The Topeka state journal., 1905-08-14
RAILROAD NEWS.
Superintendent DOlan's New
System of Checking Cars.
Will Use the Telegraph to Keep
Track of Trains.
FORCE Is INCREASED.
New System Doubles Number of
Employees in DOlan's Office.
Gossip and Matters OF Interest
in Railroad Circles.

The manner and method of checking
cars which. the Rock Island has been
using will be changed in the near fu-
ture and trains will be kept track Of
by telegraph. Heretofore mail service
has been depended upon to give infor-
nation of the whereabouts of freight
but this has found to be very unsatis-
factory well as slow and inconveni-
ent for the shipper.
BY the installation of this new sys-
tenn the Office force of Mr. Dolan, gen
eral superintendent of the southwest
district, will be doubled and 10 or II new.
clerks will be added to the department.
Mr.. Dolan said of the new system this
morning:
BY the new system we will be able
to keep track of every car on the dis
trlct and we will have definite know
ledge of the location Of any car that is
wanted. 1t will avoid the delays which
occur at present from cars being over
looked by the yardmasters and allowed
to stand idle on some sidetrack for
three or four days. The system will
permit us to give to our patrons better
service in handling freight as we will
know just where their goods are and
can direct shipment much more quickly.
Five minutes after a trains arrival at
the district terminal and five minutes
after its departure we will receive tele-
graphic advice informing US of it. The
work of the department will be carried
on in much more thorough manner
ana While the system is expensive it
Will enable the company to give better
service to shippers
1t is now almost certain that the Of
flee of the superintendent of the Kan
SaS division of the Rock Island will be
changed to Herington before very long.
General Manager Dan E. Cain, who re-
turned yesterday from st. Louis where
he was attending a meeting of the rep
resentatives of the nine railroads which
are forming a company for the erection
of a union depot at Memphis, Tenn,
said of the proposed Herington change:
1T is probable that the change will be
made and that the Offices of the super
moved to Herington. That would be
the logical place for the Office because
from that point Rock Island lines run
out in four directions, the Fort Worth
branch running south, the Ell Paso di-
vision running southwest, the Salina
branch extending northwest and the
main line going east. Then another
reason for the change is the lack of
office room here. When Mr.. Dolan's Of
flee is doubled we will be too crowded to
accommodate them all. 1t will not be
necessary for us to erect any new Of
fees at Herington as there is plenty of
room there already. It may be that in
time we will have to fit another floor
to this building which we could do very
easily by putting in suitable ventila-
tion facilities on the upper floor. But
that is altogether indefinite as is only
one of the ways which we had thought
of to increase the office room. The re-
moval of the Kansas superintendent's
office to Herington will not mean the
employment of a less number of clerks
in this office as the additional clerks
which will be employed by Mr.. Dolan
will more than offset the number that
will be transferred to Herington, so in
the end more clerks will be located
here"
morning to look over the ground and
make arrangements for the change. 1t
will probably be six weeks before the
office is changed as that time will elapse