Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1910-12-03
The Eriie's Wonderful Reconstruction

through the open cut. That leaves tile
tunnel for freight traffic and has al
ready made a very great difference IN
the cost of handling business at the
terminal
BY reason of the putting into opera
lion or these various improvements,
the Erie has lately been showing some
operating results nccessitating good
deal OF revision of ideas formed dur
ing the old days of waste and inef-
iiciency. The way in which the train
load (the average number of tons of
freight In each train has been in
creasing is perhaps the plainest owl
dence of how the new improvements
are affecting operation. Five years ago
Erie's tr:nnload was 413 tons For the
year ending June. 1909, It was 400 tons
and for last year 1876 to,is--greater
than Delaware and Hudson's or New
York Ccntral's trainload, and almost
up to the standard set by Lchigh VAL
ley and IacltaWanna. When it is con-
sidered how much less E,ric's traffic
density Is than that OF these other
roads. this Improvement Is all the
more remarkable. There seems to be
good ground for the manugement's be-
lief that eventually Erie will be bring
ing 3.5Oo-ton trains unbroscn from Its
western terminus into Jersey City.
Another important result of the
physical improvements effected is the
greater punctunlity of trains, both
passenger and freight. The comic pa
pers used to give a lot of space to the
Erie commuter and his troubles. but
all that Is II thing OF the past--tla
Public Service records show II smaller
percentage of delayed trains on that
road than on any other coming into
Jersey City. Last juno. of the two
hundred and cishty-five fast freights
operated, just four failed to make con-
nections or arrive on time. Efficiency
Of operation of that sort Is what ne
counts for such IL fact rs that the
Erie is handling over three quarters of
the fruit traffic between New York
and Chicago. Such business exacts
superior service.
In Il number of other ways it might
be shown how the money which has
been spent on Eric during the past few
years has resulted in increased eff
iiciency of operation but enough has
been said to suggest the solid character
Of the Improvement which has been GO
Ing on. BY every one who has studied
the property 1t Is recognized and adj
mitted. Regarding the future of Erie
there is no question, from traffic
standpoint, of the ability of the pres
ent management to build the road up to
high state OF efficiency. The cues
tion if there is any, Is strictly as to
the money side of the proposition.
Admitting that with credit not Of the
best, and with but slender surplus.
Erie .s nearing the time when heavy
obligations fall due, it is hard to see
any real ground for uneasiness Early
in 1905 when the road was very much
in need of money, capital to finance it's
requirements N-aS Forthcoming, nypp in
spite of the deplorable state of earn
ings. Since then. as has been shown,
conditions have entirely changed, earn
ings not only having been largely in
creased, but an efficiency Of operation
developed which speaks well of the
roads future earning power. If, when
things were as black as they were in
1908, the road was able to finance it's
requirements, how much better able
VIII 1t be, under present conditions. to
raise whatever money 1t may need.
And as to the longer-range view. II
Is to be noted that completion of the
Guymard and Genesee cut-offs and OF
the Bergen cut. disposes pretty we'll of
those undertakings which have been
making such heavy demands on Erie's
available capital supply. A good deal
OF money could still be proftably spent
on the property, but as 1t stands now
the plant is of sufficient capacity and
In good enough working order to enable
1t TO work along for good while With
out more money being spent on it
The future seems to be largely a
question of the maintenance of earn
ings. II the Erie can go on for a while
earning at the present rate, there is no
reason why the property should not be