The citizen. (Honesdale, Pa.) 1908-1914, 1910-09-09
BUSY ERIE ROAD

A FEW REASONS PRESENTED
FOR UNPRECEDENTED PROS
PERITY AND USEFULNESS OF
ONE OF THE FASTEST-GROW-
ING RAILROAD SYSTEMS IN
THE UNITED STATES-SOME
INTERESTING FACTS.
A railroad that serves its patrons
well, gives IT'S passengers safe trans
portation and keeps freight from
standing in yards and does many un-
usual traffic things, always attracts
attention. Just now, by reason of
splendid earning statement, the Erie
is being rather favorably discussed
in banking circles. Foreknowledge
of what was doing and a desire to
substantiate some statements rela-
tive to superior service and excellent
physical condition led Charles F.
Speare, the financial writer and rail-
road expert of the New York Even
ing Mail, to make a personal inspec-
ton trip over the line.
Mr.. Speare is no novice at practi-
cal railroad inspections and, having
many of them, is in a position to in
stitute comparisons. His findings
and conclusions are published in
pamphlet and he found the Erie to
be very much better railroad than
most people think it is. He says in
part:
What an Expert Has to Say.
There are two Eries; the financial
Erie and the physical Erie. The
first Is understood and deplored. 1t
is an incubus on every member of
the operating staff, from the presi-
dent down to the lowest track work
er. Stockholders sigh over it. The
second is not appreciated and is so
confused with and enveloped In the
first that only small minority will
credit it at it's full value.
1T is essential that one see the
Erie at work and study its prob
lens and the manner of meeting
them before drawing final conclu-
sions about it's destiny from annual
report analysis.
From the physical standpoint the
Erie is an interesting study. One
may even grow enthusiastic over 1t
at certain points. To be sure, the f.
nancial cloud by which the company
is surrounded has a way of always
floating across Erie skies when they
seem to be brightest, emphasizing it's
poverty and limitations. My person
al belief is that the Erie cannot es-
cape ultimate reorganization, nor
ought 1t to try to.
"On the other hand, one cannot
but have a profound respect for
what Erie men have made of their
road with so little to work with and
with the perpetual necessity for
stripping every bone clean to the
marrow.
This series of articles on the Erie
has primarily to do with the physical
and operating aspects of the road.
1t is in this quarter that new meth
DDS have been introduced in recent
years, and by them the stigma of a
long period of inefficiency, resulting
in poor service. removed. The Erie,
like the Baltimore and Ohio in the
reorganization days, has been look
ed upon as a comic railroad PROPOSE
ton by commuters in and out of
New York, who have measured all
other parts of the property by the
few miles they have seen of it.
Granting that service in the subur-
ban zone was bad for many years and
the quality of equipment on an equal
plane, we have to accept the Public
Service records over the past year
which show a smaller percentage of
delayed trains on this road than on
any other entering the Jersey City
terminals. In June the Erie operat-
ed 2S5 fast freights and but four
of these failed to make connections
or reach terminals on time. This is
nearly a perfect record in this class
of efficiency.
Efficiency on the Erie is the re-
suit of necessity If the Erie were
wealthy, like some of it's competi-
tors, it, too., would probably be vast
ing money just as they are in ex-
pensive terminals, stations, overmain-
tenance and in the numerous ways
that waste is absorbed where credit
is good and new capital can easily be
raised. My personal belief is that
this waste nearly always equals the
gain that Is to be had from ability
to adopt methods tending toward
greater economy. The Erie has as
| loyal a body of men as is to be
found In the East, and men who are
today very proud of the results
which they are helping to produce.
This quality is everywhere apparent
out on the road. 1t is one of the
best assets the Erie management
possesses. 1t saves many dollars for
net earnings, by preventing waste in
accidents, delays and in use OF ma.
terial and starts a whole lot of new
revenue in the direction of the
company's treasury.
Last February and March, when
the New York Central and Pennsyl
vania were badly blocked in the
Middle West, owing to heavy snow
storms, and later, foods, the Fri,
took their business and moved Il