The Montgomery advertiser., 1906-12-18
WEATHER
RAILROADS ARE RUSHING COAL
 THROUGH NORTHWEST.
If BIixzarda Come Up Tn Next Few Days, Suffering and Loss of Life
 Will Be En-
 tailed.

Minneapolis, Minn., Dec. 17.--Investi- gation of the present fuel famine crisis in the Northwest may not step with the investigation of the Intertats Commerce Commission, now on in Min neApolis.
 It is probable now that in every af- fected State, but notably in Minnesota, North and South Dakota and Montana, the subject will be made a matter for legislative investigation. Northwest. ern coal dealers have indicated to the large shippers here that they plan to stir up an official investigation in their States Towns that are suffering now, or have been held in the grip of winter and the famine, are laying their cases before their legislators and are asking that the subject be brought up at the coming sessions of the State Legisla- lures and action taken to prevent q repetition.
 The race is on between the railroads and the cold. If the weather wins. cutting down the efficiency of motive power and bringing on heavy blizzards, there will be suffering and loss of life. But reports today indicate that the railroads are rushing fuel into the dis tricts where there is either an actual want or stocks are low.
 A Grand Forks (N. D. special says that the Great Northern officials say the coal shortage at Great Northern points in this State will be a thing of the past in a very few days. Coal is being shipped to points west and north of this city.
 F. K. Lane and James S. Harlan of the Interstate Commerce Commission, opened the investigation here today of railroads in the Northwest for inabil- ity in handling the crop and general business along their lines, and the ex- isting car shortage. Commissioner Lane states that the present inquiry would be further prosecuted in other parts of the country,t
 L. T. Janime, Secretary of the Min neapolis Chamber of Commerce, submit ted a lengthy statement of shipments by all railroads operating in the Northwest, from 1903 to date. The comparison by years showed that for some reason that has not yet aevel- oped, the movement of the crop this year had fallen off many millions of bushels compared with those of previ- ous years.
 o. J. Major of Hope, N. D., Secretary of the Minnesota Farmers Exchange. which owns half a dozen houses Tn Minnesota and stock in twenty-seven elevators in North Dakota, told of tn- ability to get cars He thought the railroads, when they did get cars, gave preference to line" elevators.
 lit puzzled the attorneys and judges of the commission in the afternoon ses- sion just a little why it was that tt took a freight car on the average about thirteen days to make a trip which could be made at a ten mile rate in twenty-five hours. The first railroad representative to be put on the witness stand was E. c. Blanchard, division superintendent of the Northern Pacih; :; at Duluth.
 MT Blanchard declared that freights moved on the average of ten miles an hour and then testified that he thought that from ten to fifteen days was not too great at time to allow for car to make distance of 250 miles.
 He explained this by stating that hot boxes frequently delayed the pre- gress of a car and that various other causes contributed to tho delay of the car in transit. According to his testi- mony it would not be uncommon for a freight car to move from point to point at the rate of little less than 8 mile per hour.