The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1905-10-11
MOVING THE CROPS.
IL iarvests Were Loaded on one Train it
Would be 12, 900 Miles Long.
Atlanta Constitution.

Chicago, September 30.-This is
the season Of the year when Ameri-
can railroads are taxed TO their ut
most, for the autumn days are the
time when the crops are moved. Few
realize the extent Of the railroad
mans problem, yet some idea Of it's
magnitude may be gained from a
statement Of the value Of the coun-
try agricultural products. This year
the grain crops will approximate ST..
100000, ,0GG a value, u sum four times
that Of the national debt ard suf1i-
cient TO give every man, womsn and
child in the country $50. thirds
Of this crop will be fed to live stock or
moved to mills by wagons Ia the dis
tricts in which it is grown, but the re-
naming third viii travel to every part
Of the world, and it is in the moving
of this part that the railroad man finds
his great task.
This year will see crops Of such size
that that part which comes to the
railroad will aggregate 1900. 900 car
loads Of freight, for the moving Of
which at one time nearly 3S, 600 loco.
motives would be required. These
cars and locomotives, if placed in a
single train, would reach half way
around the world, and since the sup
ply Of freight cars in this country is
only trihe in excess Of 1900, 900
with something like Al, ,U0O locomo-
tives, one may imagine the w. les Of
the railroad man in moving q single
item Of freight amounting in volume
to nearly the total capacity Of the roll
ing stock of all the country's rail-
roads. To the railroad man it is q
game Of chess played on a, board 5000
miles square, with freight trains for
pieces to be moved hither and thither
in hundred mile jumps.
Let the average citizen picture him
self as confronted with this problem,
Hith the necessity Of moving each
year within limited period l,5O0,0
car loads Of grain. It sounds simple
enough to talk of sending trains to
those points from which grain ship
msa.s will be heaviest, but when it is
remembered that all this grain must
be moved without disturbing other
shipping, the average citizen doubt
less would be nonplussed with the
problem which confronted him, aud
ready to admit the necessity of won.
derPul system develope& by men with
gears and years Of experience and
training.
The railroad man in attacking the
problem, understands the situation
thoroughly. He has given amount
Of freight to move, with given fa,ili-
tieR. He is backed by system evol-
we'd from years Of training aud expert
ence, system which has built up
American railroads until they lead the
world, with rates from two to three
times lower than those obtained in
any other country, aud being free
from government regulation he finds
that elasticity so necessaryif changing
conditions are to be met. The rail-
road man understands, too, that his
prosperity depends upon the prosper
itys Of the farmer, and that in order to
move; the crops or indeed even to
make their production attractive to
the farmer, rates must be made suffi.
oiently low to allow An, ,rioau grain
to reach all tho markets Of the world.
The railroad man and the farmer
really cooperate, and it is extremely
difficult if not impossible, to distin-:
aguiah just whero the function Of the
Z. former begins or that Of the latter
= ends. .s#.F,$S>:.T #F,$S >:5.T ..: ~,.-:.'. i.
g.. Every ono knows that the Ameri.
can farmer comes pretty near being
lord Of ,oreation, since he feeds not
only this country, but even people 10
J: other patts Of the world which pro-