Lewiston inter-state news. [volume] (Lewiston, Idaho) 1905-1906, 1905-04-14

"Consignees are advised of the To-
ca ton and progress of their ship
ments.
We figure that a shipper is entitled
to know exactly what is being done
with his goods. We have tried to make
our records and methods conform to
this idea. with a view of giving the
man who pays the freight as complete
information as is possible
This relates however merely to NOV
ing cars. To know what and where
these cars are is different problem
Trains reaching destination instantly
lose their identity and the 40 to SO
cars move in as many different di-
rections.
Two thousand cars come to the
Northern Pacific every day and ap-
proximately two thousand cars are
sent off the line each day yet not one
gets lost. The tracing and checking
system has been reduced to such ac-
curacy that errors are improbable.
In the record department there is
an immense case containing IL large
books giving the history of each car
the Northern Pacific owns from the
day the builders delivered it to date,
with every accident. repair or incident
of it's life carefully entered. There is
also a complete record Of car seals
which shows when and where car
doors were opened and whether or not
cars were broken into en- route This
enables the department to readily de-
tect thefts.
Handling passenger ears and trains
is somewhat different question. In
Mr.. Richards Office there is an i'm :
cred with queer colored pegs. Each
peg represents a car. Color indicates
class and the serial arrangement of the
pegs a train or number of trains. Each
passenger train moving over the sys-
TEN, and there are 10 North Coast
Limited's." and the same number for
each of the other overland trains con-
stantly in motion, is shown on this
board. Every car is shown. If a car
is dropped en- route or picked up en-
route peg is dropped or added. a
glance gives graphic picture of the
entire passenger train situation. the
location of each train and it's progress.
of reports by telegraph the board gives
every minute detail of the days pas
senger train movements. Little boxes
arranged to represent a train and con-
tanning pegs which represet the cars
in the train contain special informa =
ton in the form OF report slips.
Mr.. Richards asks: What equip
Portland yesterday and where is the
train?" The operator instantly gives
the location, the engine, coach equip
ment and any fact which may throw
light upon the trains movements.
Thousands upon thousands of car
reports come into headquarters each
| week. each sitting to the proper man
and finding it's final resting place in
! the proper cabinet or record.
With the infinite variety of report
land seeming confusion one wonders
| that anything like system is ever
evolved yet the entire mass of reports
moves under a simple and most firmly
| established system. No variations
from the rule are permitted. Reports
must come in the prescribed form and
at the prescribed time else some has a
bad quarter of an hour ION the car
pet" with the 'old man." Rigid disci-
pline and simplicity underly the appar-
| eut confusion and result in herdinv this
thousands of cars watchfully, carefully
exactly. There are no estrays.
The days when maverick" cars ex-
listed have passed. Cars cost too much
and lost ears are a money burden daily
upon the road on which they were los,
until q nroner accounting is made