The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1904-12-29
BIG ANNUAL REVENUE.
Fast Mail Trains Hauled by
Best Locomotives.
New Motive Power Ordered for
Use January /.

Inc coup OF the ROCK railway
In capturing the contracts for the
transportation of the transcontinental
mails from Kansas City to the Pacific
coast has been the cause of consider
able amazement in railway circles
throughout the central west.
The Santa Fe has for so long enjoyed
the handling of the mails to the Pacific
coast through the Kansas City gate
way, that 1t had almost come to be re-
garded that the business belonged TO
that railroad and seemed not to be dis
puted.
The coup was planned and carried
out by, Guy Adams. the new superin-
tendent of mails of the Rock Island
system together with his associates in
the official staff OF the Rock Island in
conjunction with the officials of the
Southern Pacific railway.
Not many years ago Adams began
his first service with any railway at
Eldon. Iowa, with the Rock Island as
e messenger boy at the salary of SIS
per month. He received several pro-
motions and finally left railway service
to enter the railway postal service. He
spent twelve years in the postal ser
vice. the latter part of that period be-
ing at Denver. Colorado. He was
chosen by the Rock Island officials
not long ago to handle the mail bust
ness for that system and his first work
OF especial note was the capturing of
business winch VIII mean q revenue OF
about three-quarters of a million dol
lars to the Rock Island annually. Not
a bad record to start off with.
Recently there appeared in this COL
unn the news of a speed war which
was on between the Rock Island and
the Santa Fe between Chica go and Los
Angeles 1t now develops that the prize
for which the race was being run was
the big mail contracts.
The announcement of the coup came
a surprise to almost every one, it
was so sudden. The Rock Island has
already begun hauling the mails west
from Kansas City which arrive at Kan
SaS City from the east via St Louis
over the Missouri Pacific at 1890 o'clock
every morning. These malls are trans
ferred to the Golden State Limited at
Kansas City and carried to Los An
gsles. reaching that point at 2:45
day instead of at 500 o'clock In the
evening. as they formerly did over the
Santa Fe.
It means a virtual saving of about
Is hours to business men and others in
terested in urgent business and import
ant mail arriving at Los Angeles. Ar
irving at 2:45 O'Clock in the afternoon
st is possible for the mail to be deliver
ed to at least all the business districts
of the city the same afternoon, where
as II could not be delivered by the car
Tiers until the following morning dur
ing the time it was received from over
evening.
By putting on the new California
train which leaves Chicago every morn
ing and leaves Kansas City every even
ing at II o'clock. the Rock Island is
enabled to make direct connection with
the WabaEh mail trains carrying mail
from New York. Washington and st.
Louis to the western coast points. The
Wabash train from the east carrying
the mails from the points mentioned
arrives at Kansas City at 1890 o'clock
IN the evening or in ample time to set
the mail car in place to be attached to
the Rock Island train leaving at IL
o'clock.
This of course must be construed to
mean that the Santa Fe has lost all
the mails. The Santa Fe still has the
bulk of mail originating at Chicago,
and OF course carries the bulk of the
mail through the Kansas City gateway
10 FL Paso and to Old Mexico. The
local mail traffic is also much heavier
on the Santa Fe than it is on the trans
continental line of the Rock Island
south of Harrington, Kansas.
To haul the fast mail trains the Rock
Island has assigned the best locomo-
tives on the system to service over the
respective divisions of the road for use
on the Golden State Limited and on the
e. 70" last California 'fai" known as NO.
The Rock Island is said to have been
contemplating the capture of this mail
with locomotive manufacturing COM
pany for 65 new locomotives to take
care of the mail trains and to provide
for the growing demands of traffic.
It is said that twenty Atlantic type
and ten of the Pacific type of passenger
engines viii be delivered to go into SER
vice on the California trains on jan
uary 1.
New postal car equipment has been
received from the Pullman company
and these new postal cars are already
in use.
Future developments in the competi-
tion for this business between the Rock
Island and the Santa Fe will no doubt
prove interesting. 1t may be that the
fight for the mail traffic will result in
some record breaking time which will
be called for in the matter of arrang-
ing new schedules for daily trains to
the Pacific coast.