Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1907-10-26
ROADS CRIPPLED
BY Car SHORTAGE

quail SHIPMENTS MAY BE AZ
FDCTED THROUGH LACK OF
CONVEYANCES.
Just now the Rock Island system
is facing one of the worst car famines
1T has ever known. Coal and fiat cars
more especially are at premium, it
being almost impossible to secure
them for even the most pressing bust
ness. There Is no unusual movement
of coal for the winter as yet, but at
the same time practically the same
situation confronts every railroad in
the country. In view of this situation
the Rock Island has just sent out
tar1r In which the announcement Is
made that effective November /
charge of S. per car will be made
for d1verting freight from It's destina-
ton If the destination Is changed
before the arrival of the car or TWEEN
ty-four hours thereafter IS will be
charged. After twenty-four hours ami
within forty-eight hours Sc will be
charged. and after forty-eight hours
and within seventy-two charge Of
81 will be made. If the destination Ia
changed after seventy-two hours no
charge will be made. This step is ex-
pected to make it a more profitable
policy for the shippers either to have
the. freight routed through at the start
or to unload 1t from the car If it once
arrives, thus liberating the car for
further use. Grain, live stock and
perishable freight are excepted in the
new rule.
This rule is expected to afford relief
especially in the line of cars used for
hauling coal. Coal men, it is sail,
often prefer to pay a demurrage
charge than unload the coal. thus pre-.
venting it's diversion to another des-
tination. One instance is cited of last
winter, where a shipper was charged
$25 as demurrage on one car, showing
that the car was lying idle in the
yard with the load of coal for twenty
five days, the charge being 81 day.
It is to overcome these difficulties
that the special charge for diverting
cars to another destination will be
charged. In diverting cars the through
tariff from the initial shipping point
to the final destination Is used.
It Is expected that the shortage will
be greater later on in the season than
1t is at present, although opinions of
railroad men vary considerably in this
respect. Some believe that the great
est shortage of cars ever experienced
will be felt, while others think that
the congestion will be very slight
To Issue Mileage Tickets.
It is said that the Milwaukee rail-
road will issue mileage tickets In the
near future. This announcement will
be welcomed by the travelling public
throughout the country, since It will
probably be the first step towards
having mileage books issued by all of
the railroads. The Milwaukee expects
to issue books at the regular rate of Q
cents per mile, making fiat rate Of
$40 for 1000 mile books, and $40 for
1000 mile books
Although travelling men are clamcr-
ing for an 1nterline mileage book,
this is one step towards 1t. Not until
all Of the roads decide to issue mile
age books can general mileage books
good on all of the roads be issued
The road also announced that it
will issue 20 ride tickets based on
the regular cent rate, effective Nov.
15, for the benefit of school teachers,
students and others who make fire.
quent short distance trips They will
be issued for distances less than fifty
miles, and will be good for twenty
trips. The time limit on these tickets
will be three months.
1t is said that the mileage books
will be issued within thirty days.
Eac$ Tr,ipe Ar,aip
1t was not very long ago that 1t was
announced that the fas- trains on the
railroads must go and hereafter all
trains would be run at a greatly re-
duced speed But this was evidently
all talk, or else some of the more am
bilious of the railroad people, in their
efforts to outstrip their competitors
have forgotten all about this talk At
any rate the Burlington has just an
nounced the time of the Chicago Don
yer flyer would be reduced from
thirty-two to thirty hours. and the
Rock Islan1 system has decided to
make the same reduction 1t Is prob
able that the Northwestern and Mil
waukee will do likewise and the prob
abilities of another race are very
good. This will be made evident in a
short time when the four big lines an
nounce their new schedules
Must Pay Full Fare.
After January between $4,000 and
100000 clergymen who have hereto
fore been travelling on half rates on all
western railroads will be compelled to
pay the full amount. From this date
not a single clergymen's certificate
will be furnished by any railroad he
tween Chicago and the Rocky noun
tains, and in certain parts of the dis
trict west of the Rocky mountains
they will be refused also.
On the majority of lines
west of the Colorado the usual rate
of half fare is still in use and will
probably remain SO unless the roads
are forced to raise it by the adoption
of the two cents rate in the states ly-
ing in that district.
For some time past this full rate
has been charged to the ministers IN
the state of Iowa and in local states