The Marion daily mirror. (Marion, Ohio) 1892-1912, 1910-12-01

| and one-half per cent The most
powerful Mallet engines ever built
were necessary to haul coal trains
over the hills at Port Jervls and Sus-
quehanna, and at that less than fifty
cars per train could be handled. To
eliminate these grades, or at least to
| reduce them to something like an
equality with grades on competitive
lines, was a tremendous undertaking,
but one which the management real
| lied from the start was the sine qua
| non for successful operation of the
property. The work, therefore, was
| undertaken with will; and, while
| much still remains to be DONE some
really remarkable results have al
ready been achieved.
Most important of these great
works, perhaps, is the Guymard cut
off, which leaves the main line half
way between Middletown and Port
Jervis and reaches the Newburg
| branch at Highland Mills. Piercing
| the mountains at one point with
mile-long tunnel, and built according
| to the most modern ideas. this piece
OF double track road Is making a big
difference i'm the Erie's operations
| Eastbound its grade Is 2-10 per cent.
rs against Lee per cent. on the main
line; westbound 1t is 6-10 per cent. as
lgainst a former grade of 1.12 per
| cent AS a result of this grade re-
| 1uction, the eastbound trainload has
been increased from 1000 tons to g.
| I20 tons, and the westbound train
load from 1000 tons to 1900 tons.
70 put 1t differently. where the for
| mer limit was fifty cars to train,
| eighty-hve and ninety car trains are
now possible
The same sort of thing has been ac-
| omplished by the building of the
| Genesee cutoff out i'm the western
| lart of the state, where the so-called
| 'uba Hill Summit and the Tip Top,
ong an effective bar 20 economical
| peration, have peen eliminated.
| study of the figures here again shows
| row the cutting out of these impos-
| ible grades has jumped the train
| oad BY the completion of this bit
| f line, indeed, big step forward is
| made in the main Erie project for
| ow-grade line across the state and,
| ventually. into Chicago.
Mention of the big improvement
| works accomplished during the past
| ew years is bound to include the cut
through Bergen hill. just outside Of
ersey City. by which terminal fa-
| ilities have been so immensely i'm
roved. Whereas formerly both the
reight and passenger traffic of the
ntire system had to be put through
| he tunnel, with the inevitable result
frequent congestion, passenger traf-
L ont
| hat leaves the tunnel for freight
raffic and has already made a very
reat difference in the cost of hand
ing business at the terminal.
BY reason OF the putting into oper-
ton of these various improvements,
he Erie has lately been showing some
perating results necessitating a good
cal of revision of ideas formed dur
ng the old days of waste and ineffi-
iency The way in which the train
Dad (the average number of tons of
reight in each train) has beerincreas
ng is perhaps the plainest evidence
# how the new improvements are af-
| Getting operation. Five years ago
| CRIES tralnload was 412 tons. For the
err ending June. 1909, 1t was iGy
| ons, and for last year 495 tons
| ,reater than Delaware and Hudson 3
| ~ New York Central's trainload, and
| almost up to the standard set by the
.enigh Valley and Lackawanna
When 1t is considered how much less
Cries traffic density is than that of
hese other roads, this improvement
s all the more remarkable. There
eems to be good ground for the man
| lgements belief that eventually Erie
will be bringing 3,500-ton trains un-
| )roken from it's western terminus into
Jersey City.
| Another important result of the
physical improvements effected is the
yreater punctuality of trains, botF
passenger and freight. The comi
papers used to give a lot of space t.
ne Erie commuter and his troubles
)ut all that is a thing of the past
he public service records show 1
mailer percentage of delayed train
m that road than on any other com
ng into Jersey City. Last June, o
he two hundred and eighty-ilve fas
: reights operated, Just four failed t'
make connections or arrive on time
efficiency of operation of that sor
S what accounts for such fact "a
that the Erie Is handling over three
: quarters of the fruit traffic betweel
New York and Chicago. Such busi
ness exacts superior service.
In a number of other ways it nigh
be shown how the money which ha
been spent on Erie during the pas
: ew years has resulted in increase'
efficiency of operation but enougl
I has been said to suggest the soli
! character of the Improvement whicI
= has been going on. BY every on
2 who has studied the property 1t
= recognized and admitted. Regardin
, The future of Erie there Is no ques
Y lion, from traffic standpoint, of tn
: ability of the present management I
4 build the road up TO a high state O
r efficiency The question, If there
any, is strictly as to the money sid
0 OF the proposition.
n Admitting that with credit not
o the best, and with but slender SUI
e plus, Erie Is nearing the time whe
[ heavy obligations fall due, 1t is har
to see any real ground for uneas
a ness Early in 1908 when the roa