The San Francisco call., 1907-02-10
Gossip of the Doings
of Railroad Men

1.-The dual ownership of the North
western Pacific is not exactly pleasing
to the people along that railroad" said
contracting freight agent yesterday.
Santa Rosa is the great trading market
for Sonoma and Mendocino counties,
and many carloads are shipped from
that city. The shipper now complains
strenuously against being obliged to
wait for weeks for cars, especially
when demurrage Isl charged after the
cars have been four days away from
the Southern Pacific rails. regardless
of whether the delay in loading is
caused by the Northwestern Pacific or
not. No foreign cars originate on the
system, but all must be ordered through
the Southern Pacific and must all be
delivered by that line to the North
western Pacific at Schellyille. This
seems singular In view of the fact that
the Southern Pacific and the Santa Fe
both occupy joint yards with the North
western Pacific in San Francisco"
He is a resourceful conductor and he
works on the Southern Pacific between
Sacramento and Oakland. His train
was deadheading a car from the capital
city on Friday. but the brakeman
thoughtlessly left the car door open and
j. V. McGill of the Rock Island and
Jay Adams of the Nickel Plate pro-
ceeded to make themselves Comfortable.
Their example was followed by others,
and finally the car was well filed. Each
woman had seat for herself and an
other for her bundles
This car is being deadheaded."
shouted the conductor. and none can
ride in it.
The women smiled and spread their
skirts. The men laughed. The con-
ductor went away. Then he returned
and beloved: Il want 10 tell you all
that this car is quarantined. 1t had a
man in it with the smallpox. and 1t is
being taken to Oakland to get fumi-
gated" and he ran from the car.
There was a shout and a scream.
Women fed. leaving their bundles be-
hind them. Men, too, made a dash for
the door-aH except Adams and Nc
Gill.
1T may have carried a man with the
smallpox, the bubonic plague, measles.
scarletina and every other disease un-
der heaven. but we won't budget" they
both exclaimed.
McGD1 and Adams are sorry for hav-
ing repeated the story at home, as
their families insisted on their being
fumigated because the conductor might
have told the truth.
"A peculiar situation has followed the
southern part of the State" remarked
railroad man. Formerly the stand
ard Oil Company loaded west from
Whiting, Ind. large number of com
bination cars with oil in bulk con-
tanned in the tanks and oil in cases in
the middles of the cars. The develop
ment in the south. however, and the
erection of the refineries have caused
an almost total cessation of the move
ment of combination cars westbound
There are a number of linseed oil and
cocoanut oil producers around the bay
who have been using the tanks OF these
combination cars on return trips to
carry their products East and compete
with Eastern manufacturers The with
drawal is forcing shippers to load their
commodities In barrels in boxcars and
the price of cooperage is so high as to
nullify any profit"
]. D. McGiil. travelling freight agent
of the Rock Island system. who has lust
returned from a trip through the north
ern part Of the State, said yesterday:
1t viii pay any one TO see what is
being done by the Northern Electric
are running their trains into Groville
and are pushing ahead the work so as
10 lose no time in reaching Sacramento
Their trains are doing good deal of
local business and 1t is said the
line has been a paying property
from the very commencement They
intend TO have as fine road
as there is anywhere In the State.
and their fiatcars are hauling from
the hydraulic mines near Oroville
rocks to be used for ballastfng.
They are also installing a rock crush
er so as to break up the rock for fine
ballast. and they aim 10 have1the road
free of dust
Epes Randolph wired E E. Calvin.
general manager OF the Southern Pa
eific, yesterday that $4,000 yards of
rock had been dumped into the break
of the Colorado River that there had
been sudden rise of eight inches Of
water. and that the situation was fair
~ satisfactory. He also wired thar
there was 1900 feet of water a see
ond passing Yuma. Of which IL 900 was
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