The Globe-republican., 1906-12-27
TOO MUCH BUSINESS
RAILROADS UNABLE TO PROMPT
~ HANDLE ALL FREIGHT
OFFERED.
General Manager Hurley Of the Santa
Fe Gives Company's Side of
the Story.
FIGURES or INTEREST 10 ALL.

The bother Of the operating depart
ment OF the Atchison, Topeka & San
ia Fe railway, and of all western rail
/ roads for that matter, just now, is the
lack of equipment to handle the crops
of Kansas and Oklahoma and of the
west generally. The congestion seems
10 grow worse instead of better. New
locomotives and new box cars come
from the manufacturers weekly, but
| freight continues to pile up at sta
lions.
A few days ago, to move perishable
freight which was accommodating at
Chicago and Kansas City, hurry or
der was made to send to those cities
all the empty box cars available. 1t
was a case of necessity and the order
was obeyed on all divisions. The re-
suit was increased congestion of
freight in Kansas and Oklahoma.
However, the congestion has been re-
lleved somewhat at Chicago and Kan
sas City, and soon these cars will be
available west OF the Missouri river.
In the meantime, shippers along the
line have been complaining and the
local newspapers are full of the sub
ject. But the railway company Is do
ing the best It can. 1t cannot per-
form the impossible. The existing
condition is something unprecedented
In the history Of railroad transports
ton. For instance, on the Oklahoma
division of the Santa Fe alone the
cotton shipments so far this year
have been 10000 bales in excess of
shipments in the same period last
year. This means the use of 240 cars
more for this commodity than were
used for the same purpose last year;
this in territory served by COM
paratively short section Of road. In
corn, and wheat, the increase is even
greater.
The trouble, however, Is not to be
charged wholly to lack Of equipment.
Consignees might relieve the conges-
ton If they would unload cars ex-
peditiously. For instance, there are
to-day $4,000 loaded cars in Galveston
awaiting for conslgnees to empty
them and turn them back into commits
sion. This is not the fault of the rail-
road. Mr.. J. Krutschnitt, manager of
maintenance and transportation of the
Southern Pacific, who has been study.
ing conditions, finds that in period
of ten days the shippers held cars
eight days-give to the roads only
two days use of them He estimates
that IL the shippers had given to the
railroad the use Of these cars three
days 1t would have been equal to the
use of $1,000 cars. Here Is a thought
for shippers.
Speaking of the condition, Mr.. J. E.
Hurley, General Manager of the Santa
Fe, said to-day:
"The car situation, particularly with
reference to box-cars, has been the
cause OF much anxiety in the operat-
ing department of the Santa Fe for
the past sixty, and especially, the last
thirty days. This has been due to
several causes; notably:
tA) Inability to obtain the return
of equipment that had been delivered
to other lines in the regular inter-
change OF business.
OBJ Delay OF consignees in unload
ing of equipment.
About one-third Of the available
box-car equipment of the Atchison,
Topeka G. Santa Fe Railway Company
is now on foreign lines. 1t Is of first
Importance to the largest number of
people served by Railway Company
that merchandise loading shall be
taken care OF. These are commodities
that are necessary for the sustenance
and comfort of the people.
THE latter part of November the
car situation became so acute in the
larger cities that 1t was necessary to
forego grain loading for a period and
take emptles from the grain district
to Kansas City, Chicago and other
large merchandise shipping points for
this loading.
AT the time we had at Chicago 300
carloads OF merchandise and other
commodities for loading and transfer.
The transfer loads could not come
through to destination ON our line for
various reasons. In some cases the
cars Of other lines In which they we're
loaded were bad order and could not
be repaired promptly, and In others
the line owning the cars were not will.
ing for the cars to be moved away
from their own tracks. We were short
from IS to rs cars daily for loading at
the freight house; these loads being
chiefly merchandise.
"At Kansas City the situation was
much the same. We were short rs to
1850 cars there daily, and had as high
as 70 merchandise loads for transfer
in addition to being short rs to so
cars for similar loading at the ware
house platform.
Not only must the merchandise be
handled promptly because Of Its neces-
sity to the people depending upon and
awaiting its receipt. and also because
Plans Colony for the Blind.
Mira Fra nna Enoru m Auarioon