about p. 900 900. 1t is a coincidence
that this was about the total attend
ance at the Chicago Worlds fair.
Within the same radius of St. Louis
now there is a. population in eighteen
states and territories of about 900
persons. excluding about 100000
negroes, leaving a population of 5,00O,-
600 more for st. Louis than Chicago had
to draw from in 1898. There are prac-
tically the same number of railroad
lines into St. Louis now as Chicago had
in 1893"
MILLIONS OF VISITORS.
1.-THE ST Louis lines will handle in
seven months of the worlds fair nor
NAL traffic of 100000 people. so that
altogether they will have to handle
during the worlds fair about 100000
people.
1.-THE bulk of the worlds fair travel
will proba bly, come in the months of
July, August. September and October.
If to EACH of the present through trains
ant tad no
coaches the railroads will be able to
handle probably 100000 passengers in
seven months of the worlds fair. This
leaves 10000 to be handled in second
excursion trains.
1T will require ffty-seven special
trains. consisting of two baggage cars
and eight coaches. each day, for seven
months. in addition to regular trains
with extra cars. to handle the business
expected by the worlds fair managers.
NEW EQUIPMENT. NEEDED.
Granting that the bulk of the
Worlds fair travel will probably come
from cities within fifteen hours OF st.
Louis it will require 500 extra coaches
on existing regular trains and 91Z extra
coaches on special trains, or total OF
1,472 coaches over existing equipment.
This is an average of 100 cars for each
of the fifteen so-called lines.
IF rs per cent of the Worlds falr
travel is handled in four months, as
suggested, IL VIII require 6lSnIy-nNG
special trains per day. consisting of two
baggage cars and eight coaches, with
an average seating capacity of fifty per-
sons.
ION that basis it will require a total
of 1920 coaches, 800 baggage cars and
800 locomotives over existing equipment
to handle such a volume of business in
120 days.
For the fifteen strong lines which
will haul the bulk of the Worlds fair
traffic this is an average of 100 extra
coaches, % baggage cars and p engines.
Many of the lines are not fortunate
enough to have anything like such an
amount of extra equipment The
growth of the passenger traffic in this
country, owing to rapid increase OF
wealth and population, has outgrown
the service the railways now provide in
the passenger department."
LARGE CAR ORDERS.
The Big Four is having 80 cars made.
and this will probably be increased to 90.
The B. and o. S-W. railroad has already
started its shops at Chillicothe the
work of making about half a hundred
cars.
The order for SIS new cars has gone out
from the Pittsburg headquarters of the
Pennsylvania railroad. These will cost
about $500.009. The coaches and cafe cars
will be built by the Pullman company,
while the combination and baggage cars
The cafe cars will cost $40, 600 each, and
are expected to be the best and most
handsomely equipped which have been
sent ont 0f the ShOT1S