The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1910-03-28
LACK OF Sand IS
SERIOUS PROBLEM
BUILDING OPERATIONS IN FARGO
AND mooRHEAp GREATLY DE-
LAYED BECAUSE or FAILURE
or N. p. TO FURNISH CARS, SAY
CONTRACTORS.

Fargo and Moorhead contractors are
loud in their complaints to the eff
feet that the Northern Pacific has
caused all kinds OF delays in hauling
sand and gravel into Fargo Several
Of them have stated that they have
been delayed for weeks and even
months in work that was compelled
to stand idle, and one or two seemed
| to think that the. N. p. was discrimi-
Mating against the. city. Buildings
that could have been completed within
the specified time of the contract were
not completed for weeks after and in
nearly every instance the contractor
claimed that 1t was due to the delay
in getting building material and par
ticularly sand. !.
Leslie Weller of Moorhead said this
morning: ut begins 10 look as though
the shortage of cars on the Northern
Pacific is going to be serious handi-
cap to the building and general con-
struction trade in Fargo and Moor
head, especially the former as natur-
ally the undertakings there are SO
much more extensive. At the present
time there is demand in Fargo alone
for ten cars Of sand day and my
firm at Muskoda is ready to supply
that demand if only we could get the
tcars. The Northern. Pacific has as
/ signed to us sixteen equipped fat cars
4 for the handling of sanC,l At the best
1t takes four to six days for the cars
to make a round trip which means on
an average of two to three cars OF
sand day delivered in Fargo--the de-
mand is for ten cars. We have asked
the use of box cars to meet the rush
but the Northern Pacific steadfastly
refuses to furnish box cars thereby
putting the contractors Of Fargo tc
considerable and costly inconvenience
In many cases the contractors have tc
lay off their men simply because OF
the inability to get sand.
From our point of view we have the
sand and ample capacity to load al
the cars daily necessary to meet the
orders pouring in from the contractors
and we are anxious to supply all Oh
our customers promptly: Among thu
Fargo firms inconvenienced by thu
persistent refusal of the Northern Pa,
lcihc to furnish cars are Thos. Powers
James Kennedy, Bowers Bros, @. Fl
| Johnson e. Co, and Fargo Construc-
ton Co, not to say anything of tn,
! contractors In Moorhead.
What Fargo Contractors Say.
Il Alderman Bowers of the contract
ing firm of Bowers Bros was asket
concerning the matter:
/ II don't think there is contracto
In the city of Fargo who hasn't bee
more or less annoyed by the failur
Of the N. P. to get sand and grave
I here" said Mr.. Bowers. we get mos
. t'of that building material from tw
banks at Muskoda, Mimi, eighteen @
twenty miles east of this city and tn
: shippers claim that their inability I
get the sand and gravel here is be
cause the N, p. don't get the cars GU
to the gravel pits and the sand bank
/ 1t was only this week that we 60. IN
: gravel to finish the roof OF the Par1
Grant & Morris building. 1t seems Il
me that IL better shipping facilitie
are not furnished by the NJ. r. tn
Fargo contractors will have to use til
Great Northern to do the work We
work has been delayed very much b
this cause"
Senator James Kennedy, Fargos bi
( contractor said: There is alway
trouble by reason of the fact that til
contractors cannot get gravel an
sand. don't know the cause. "a
: the sand and gravel men at Muskod
: Mimi, claim that the NJ p. won't (
don't furnish cars, while the railroa
: men say on the other hand the shit
: perg don't get the cars loaded in I'll
8 time they should. All kinds of build
+ ling construction work has been do
e layed from this cause"