The Dickinson press. (Dickinson, Stark County, D.T. [i.e. N.D.]) 1883-1927, 1907-09-14
STOCK TRAINS
RUN FASTER 5
Northern Pacific Service
Much Better. Than Last
/ Year. Some Stock In
spectlon a Farce, Says
J.. e. PheIan.

occurred that few at least should be set
down in praise or blame.
Equipment and crew were on time
early in the morning and four cars of
sheep were in the yards to precede the
loading of cattle. Car repairers were on
hand busy repairing apparent defects.
When double decks were to be loaded,
there was no runway on hand for the
sheep and "cuss" words were in order,
but while the agent was appealed to
to get an order for the carpenters to
make one and he was prompt in making
out an order, the train conductor was
even more prompt and had rustled plank
and cross pieces and made one. So by
the time the order was in evidence the
sheep were moving into the upper decks.
Such work does fellow good and the
conductor, whose name is Carey-raised
down at Mandan-is the kind of material
to keep on hand to show that single
track railway, properly manned, can do
more business than a double track poorly
managed. The brakemen were alive
and not afraid to work, while the engine
crew missed noFsignals and moved and
stopped with precision.
In the course of loading the cattle, one
bad blot occurred when I. L. James, who
misrepresents the Bureau of Animal In
dustry, would not pass seven cars of cat
tie recently purchased, except as unin-
tspected and exposed, though the cattle
had been dipped twice under the direc-
tion Of representatives of the Bureau of
Animal Industry and were clean in every
way. The inspector at South St. Paul
could not find anything the matter with
them, excepting that they were billed ex-
posed. With DR.. McBurney at Chicago,
we finally found the steer on which Mr..
James based his verdict and on close
examination he pronounced it dry scurf
with no unclean symptoms. But the cat
tie had been placed under the official ban
of suspicion and the damage was irrepa-
Erable, excepting forthe man who bought
them for feeders. The men employed
by the Bureau of Animal Industry are
uniformly intelligent, gentlemanly fell
lows, but now and then an incompetent
works in and acts the bull in the china
shop.
On this basis understand the yards at
Hebron were quarantined, subjecting
other shippers to delay and loss in con-
sequence. But the James story is to be
continued later and doesn't properly be-
long here.
When the train was loaded, orders were
promptly obtained and the run was made
terminal connection within twenty-eight
hours and often more were used in the
same distance.
This train remained in the Fargo yard
only twenty minutes. There was not a
hot box on the train during the entire
trip to Chicago. At Staples the usual
two hours were used. The car repairers
had missed rotten planks in one of the
car floors and COW had been riding
number of miles straddle of the sills. It
was dead at Chicago and got So for it
after paying $3.50 for freight and feed.
Here Stewart and his man got in the car,
tailed out the COW, took a few of the
loose boards off the car roof and covered
up the hole, while awaiting the car re-
pairers, who were consulting their fears
and other things before material was fur
nished for the boys to nail to the sills so
the car could proceed. Next another
car was to be set out because two draft
timber bolts were broken, and again
Stewart got into the car while the timid
car boys drove the broken bolts up to
him and he inserted the new bolts in
stead. 1t might have been lots worse,
but it was different from our man Careys
work at Hebron. 1t takes them too long
to think about things at Staples before
they get action. Somehow stock trains
hang up there indefinitely. know mine
did last year and are starting in the
samethis year.
One of the boys told me at Fargo that
dead freight trains were going over the
Fargo division this year in eight hours,
whereas last year thirty hours was not
uncommon. Under Carver, the new
superintendent, there is smiling push
that makes for efficient service.
believe that under such circumstances
Mr.. Bum can gather statistics this year
from the single track and semi-double
track that will put his last years figures
in the shade. With a properly adjusted
drag, handled by one Of William Moir's
engines in proper repair in fact, instead
of on paper, getting over the ninety-three
miles in eight hours instead of thirty,
means three times the efficiency of in.
competent practice, and shippers as well
as railroads profit thereby.
But we met our Waterloo at South St.
Paul and it was sixteen hours from the
time of N. P. delivery to the time of
yarding our cattle for rest and feed-a
damnably demoralizing condition to run
up against.
want to predict here and now that the
G. M. & st. p. Ry., with its system ar
ranged as it is to avoid unloading of
stock at St. Paul, destined to Chicago
market, can command and hold 100 per
cent of shipments. loaded within distance
to reach Chicago within a 3o.hour run.
Nh NohOC1v wants 10 90 "a Twin Citv