The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1910-01-21

From Tuesdays Daily. ,
c. d. Griffith of Sleepy Eye, for
mer president of the State Bankers as
ISOLATION, has written to the state rail-
road and warehouse commission pro-
testing against the train service in
southern Minnesota. Mr.. Griffith made
the trip from Echo to Minneapolis on
Jan. 4, and he tells of his experiences.
Mr.. Griffith's letter follows:
], with thousands of other voters,
have been asked to vote regularly for
members of and repeatedly for one
of the railroad and warehouse
but have never been able
to ascertain. their authority over the
and neither do l think the
other thousands of voters have. As to
your honorable body will be
in this little story will de-
pend on whether you have any au-
thority to correct this abuse or, not
= On Tuesday, Jan. 4, 1910, the writer
was at Echo, Mimi, and purchased a
ticket for Minneapolis, expecting to
take the 1857 a. III. train, which l was
informed was twenty minutes late.
The train did arrive about forty five
minutes late drawn by an engine that
was at least twenty years old, and
after standing at the station about fif-
teen minutes to get up steam the train
started. In time it arrived at the top
of the hill, about two miles west of
North Redwood, when the train came
to sudden stop. After time the
passengers were Informed that the
engine had broken down" and the
conductor started to walk back to
Delhi to ask for another engine, which
again we were moving and arrived at
Morton about 3 p. Ill. We were in
formed We would have twenty minutes
for dinner. While eating one of the
passengers remarked to the conductor
he hoped We would get to Winthrop
for supper. He little knew how truly
he spoke.
The Train Stops.
1hINi tHc Usual Otid. We lcII MOl :
ton about 4 p. III. and everything was
lovely and the passengers were happy
when suddenly, about two miles west
Of Winthrop, the train came to sud
len stop. There was the roar of es-
:aping steam, and after q time the pas
,engers were informed that the blow
otf pipe on the engine had fallen off"
md the water and steam had left, the
boiler. Again the conductor was called
)n and he. walked to Winthrop, about
,wo miles for another engine, which
alter arrived and the train started for
Winthrop, where it arrived about 6 D.
II. The friends of the conductor were
there would be time to get a
unch, and there was. The writer, with
others, perched on stool, had coffee
md sandwiches, after which l began to
ook for the train and found it on
'idetrack and the live engine had been
AIKEN to the rOundhouse.
The train was cold and the writer
rended his way back to the depot. At
bout 10 p. IN. the other passengers, la.
lies, children, babies in their mothers
rms began to arrive at the station,
laving waded through snow two feet
Ieep. They were berded into the wait
ng room, about lexis feet, with seats
or about dozen people. The over
low that could not find standing room
rifted into the lunchrooni, which had
lad no heat in it, and took turns sit
ing OH the nice, comfortable, bard,
ound stools next the counter
The writer remarked to one of the
rainmen that it was an outrage that
hey did not attach an engine to the
assenger train, SO the passengers
ould have a place to stay where it
,as warm and comfortable, and he was
oundly called down and was Informed
e did not "know anything about rail
oading." At l a. NJ. the electric
ghts went out and the waiting room
.as in darkness except what little.f
ght came through the ticket window
rom the inner or ticket. Office, where
he conductor reposed in a comfort
BILE armchair and rested from his strenss