The Mankato free press., 1909-09-03
|MAY LOSE The JOB
GREAT NORTHERN FIGHTING HARD
TO KEEP MAIL CONTRACT.
Milwaukee Road Is After a Federal
Plum That Pays More Than Eight
Million Dollars Per Year; Hill and
Hartman Are Said to Be Engaged
in a Mighty Struggle; What Is
Doing Along the Line.

Minneapolis, Aug 2S.-The Tribune
prints this story.
Startling developments in the gigan-
tic struggle for supremacy being waged
between the powerful Hartman and
Hill railroad interests may give Min
neapolis another through train to the
coast, a mail train operated by the
Great Northern road, which will leave
the present "Oriental Limited" far in
the rear
Twelve million dollars is at stake
and Great Northern officials are said
to be lying awake nights in anxious
anticipation of the postmaster generals
authorization.
Three mail cars and two express
cars, it is said, will constitute the out
fit, which is destined to break all rec
ords for quick service between Chi.
cago and Seattle. 1t will leave the
Windy City at l0:30 p. M, arrive in
Minneapolis at 9l5 the next morning,
pick up car of Twin City mail and
rush out again, arriving at Seattle
before noon of the third day. This
will be a cut of eight hours in the
present schedule.
No passengers will be carried No
stops will be made, except in Mime
apolis and to refill water tanks en
route. st. Paul is passed by, as are
North Dakota and Montana points.
Milwaukee Enters Field.
Harriman's Milwaukee road is the
primary cause of all the uproar and
disturbance. The Milwaukee at pres
ent carries an eastern mail from Chi
cago to the Twin Cities. It's annual
receipts from this source alone amount
to $l,000,000 in round figures. The
Great Northern heretofore has always
carried this eastern msii on from Min
neapolis to Seattle. It's receipts from
the same source have been about
$2,000,000 annually. The Milwaukee
has just completed its line from the
Twin Cities to the coast and is a bid
der for the through service from Chi
cagO to the coast lH
But there is another reason for all
the haste and excitement in transpor-
tation, say railroad officials. This rea-
son grows out of the fact that mail
weighing on the western contract sec
tion begins next February. Following
fourth month investigation the gov
ernment will make a contract for four
years, covering through mail from Min
neapolis to Seattle At $2,000,O00 a
year the contract will figure up to the
total of $S,0O0.OOO.
Would Break Harriman's Grip.
As the Milwaukee carries all fast
mail from Chicago to the Twin Cities
it gets $l000000 toll for fast service.
But that is the primary object of the
new Great Northern flyer To get the
whole prize is the question uppermost
in the minds of Hills lieutenants. w.
5. Baskerville, general mail agent for
the Great Northern, believes they can
land the melon. At any rate there is
$4,0O0,000 in it. The next two or three
weeks will tell the story, for official
authorization is expected from Wash.
ington almost any time.
If the Great Northern wins, it will
be another hard blow to the Hartman
road which has been the connecting
link between the eastern states and
the Pacific northwest
The mail weighing feature has inn
portant significance to the success of
the entire scheme. The United States
is divided into four contract sections.
Minnesota is in the third. The fourth
includes all states west of line run
along NInnesota's western border to
the gulf. Mail is weighed and con-
tracted for in one section each year,
Thus it gets around the string once
every four years. The fourth district
is next in line.
Competition This Year Expected.
The Great Northern, it is said, had
not expected serious competition from
the Milwaukee this year. Harriman's
line ITO Tacoma was completed only a
few days ago. The roadbed is still
very uneven say railroad engineers, and
with winter coming, the Great North
ern is said not to have entertained any
thoughts of losing its S2,0OO,0OO plum.
The real struggle with the Milwaukee
was expected four years from February
when the cycle comes around again.
But another factor entered into the
fight at this juncture 1t is said that
leakage from the Chicago offices of
the Milwaukee conveyed the startling
intelligence that Hartman had a card
up his sleeve.
1t was found out that Milwaukee
trains could be run out of Chicago over
the Woonsocket branch through La
Crosse, Wis, and Albert Lea, Mimi,
to Madison, S. d., thence northward to
rejon the main lire at Bristol, S. ID.
This would avoid all delays and save
considerable time. 1t would also cut
out the Twin Cities.
Stength is given to this suppose
tion in that Milwaukee engineers and
train officials at Albert Lea have been
anticipating some sort of a change.
High officials of the head office have
made several mysterious trips lately
over the proposed cutoff. This is
thought to have some bearing on the
case.
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