The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1906-12-08
TAKES r DAYS TO
TRAVEL 800 MILES
500 Car No. 1858 Holds Record
for Not Arriving with Load
z..s of Wheat.
Coast Lumbermen Will Find Out
Why They Are Denied Ship
ping Facilities.

I
If the railroads. could not. get enough
cars to handle the crop, why did they
not make the best use Of the cars they
had? E3|1sS 50
This is one Of the questions the answer
to which will be- sought in the inter
state commerce commission hearing to
begin in Minneapolis a week from next
Monday. @E@ IN - ~
If the investigators desire, they can
have the story Of car No. 1858, loaded
out of the Regan & Lyness elevator at
den is on the 500 and is not COMPETE
tive point. =.
Annals Of Car No. 1858.
Car No. 1858 was filled with durum
wheat and was started on it's way to
Duluth, where the wheat Was to be
shipped down the lakes: Vs.. =,
Weeks passed; the campaign came
on and was fought to.a finish; people
discarded their straw hats and covered
1888 was in the H5tto arrive, class.
On Nov. Z the belated car Of durum
was sighted at Duluth and unloaded
there the same day. 1T had taken lust
seventy-two days for the car to cover
the distance between Fessenden and
Duluth-about 800 miles.
Lumbermen in Game. ~
Now that investigation is assured,
shippers are expressing themselves more
freely and the extent of the freight
tieup is being better defined The west
coast lumbermen purpose to have an
agitation Of their own, and have al
ready appropriated fund to pay for
collecting evidence which will be laid
before the interstate commerce commits
sion, and the railway commission Of the
state Of Washington. Some time ago
when al loading order was issued by the
railroads, which the lumbermen deemed
unjust, they prepared their case and
presented it at a friendly conference
between the lumber and railroad inter-
ests. Immediate relief was the result.
In the5present instance, however, ac-
.cordlng to the Mississippi Valley tum-
berman,$ the exasperations Of the sit
nation with regard to "a supply of cars
with which to move humber from the
west coats mills to eastern territory has
relief 50 poorly PEI tsa S that frien q
ly means do not seem to suffice, and
the coast 1umbeT1nen have finally de-
clded to take the question before the
commerce commission and the
railway commission of the state of
W ashlngton When it comes to shat,
the situation must be pretty bad 4sand
r.. Will Gather Evidence.
."At the recent monthly meeting of
the Pacific Coast Lumber Manufacture
ers association held week before last
at Seattle, a fund was provided to paw
the expenses Of the suit, on the recon-
mendation Of the chairman of the com
mlttee appointed at a previous meet
ing to devise ways and means for Sc
curing relief. The first work will be
the gathering Of evidence, enough of
which has already been secured to con
vince the committee that the railroads
can be compelled to furnish more equip
ment. -
"Statistics were quoted showing that
the average movement of freight cars
last year was only sixty-one miles a
day. The chairman also stated that
there were undoubtedly some mill men
who did not care to ally themselves
with the movement for fear the rail
roads would take it out on them. but
making it an association affair put
them all in the same boat, and the
roads would hardly dare pursue such a
policy affecting all the members of the
association, even if they were 50 dis
posed. The shingle mills bureau has
joined hands with the lumber associa-
ton, and it is proposed to carry the
matter to fnish.' @ -