The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1905-10-22
RAILROADS AND
PRIVATE LINES
) "A Document Bearing On Ihis
Subject Filed BY Mr. "a. NJ.
Emerson.
IA. C. l. TRAFFIC MANAGER
He Lays Some Interesting Facts
Before the Commerce
Commission.
IA. c. L. TRAFFIC MANAGER
,special 10 The Times-Dispatch)

LII fEncrial TO The
WASH NGTON, October 2l.-A docu-
,nent OF unusual interest in railway rate
discussion and literature on the SUBJECT
because 1t touches intimately the early
history of the relations between private
car lines ana the railways, has been iiled
with the Interstate Commerce Conlmls-
sion by Mr. II. NJ. Emerson. traffic man
ager of the Atlantic Coast Line Ra1lfoaa.
The paper Is furnished for consideration
during the inquiry now preceding be-
+ fore thag 1ntcr- state Commerce Commits
sion.
In his resume of the conditions preva-
lent on the Atlantic Coast Line prior TO
The making OF exclusive contracts be-
tween that road ana the Armour car
& lines Mr.. Emerson states that the snip
,nent of perisha BILE goods such as small
fruits ana berries, vegetables. etc.. be-,
( gun from Charleston, S. c.. to New
York city, possibly as curly as 1s77
They Were Chests.
These fruit shipments consisted niain-
ly Of strawberries They were handled
In what were known as refrigerator
chests" which were furnished by the
shippers.
t-ast'SOrlc OF tRcSe CneSlS,5 Says WI.
son, .'might properly have been called
4 refrigerator cars. as they were mounted
OF. wheels and pulled onto llat3cars or#in
q boy ears: others were much smaller and
ronld be lifted or moved in handItrucis.
& The ice-box was in the top, and the
chests were iced before leaving Charles
ton. and MS they passed Portsmouth,
va. the movement being by steamers
sfrom Portsmouth s5
At this time tie freight rates were
determined on tho basis per hundred
nonnds. IN: at ali times the classified
lion charges covered only the Transport
5# tation movement, the shippers having
made their own arrangements as to-
refrigeration
Concern of Shippers.
M From this point Mr.. Emerson traces
the history of the refrigerator car on
3 Southern lines In order to show that
Z from that time to the present the mat.
ter of Refrigeration was always one with
which the shippers had to deal directly,
and was never business of the rail-
road itself.
About 1879 or 1850 Charleston. S. Co
shippers arranged to supply the new
York markets by securing some SIX or
eight cars from the Seaboard Air Line
and fitted these cars with tho necessary
ice boxes at their own expense. Inc
icing of these cars at Charlesson ana
the reicing at Wilmington. y. G., was
done under the direction and at the eS-
pense OF the shippers, and at Ports
mouth the shipments We're transferred
to rcfrigerators on the Old Dominion
steamers. where they again supplied the
ice at their own expense. Nothing was
collected by the transportation lines for
refrigerator.
Shipments Of Berries.
About 1889 or 1890 strawberry growing
was commenced on what was then
known as the wilmington and Weldon
Railroad" the berry section being limited
to a few sections between Goldsboro and
Wilmington The California Fruit
Transportation Company undertook TO
furnish refrigerator cars and refrigera-
ton for this traffic. The shippers PAID
the cost of the refrigeration and me
railroads participated In the agreement
only far enough to collect the refrigera-
lion charges as an accommodation 10
the shippers and the Refrigerator Car
4 Company
Mr.. Emerson files table, showing that
prior TO 1894 the refrigeration charges
were sixty-four cents per crate. This
was reduced in 1885 and 1899 TO as low
as 80 cents per crate to points south
of New York city and includins