Cameron County press. [volume] (Emporium, Cameron County, Pa.) 1866-1922, 1907-01-17
DR.. LEON REX FELT,
DENTIST.
ROCKWELL BLOCK, Emporium, Pa
WASHINGTON LETTER.
From our Regular Correspondent

Washington, Jan. IL, 1907.
Worse reports are received daily
by the Interstate Commerce Com
mission as to the fuel famine that
is affecting the northwest. North
Dakota is the worst sufferer. and
Senator Hansborough has been in
receipt OF score Of messages show
ing that the situation there is
about as bad as it could be in q
civilized country. Towns with as
many as 2500 inhabitants report
that they are without a pound Of
coal, and beg for immediate relief.
In other places there are coal sup
plies for periods of not more than
a week or fortnight, many of the
towns have had orders for coal
placed in Minneapolis for three
months past. They have not been
able to get it transported by tho
railroads.
But the worst situation Senator
Hansboroug says is likely to reveal
itself next spring in the outlying
districts where there are IS, 900
settlers off the line of the railroads,
of whom nothing has been heard
and nothing can be heard till the
weather moderates. 1t is always
cold in this countryin winter time,
and this year in addition to having
the thermometer from 10 to SO de-
grees below zero there have been
unusual SHOWS, so that the home
stead settlers off the line Of the
railroad are completed" cut off from
communication with the towns,
Most of the people are living in
little frame and tar papered houses.
holding down their homesteads in
accordance with law, and it is fear
ed that there may be a sad story to
tell of suffering and death among
them before the weather moderates>
sufficiently to send them relief.
The trouble is laid largely at the
doors of the railways. Both the
Great Northern and the 500 Lines,
which serve the afflicted territory,
devoted all their energies last SUM
mer and fall to track laying in the
new territory. They transported
equipment with utter disregard for
service to the COMMITTEES belong
ing to distant lines, and the result
has been that the settlers have
been unable either to get their pro-
duce in market, or to provide them
selves with sufficient food and fuet
against the deadly northern winter.
These are not pleasant days for
the railroads. Almost everyone
in authority seems to unite in
making it unpleasant for them and
in addition to the passage OF the
rate bill and other "adverse" rail-
way legislation, they are apt to
face world of condemnation in
the car shortage and block signal
reports soon to be rendered against
them by the Interstate Commerce
Commission. Eight employees OF
the Baltimore and Ohio Railway,
including three of the higher Off
cials have just been held by the
grand jury as result of the not
able wreck at Terra Gotta near
Washington. The officials wero
allowed to go free pending the set
Element of their bail, but the train
men having fewer friends, were in
continently locked up. Represen~
tative Murphy, of Missouri, has al
ready introduced a resolution into
the House iuquiring why this
favorism was shown, and it is
probable that the District Attorney
will have such explaining to do be-
fore he makes this act of favorism
appear in a favorable light.