The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1907-02-13
RAILROAD NEWS.
The Northwestern Makes a Re-
markablc Record.
Delivered l,O2S Loaded Stock
Cars at Chicago
IN A SINGLE DAY.
Feat Regarded as Phenomenal
in View of Conditions.
Gossip and Matters of Interest
in Railroad Circles.

| Chicago, Feb. 13.-The Chicago &
| Northwestern railroad has established
a new record for live stock traffic by
| bringing to Chicago 1,02S car loads OF
/ stock Monday, the largest amount ever
brought here in a single day by any
/ railroad. The Burlington brought here
| 400 car loads of stock, the st. Paul road
| 335 car loads, the Rock Island 254 car
loads, the Illinois Central 230 car loads,
and the Wisconsin Central so car loads.
At least 20 per cent of the North
westerns 1--we stock deliveries originated
in Iowa and Nebraska, the average
haul being about 400 miles and the av-
erage speed 25 to 80 miles per hour. A
remarkable fact is that all of the 80
trains of live stock were delivered here
before $50 o'clock yesterday morning,
and the last car of live stock was un-
loaded at the Union stock yards before
1890 a. m
The feat of handling such an amount
OF live stock with such expedition is all
the more remarkable from the fact that
the average temperature in Iowa Sun
day was about 10 degrees above zero,
making the test on the motive power
severe one.
Cars Distributed Quickly
Not one of the cars delivered in Chi
cago by the Northwestern road was
ordered by the shippers until Saturday
afternoon. To fill the orders for more
than 1000 live stock cars and to place
them for loading at the various points
on the system required the services of
more than 100 engines Saturday after
noon, Saturday night, and the early
hours of Sunday morning. Not more
than ten cars were loaded at any one
point, and TO pick up all the cars and
assemble them into the 35 trains which
brought the live stock to Chicago neces-
STATED the use of 100 locomotives on the
Iowa divisions and 35 locomotives on
the Galera division.
In order to facilitate the movement
of live stock trains relay engines were
provided at all points where coaling or
watering of engines was necessary. By
this means the average delay of trains
for changing engines was only from two
to five minutes. To water, coal, and
clean fires would have taken ordinarily
about 25 minutes, making a saving in
time at all division terminals and wa
tering tanks of 20 minutes at least on
each stop.
Travelled on Fast Schedule.
Under the block signal system used
on the Northwestern road all the live
stock trains were not less than ten
minutes apart. Not a single mishap
occurred during the entire movement
of the 1,02s car loads of stock. The
average time made was far in excess
of the Is mile an hour speed required
in a bill before the Iowa legislature
governing the transportation of live
stock. The railroads object to some of
the provisions of the bill, chiefly because
it imposes a heavy penalty on a rail-
road for failure to move a single car
of stock a an average rate of Is miles
an hour after being loaded. While all
roads run their live stock trains al an
average rate much faster than Is miles
an hour, they declare that it is not pos
sible to always maintain that rate for
single cars loaded at isolated points. |
AS soon as such cars are made up into |
trains they are rushed to Chicago al |
most on passenger train schedules. In |
fact, live stock trains, particularly II |
cold weather, are given the right of way |
over everything but f1rst-class passen- |
ger trains, and in some cases even take |
of these.
Thinks Hostility to Roads Decreasing. |
Discussing the railway situation |
generally and in Texas particularly, B. |
F. Yoakum, chairman of the executive
committee of the Rock Island-Frisco |
system, said yesterday in Texas:
while the tendency has been to-
ward the reduction of rates, and some
,btectiona BILE legislation has been
enacted, believe a more friendly feel
ng between the people and the rail-