The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1903-02-09
Railroads Have Great Difficulty in
Getting Shipments Through
=, to Destinations.
Minneapolis Millers Fare Better
Than Outsiders, but Begin
to Feel the Pressure.

Loyalty to Minneapolis on the part of
the railroads has thus far saved the city's
greatest industry from being crippled Up
to noon to-day the principal flour mills
of the Pillsbury-Wa company, of
the, Washburn- Crosby company, and FIVE
Of the eight mills Of the Consolidated Mill
ing company were in operation. The
smaller individual mills are grinding. How
soon all the mills may close no one can
tell, but 1t is gratifying to local millers
to know that, bad conditions are, they
are better here than might have been
expected in view Of a situation that is
gradually extending and paralyzing the
entire milling industry Of the west,
In Milwaukee the Daisy Roller mill and
the Gem mill closed yesterday. The mill
of the Duluth Flour Mill company at Mil
waukee closed to-day. In st. Louis the
alarmed. All through Iowa, Indiana and
southern Wisconsin the situation is far
from satisfactory. Country mills are clos
ing everywhere. G"}ia}
| The roads have. done well by Minneapo-
| lis under the circumstances, and millers
are not disposed to criticize.
| Roads Take Action.
Early this morning the railroads began
posting notices on change. J. A. Parker,
general agent of the Burlington, sent over
a notice that no billing would be accepted
for Burlington cars beyond the territory
of that road: F. L. Richards, assistant
superintendent Of the Rock Island, posted
notice that the road could take no freight
in Rock Island cars beyond it's own rails.
r. G. Brown, local Rock Island agent,
posted notice of charge of IS on every
! car coming to Minneapolis and recon
signed to-. ST.. Paul or the Minnesota
/ Transfer. A. L. Scott of the Terminal
I Dispatch association posted a long no
tiee calling the attention of shippers to
the new restrictions and cautioning them
to be governed accordingly.
James s. Bell, president of the Wash
burn Crosby com pany, said this morning
1.-THE situation is not materially changed
! We are operating our mills The. bao
| feature about it is the uncertainty. While
we are able to get through from day te
day. we have no assurance that we may
not have to close eventually"
James Quirk, the owner of country mill:
at Waterville, Mimi, and other points
j says the country mills are now feeling thu
situation keenly. All old business meth
DDS have been upset by the new condi
tions. The Waterville mill has been put
ting eastern and foreign business through
Peoria with some success Mr.. Quirk ha+
coal on hand, bought last summer, ant
with the advance in fuel this coal coult
pc shipped into Minneapolis and sold a
profit, and there would be no great los
in closing the mill during present bad con
/ -
largely out of consideration for the EN-
ployes. H. H. King & Co. and D. M
Baldwin, Jr, owners of country mills re
port conditions very serious
Seymour Carter, who operates mill a
Hastings. Mimi, said this morning tina
though hts plant was in operation condl
lions were very unsatisfactory and uncer
tain. Some -four shipments have been GU
for weeks and have not yet reached thei
Il destinations and buyers are flooding tn
e milling office with kilograms of inquiry.
$ One Hundred Days Out.
d L. Christian, of the Christian Millin
: company. says the local individual mill
are faring neither better nor worse tina
e the large groups under one management
s Mr. Christian recalled an instance Of
n shipment of flour 100 days out of Mime
d apolis and yet undelivered. Much of tn
: business rushed out via Duluth just be
It fore the close Of navigation was stalled a
,. Buffalo
Ell The head of the sales department OF tn
t Washburn- Crosby company was awakene
e late Saturday night by an urgent messae
. from the east asking him to use his pei
sonal efforts to get a shipment to a poir
d entirely out of flour. Yet the merchar
r asking help had twenty cars coming fro1
e a winter wheat mill in Kansas overdu
: fifteen days, which shows that condition
) elsewhere are as bad or worse than her
o The Washburn- Crosby company report
q that West Virginia and Pennsylvania al
bare Of -four except for stocks in fe
large centers. There is flour enough e
route but 1t Is not getting through. Ur
less the railroads do better there will
serious conditions there later. The Bait
1t more & Ohio road has raised the en-
s. barge and in view Of the urgency Of tt
situation is now taking flour for all poin
IN ifS line