The Topeka state journal., 1906-04-25
Earnings Of Lines Seriously Af-
fected By Earthquake.
Quick RecoupWill Follow if Mer-
chants Begin Business at Once.
DELAY MEANS BIG LOSS
Hauling Relief Free VIII Mean
a Subscription of 81, 900, 900.
Gossip and Matters of Interest
In Railroad Circles.

Chicago. April 25.-Trafic oniciais
of the roads reaching California are
trying to figure out definitely what the
effect Of the San Francisco disaster will
be on the traffic situation as shown in
the final statements of earnings. They
find It difficult to arrive at any definite
conclusion on the subject owing to the
uncertain elements which enter into
the problem.
In some lines of traffic there will be
tremendous increase in the volume to
be transported, while in others there
will be material reductions. If tenn
porary arrangements are made for re-
suming business in San- Francisco at
once, the final outcome may show ma
teria1 gains to the roads in earnings,
but if the burned out merchants wait
for the rebuilding of permanent struc-
lures before attempting to resume their
various enterprises, the loss to the
roads earnings will be heavy.
San Francisco has been the great dis
tr1but1ng center for the entire Pacific
coast. Its merchants have their repre-
sentatives in Oregon and Washington
actively competing with the jobbing
houses of Portland and Seattle and
Tacoma for the trade of these two
states The loss of this distributing
trade in general merchandise is where
the possible damage to the railroads will
come in, and the amount of it will de-
pend wholly on the length of time the
business is suspended. If the period
be short, 1t will be more than Offset by
the tremendous volume of building
materials that must be carried to re-
establish the destroyed city, but If It
be long continued it will be irreparable.
ut appears to me to be impossible
now to arrive at any reliable conclu-
sion on what the final results of the
catastrophe will be to the railroads.
from the standpoint of earnings. said
w. b Biddle third vice president of
the Rock Island. There is no doubt
that for a time at least the loss from
the cessation of the general merchan-
disc trade of San Francisco will be
heavy.
.sOf course If they go ahead and re-
build the city in first class, style. as I
believe they will, adopting all modern
methods and introducing all modern
improvements. new traffic will be
created Dy the transportation of steel.
iron and other building materials that
will be needed. All this building ma
terial will have to be transported from
the east. as the only materials they
have in California are wood and COM
mon brick. However, I look for con-
siderable loss a
s.In my opinion the merchants of san
Francisco viii make arrangements TO re-
sumo business at once" said ?. G. StOhr.
assistant traffic director of the Hartman
lines. They will put up temporary struc-
ration of the city. An their stock has been
wiped out and they will have to order
new supplies from the east That will Gre
ate an immense volume Of traffic in itself
THE temporary structures will be OF
wood, and the shipments of lumber will
help to make good the loss of local traffic
in general merchandise. Then there will
be immense quantities of permanent
building material. of steel, iron. etc, and
the transportation of that will more than
make good our losses.
THE city will rise from its ashes
greater and grander than before. It will
not lose any of its trade, and the fire may
ultimately prove to have been blessing
Few people realize the extent of the
railroads subscription to the relief Of
San Francisco in the way of free trans
portation of supplies.
The Northwestern road has announced
that clothing and supplies consigned to
the American Red Cross Relief associa-
All the other transcOntinental roads are
doing the same thing. It should be under
stood, however, that to obtain free trans
portation all relief supplies must be con-
signed to the American Red Cross Relief
association or some other recognized and
duly authorized relief committee. Supplies
viii ~ be transported free if they are
consigned to private individuals.
It is estimated that the supplies now be-
ing carried by the roads free, would, at
the regular rates. amount to not less than
100000 a day in freight charges and that
this will continue for at least forty days,
so that the subscription of the railroads
to the relief fund will amount to 100000