Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1904-12-23
A DELUGE OF GRAIN
Chicago Having Serious Experience
With Car Shortage - Tremendous
Amount of Grain Awaiting Shipment
to the East and to Seaboard.

WITH Gar shortage - tremendous
Amount of Grain Awaiting Shipment
to the East and to Seaboard.
Chicago, Dec. %. Chicago is ex-
periencing a deluge of grain.
Between 100000 and 100000 bush
els Of the golden product from the
terday to points east of Chicago and
to the seaboard.
All day dealers in grain, influential
members Of the board of trade, and
elevator men besought the traffic off,
Gals of eastern roads for relief. They
found that every scrap of freight
equipment that could be mustered into
service was in use and that 1t was
hopeless to seek more. A careful esti-
mate disclosed the fact that fully s.
900 car loads of grain had been offered
for transportation eastward during the
day and refused by the railroads.
One Of the main eastern trunk line
systems yesterday displayed letters
and messages which called for 1000
cars more than they possessed.
One grain firm alone made a demand
for several hundred cars, and the call
was an urgent one. The head of the
firm told the traffic men of deals just
closed for the purchase of 100000
bushels of corn alone. Other deals OF
less magnitude in corn, wheat, barley,
oats and rye have let loose torrent
OF grain upon Chicago and the eastern
roads have been completely swamped.
The traffic manager of one of the lar
gest eastern railroad systems declared
that Eever in history had he known
such al. enormous quantity Of corn to
be offered for expert so early in the
season.
To make the troubles of the grain
and railroad men even worse. the en-
tire movement of the western grain
crop began at least thirty days earlier
than it was expected. This is said to
be due to the dry weather experienced
during the maturing of the crops,
which resulted in their hardening and
CdlhCl IlAclh AoASaA' ~
western roads are little better off than
their eastern connections They have
issued orders not to permit their cars
to go off their own tracks, and it is
reported that every elevator turnout
the wheat regions Of the west and
northwest is full to bursting.
On all eastern roads grain has been
made preferred traffic with view to
facilitating the movement and secur-
ing equipment. 1t is asserted that IN
the territory between Chicago and the
seaboard there are at this moment co.
600 cars of an average of thirty-f1ve
tons capacity total carrying capac-
ity of 2,1OO, 900 tons, or about 100000
bushels, either engaged in hurrying
grain eastward or returning for addit-
ional loads.
The problem which faces the rail-
roads today is the movement of fully
2,967,075 car loads Of grain within q
comparatively brief period of time.
The magnitude Of the undertaking is
shown by the fact that Of the total pro-
duction of wheat, amounting to over
$50 100000 bushels, it is estimated fully
rs per cent will have to be moved with
the utmost dispatch, and this alone will
require over 45S,325 car loads. To
carry the corn to market will necessi-
tate the movement of at least 1,So0,000;
the oats will require 100000 car load
movements; the barley 100000; the rye
1880 cars.