The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1909-07-27
Santa Fe and Rock Island CaI
Handle the Wheat.
Both Companies Report Many
Idle Cars on Sidetracks.
MOVEMENT is GREAT.
Largest Shipments of Wheat in
History of Roads.
No Shortage and None Is Fear
ed by Officials.

| Despite the assertion of E. J. Sni-
! ley. secretary of the Kansas Grain
Dealers association, that the Kansas
farmers were up against a car short
age, there is no shortage according to
the figures produced by the Rock
Island and Santa Fe officials this
morning.
| On the other hand these two roads
are amply able to take care of all the
shipments of grain, and are hamper
| ed neither by lack of cars nor by
shortage in motive power
According to the figures secured
| from the office of J. E. Hurley, general
manager of the Santa Fe, there are
| 1900 idle cars scattered along the diff.
ferent shipping stations of the Santa
F'e in Kansas and Oklahoma. These
| cars are in good repair and are avail
able for actual service at a moments
notice. In addition there are 1900
cars which gre now loaded and which
are nearing Chicago where they will
| be unloaded tomorrow and be again
ready for service. The first statement
which embraces the number of idle
cars is an actual surplus, representing
the aggregate of cars for which no
demand has yet been made.
| And in addition at every division
point in these two states the Santa Fe
| has ample motive power equipment to
handle all the grain. There are two
or three idle engines at least at every
division point which are in waiting to
relieve the regular freight engines
when the shipments become too heavy
| to be handled by the regular trains
| And there has been no case of delay
| of movement reported when the grain
| is loaded.
According to santa Fe officials the
| movement of grain is greater now
than it has ever previously been at
! this time of year. The exhaustion of
| last years crop had boosted the price
of wheat and farmers were anxious to
| get in on the high price. Now the
price is tum ping again, winch is cyl
dence that the movement is great
The chances are that after wheat
takes a few more falls the movement
will be much lighter.
There is no car shortage at all at
| the present time" said one prominent
Santa Fe official this morning. "Of
course there might be if every farmer
/ in the state wanted to ship his grain
case there probably wouldn't be cars
| enough. And if there were cars
| enough, it isn't likely that there would
| be engines enough, and then if there
were both cars and engines enough,
/ there wouldn't be track enough, and
there wouldn't be room enough in
| Kansas for all the tracks that would
| be needed. The crop is a great one
| but the Santa Fee is able to handle her
share of it.
Rock Island Not short.
These conditions also hold good on
the Rock Island. According to the re-
ports received today at the office of
General superintendent C. W. Jones'
every loaded car along the Rock Island
lines in Kansas was picked up by diff
ferent trains last night, with the ex-
ception of six carloads of wheat at
Belleville. These were taken out this
morning. And the only reason these
were not moved was because they were
the only cars ready for shipment and
left for OIL
this morning. Three engines were there
for those six cars.
The Rock Island reports covering the
lines i'll Kansas show that 102 carloads
were moved yesterday. Requests were
flied yesterday along the Kansas lines
for 112 cars to be filed today. There
were 345 cars available to fill these or
ders.
The reports which Mr.. Smiley brought
back from his trip through Kansas are
considered unreliable by the Rock Is
land officials. Not a single complaint
has reached any of the local officials.
There nave been no reports of cars
rot being furnished promptly. And
there have been no reports of grain
not being moved promptly after being
loaded.
f F. Strain. division freight agent
of the Rock Island. said this morning:
There hasn't been a single complaint
of any kind reported at my office.
There are plenty of cars and engines to
T. S. Barnes, chief dispatcher of the
Kansas division of the Rock Island at
Harrington, said in response to query
from General Superintendent Jones,
over the long distance: I'VE haven't
had the slightest trouble and no one
over the entire division has made a
single complaint"
Have Idle Cars.
Mr.. Jones who has just returned from
q trip over the Ell Paso division of
the Rock Island. where the movement
of grain at this time of year is the
heaviest, reports that last night there
We're SS5 idle cars on that division for
which There had been no call, thus far
this year. In talking of the situation
this morning Mr. Jones said: I'VE were
never in better shape to handle the
movement of grain than we are right
: ow. despite the reports to the contrary.
We are not short of cars and have
plenty of motive power. In fact our
motive power was never in better
shape
So far as is known not a single ship
per has had occasion to invoke the aid
of the law in securing cars. as is sug
gested by Mr.. Smiley. According to
one prominent railway official who is
well versed in railway law, the shippers
have no recourse until they have first
complied with their duties. The law of
1907 to which Mr.. Smiley REFERS said
this official. provides that the shipper
must first comply with his conditions
to make the roads amenable to the law.
They must deposit % per cent of the
freight fare as evidence of good faith
The officials of the different roads do
rot fear n car shortage later in the
season. Tie movement OF wheat is at
| its highest right now, and when other
grain begins to move the wheat ship
ments will fall off. The railroad Off
| Gals feel that there is more danger
| of shortages from the failure of the
consignees to unload the grain prompt
".