Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1911-07-28
EXPLAINING THE WAYBILL.
Also the Bill Of Lading, Which ls an
Entirely Different Thina.


The waybill and the bill Of lading
are the two documents upon which all
the vast fabric of railway freight re-
ports is founded. The waybill plays
the larger part by far.
Ordinarily 1t is a printed form on
tough paper to stand the many hard
knocks 1t receives both indoors and out
before 1t is safely filed away. 1t Is
four and one-half inches wide by six
teen inches long.
On its back many roads print In de-
tail various instructions for its use. 1t
is the connecting link, says the Rail-
road Mans Magazine, between the
point from which the goods are ship
ped and the point Of delivery.
It Is s.n itemized statement Of each
consignment. Where the contents Of
a car are all being shipped to the same
point but to several different consign-
ors there will be several bills, but II
the carload is for but one consignor
only one waybill is used.
Each car must have at least one
waybill. 1t forms the initial blank In
the system Of freight accounts, as the
check does in bank accounts. 1t Is an
order on the freight conductor to car
ry the property and an evidence that
the transaction has been recorded.
Each waybill must be numbered by
the agent who issues 1t. These num-
bers generally run consecutively, be-
ginning each month with number one.
If carload of freight Is loaded at a
point where there are no track scales
the estimated weight is inserted by the
forwarding agent. The car Is then
weighed at the first weighing point
and the actual gross. tare and net
weights are entered.
The gross weight is that OF the car
and contents as shown by the track
scales; the tare Is the weight OF the
car, which Is stencilled on lower cor
ner of the outside Of the car, and the
net weight the difference between the
two.
Upon many lines only one form Of
way bill is used. On others there are
many varieties. Live stock waybills,
for example, are often longer by some
four inches than the ordinary kind
and are on different colored paper.
This is to prevent their being over
looked. Live stock must be fed and
Watered in transit at stated intervals
and If this Is not attended to serious
consequences for everybody concerned
are quite certain. Perishable freight,
ore, coal, coke and other things that
can be moved by the trainload have
special forms and sizes Of bills.
The conditions under which property
Is shipped must be carefully recorded
on the waybill, such as owners risk"
carriers risk" released" strapped,
corded and scaled" knocked down."
"set up" and so on. These are much
abbreviated, *. d." being used for
knocked down" and IS. u" for set
up"
The possession of an original bill Of
lading by a properly identified indi-
vidual establishes that persons right
to claim the property it covers when it
reaches its destination. The original
bill of lading is thereupon surrendered
to the railroad company, the charges
paid and the consignor removes the
goods.
That Is the reason why certain
classes of bills Of lading are used as
collateral upon which to borrow mon
ey, they being indorsed in that event
as a bank draft would be. Certain
classes Of bills of lading are negotiable
that is they may be bought and sold,
the title or ownership Of the property
covered passing to the person who
buys the bill of lading, and to whom 1t
is therefore indorsed.