Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1905-06-13
W. S. Boyle Coal and Mining com.

W. S. Boyle Coal and Mining com.
pany, Glendora shaft.
T. C. Keller & Co, Virginia shaft.
North Jackson Mill Coal Mining
company, ST. Clair shaft.
Union Coal company, shaft /.
Sullivan County Coal company, Hy.
mera shaft.
These mines are located on the Ev.
ansville & Terre Haute and the South.
ern Indiana railroads, and have pro.
ducing capacity of 10000 tons daily
In addition to these mines are those
of the Rock Island Coal company at
Gable and Sherrard, Ill. The latter
company also owns and operates
mines in Indian Territory and the
southwest
The Rock Island mines in Illinois
and Indiana are now producing about
5000 tons daily, but within short
time additional mines will be opened
and the daily production increased to
10000 tons daily or nearly 100000
tons annually.
The management of the Rock Island
system declares that the coal com.
panies will be under separate man.
agement and will receive no favors
from the railroad company which will
not be given to all the coal shippers
along the line. The Rock Island sys-
tenn has over 5000 miles Of track
north of the Missouri state line and
west Of the Mississippi river and 1t is
this territory that it proposes to sup.
ply with soft COAL Heretofore the
dealers in that territory have had to
depend mainly on the lake lines for
eastern soft coal and the supply has
been uncertain, while prices have been
excessive whenever the eastern de.
mand was great
The Rock Island management be.
lieves that by supplying all the coal
needed at low rates the industrial de-
velopment of Iowa, Minnesota, Wis
consin and the northwest will be
greatly increased with the result that
the Rock Island will make large gains
in many kinds Of traffic, as we'll as
coal.
To demonstrate what 1t proposes to
do in the coal business, the Rock Is-
land has invited the principal coal
dealers in Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa
and other states to inspect the mines
along the Rock Island and Eastern
Illinois roads. The ten cars, which ar
rived in Chicago recently from st.
Paul. stopping en- route at the Mar.
quette and La Sale coal fields in I'LL
nois. The special train left there for
Evansville via the Eastern Illinois
road. A day was spent inspecting the
coal fields in Sullivan county, just ac.
quired by the Rock Island company.
Another day the Williamson county
fields were visited.
In anticipation of it's Increased coal
traffic, the Rock Island has pur-
chased 500 coal cars of $4,000 pounds
capacity and placed orders for soy.
eral hundred more cars. The CON-
pany has also purchased lis new loco.
motives, most of them for freight serv.
ice.
Wabash Air Brake Car.
The Wabash air brake car is now en-
route over the system in charge Of a
competent instructor, whose duty It is
to bring the employees OF the road,
conductors, brakemen, engineers and
firemen to certain proficiency in the
manipulation OF the air brake. The
car is well fitted for the necessary
demonstrations, being supplied with a
complete equipment Of every piece of
machinery of which the employees
ought to have thorough understand
ing.
The car is the finest IN the country
and was fitted out by the Wabash
railroad regardless of expense. No
tuition fee is charged the employees, it
being their privilege to educate them.
selves without expense and the low.
est salaried man has the same oppor-
tunity as the one drawing the highest
wages.
The result is that the Wabash rail
road has an army Of practical, efficient
men in charge Of their engines and
trains, offering the travelling public
the greatest possible safety, while the
cost Of maintaining the coach and pay
ing the salary Of competent instruc-
tor is saved many times over in wear
and tear on the company's engines
and other property.