Meade County news. [volume] (Meade, Kan.) 1900-1918, 1907-01-03
too MUCH BUSINESS
RAILROADS. UNABLE TO PROMPT
LY HANDLE ALL FREIGHT
OFFERED.
General Manager Hurley of the Santa
Fe Gives companys Side of
the Story.
FIGURES OF INTEREST TO 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
to 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 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-
lieved 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 SUBJ
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 transporta-
ton. For instance, on the Oklahoma
division of the Santa Fe alone the
cotton shipments so far this year
have been $1,000 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 a 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 consignees to empty
them and turn them back into commits
sion. This is not the fault of the rail-
road. Mr.. ]. Krutschnitt, manager of
maintenance and transportation of the
Southern Pacific, who has been study
ing conditions, finds that in a period
of ten days the shippers held cars
eight days-give to the roads only
two days use of them. He estimates
that if the shippers had given to the
railroad the use of these cars three
days it would have been equal to the
use of 1000 cars. Here is a thought
for shippers.
Speaking of the condition, Mr.. ]. E.
Hurley, General Manager of the Santa
Fe, said to day:
THE car situation, particularly with
reference 10 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:
(A) 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
VI
About one-third of the available
box-car equipment of the Atchison,
Topeka & 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 it was necessary to
forego grain loading for period and
take empties from the grain district
to Kansas City, Chicago and other
large merchandise shipping points for
this loading.
AT the time we had at Chicago 900
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 were
loaded were bad order and could not
NC lCpdll GU promptly, anu III OlhO4 :
the line owning the cars were not will
ing for the cars to be moved away
from their own tracks. We were short
from 35 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
$50 cars there daily, and had as high
as 20 merchandise loads for transfer
in addition to being short rs to sc
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 ant
awaiting its receipt. and also because
HAIonU he blind