The Montgomery advertiser., 1907-02-06

road Company were so over taxed that 1t became almost im- | possible to place cars to be unloaded for consignees who were prepared to promptly unload. and, in fact. mate rially interfered with the movement of through freight trafiic-threatened paralysis or stoppage. At the same time, the manufacturers of lumber were in great distress because of the l inability of the company to furnish cars for other shipments, not only to Mobile. but to all other points, A statement was prerared showing the numbers of the loaded cars on hand at o'clock a. m. December IS. 1906. and the length of time they had been on hand. It was found that of the total of one hundred and nine- ty-three cars of lumber, fifty-two had been on hand prior to December 1. 1906. some of which were received In October. or had been on hand fifty two days Of all classes of property, there were live hundred and twenty five car loads that had been held from three to sixty days. On December 29, 1906, another check was made of load ed cars that were on hand on Decem- Der IS. 1906, which showed that thir- ty-three of such cars were still on hand undelivered. To relieve the sit- uation the management was compell- ed to adopt arbitrary measures--tem- porarily stop the shipment of some classes of property to Mobile. and in some cases to unload and store oil cake and lumber During slI this time. many shippers were in distress be- cause of the inability of the comnany 1 to furnish cars to be loaded. This is especially applicable 10 manufacturers of lumber. 4 1@ The conditions that have prevailed | at Mobile are typical of those over the entire Louisvilic and Nashville sys- tenn. The business of many con- signees has outgrown their facilities for promptly receiving and handling mess requires, and thus renders 1t difiicult for them to promptly relieve | the cars.
 The rearonabieness of making a just and lawful charge for the storage of | property in cars which the consignee 1 fails to promptly unload is so mani l festiv in the interest not only of the 1 carrier. but of It's patrons that 1t Is conceded--is not denied.
 1 Let us now consider tho reia tions between common carriers and ship | pers. It is the duty of a common car. l rier to transport property to the ex- ! tent of it's facilities, for all who may | desire to have property transported. | upon equal terms. It must provide
 facilities for receiving, caring for. and | forwarding property to destination. When. by the terms of the transpor- tation contract, the shipper Is to load | the property, cars must be furnished | to enable him to do SD: but a carrier l can only be equitably. and. think, lawfully required to provide facilities | for normal traffic--eannot be required or compelled to furnish facilities be- l yond its ability or capacity. A car- | rier having equipped himself with a
 vehicle moved by one horse for the | movement of limited tras fife, cannot
 be required to handle traffic requir- Ing vehicle moved by four horses. | A railroad constructed and equipped for handling g limited local traffic. | with a single track adverse grades | and curves, cannot be required to fur
 nish two, four or more tracks or the
 facilities furnished by, railroads in some parts of the country operating | four. and sometimes eight tracks. over l grades where a single locomotive may move three thousand tons against the
 inferior single track road three, hun | dred tons.
 | The traflc conditions prevailing in | the territory served by the Louisville | and Nashville and affiliated roads have l for some timo been abnormal. Not | withstanding the strenuous efforts | that have been made by the manage | ment, and the very large expenditures incurred and large additions 10 equip
 ment. construction of additional side- | tracks, second tracks, efforts to re- duce grades. ana in many ways in- crease its facilities. the traffic is, at
 present largely in excess of such fa- cillties.
 As indicative of the efforts made, will say that the expenditures during the thirteeen years ending June. Co n..... e A q 0N n and the total expenditures during the
 same period for equipment, additions
 to property betterments, etc, were
 $74,723.s20.32.
 During the four years ending June,
 1906, the number of locomotives was
 increased from sO5 to 745. ar 23 per
 cent; and In tractive power from 13,-
 S72.3Oo to 1s,477,7o0 pounds, or S3 1-S
 per cent.
 During the six months ending De-
 cember S1. 1906, the number of loco
 motives was increased from 745 to Si8 or nearly 10 per cent, and in tractive
 power was increased from 1S,477,T00
 to 20,s7s,Soc pounds, or ls per cent. During the four years ending June. 1906, the number of freight cars was increased from 27.699 to 36,158, or 31 per cent. and the capacity Al per cent. During the six months ending De- cember 31. 1906, the number of freight
 cars was Increased by 1,54s, equal to | .04S per cent, and the capacity was
 increased .052 per cent.
 | Contracts have been made
 l and construction author.
 ized. for 71 locomotives
 to be placed in service
 during the current call
 endar year at an esti-
 mated cost of .. .. ....$ 976,05a2O And the construction of
 4.075 freight cars and
 25 passenger car equip
 ment during the same
 | period, at an estimated
 cost or. s,'. t.. S,0S2,1bO.0O , Or total of.. .. T.. .. .$4,05S. 209.20
 Take the South and North Alabama Railroad as dn illustration. It is a
 road originally constructed with lim-
 ited capital, through a rugged coun- try, across drainage, and when opened for traffic there was not a community
 If 100 persons on the line between
 Montgomery and Decatur. The align
 ment Is crooked and the grades ex.
 cessive, equivalent to more than eighty 1 feet to the mile. The heaviest locomu- ! tive In use, having @ tractive power or S5,0o0 pounds. can move but 7l0 train tons.
 A double track has been constructed
 from Black Creek to Oxmoor. a dist ance of 1S.6 miles from Decatur to
 Flint, 5.4 miles from Calera to Hardy, 12.6 miles, and numerous passing tracks have been created. In addition, large 1 expenditures have been made to pro- l vide increased terminal facilities at Decatur. Birmingham. (Boyles). Mont