The San Francisco call., 1907-06-21
SHIPPERS ARE HELD UP
BY YARDMEN At SPARKS
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Continued from Page 1, Column
the men I learned that $50 would send
the car through, and ii did.
The yard is full of cars and it is
fight to get them on the road. Besides
the regular freight trains, the South
ern Pacific has been running what is
known as the Reno stock extra. It
leaves Sparks every morning at
o'clock and consists OF 2S cars. Here
is whore the gang up there gets in.
To get your car on this train costs $50.
when 1 went up there l was passed
all along the line. I struck switcn-
man; he passed me to an engineer, who
referred me 10 a manifest clerk. The
clerk told me TO see the dispatcher,
the dispatcher passed me to yardman,
who turned me over to an engineer,
who said it would be all right don't
know whether the money was divided,
but / know that I paid $50"
Fruit shippers have been hit at both
ends Of the game. They have been
forced TO pay first to get empty cars
and then TO have them sent through.
The holdup practice has been general
on the Northern Pacific line for some
years and was recently the subject OF
investigation by the Interstate COM
merce commission. Local railroad Off
cials said yesterday that an investiga-
ton had been begun and that the prac-
tice would be stopped.
Among some OF the local merchants
the charge was made that while the
Southern Pacific was in no way a party
to the system it had shown a woeful
lack of system in handling freight in
recent months. Shippers complained
that their business was seriously inter
fered with because of the inability of
the railroad to get cars through.
One wholesale grocery dealer said
that shipments from eastern points
were IS days on the way, whereas two
years ago never more than 20 davs
was required. One large shipper
charged that the delays were used by
the Southern Pacific as whip over the
merchants.
Many of the large shippers follow
their own freight TO the coast. The
United Railroads has paid agents all
along the route to expedite its ship
ments. James Stewart & Co, the build
ing contractors, detail man to accom-
pany every shipment OF structural steel
10 the coast. Those who do not follow
this system have experienced great
difficulty in having their steel brought
through and in some instances have
been forced to put up $50 a car
The men at Sparks have instructions
to disregard rush orders on cars and
for this reason an urgent shipment can
be hurried only with coin. r.
@. f. Richardson, superintendent of
transportation OF the Southern Pacific
said yesterday that the matter had just
been called to his attention and that he
had begun an investigation. 1--WE ship
out from Sparks to San Francisco from
200 to ESQ cars a day" he said, so you
can see haw much freight we have to
handle. OF course, there have been de-
lays, but we intend to put an end to
these payments
Inquiry among extensive handlers of
freight yesterday showed that the ne
cessity for the use of money to expe-
dite the receipt of goods has been
pretty generally understood in certain
quarters. One wholesale dealer said:
4 receive two cars a day from the
Southern Pacific company, and it COSTS
me $40 a month to get them with any
degree of regularity. When pay the
money they come through all right, but
If l fail to do so there is sure to be a
freight tieup. a broken fiange or a dis
placed rail somewhere along the route
All the kicking in the world is of no
avail unless a piece of money is passed
in t-.e right quarter
II. L. Metcalf, chief clerk of the op-
Grating department of the Southern
Pacifc. said
While il has been known for some
time that such practices were going
on among yardmen efforts to control
them were not entirely successful.
While evidence was secured that a few
OF our employees were accepting money
and other gifts from shippers for as
sisting movement of freight, nothing
tangible could be obtained to indicate
what particular consignees resorted to
the practice.
The company of course does not
sanction such means for expediting
shipments. These methods, we are cer-
tain. have been confined to one or two
Yards and TO very few of the employees.
There is no foundation for the claim
that there is a ring which will aid the
merchant to get out his car if he pays
for it. The bribery has been carried
on by merchants individually"