New-York tribune., 1912-02-24
CALL TRUST RAILS BAD
Hill Roads Cut Out Steel Cor
poration in Buying
OUTSIDERS GET ORDERS
Charge Made That Big Concern
Does Not Produce Safe Rails
Accidents Recorded.

In their orders for steel rails this year
,hs nm roads have eliminated the United
states steel Corporation from their list OF
manufacturers OF recent orders for ap-
rroxIrnately 10000 tons Of steel rails given
nv the EIill roads the Pennsylvania and
MARYLAND steel companies get 10000 tons
the Lackawanna Steel Company gets 10000
tons and the Colorado Fuel and Iron Com
psny II 900 tons. At first glance this looks
ike reprisal by the Hill interests for the
cancellation by the Steel Corporation of the
ore lands lease. E. r. Nichols. vice-presi-
dent OF the Great Northern Railway eX-
plained yesterday however. that this was
not the case.
I'VE are not babies or children said
Mr.. Nichols, "and we do not cut off our
noses 10 spite our faces. In cancelling the
ore lands lease the Steel Corporation was
perfectly within its rights under the con-
tract II they considered that good ousi-
ness policy we have no complaint to make
When we buy rails We leave the matter OF
the ore land lease entirely out of consider
alton. and confne ourselves to the question
Of quality of rail and time Of delivery.
"All the roads have found for the last
two or three years that the quality of rails
has been deteriorating This is not the eN-
perience of the Great Northern only, but of
roads all over the country. and 1t is not a
fault that can be laid TO the extreme cold
Of this season. for In our territory in the
Northwest the average temperature has
been no lower this year than for several
years past.
''The trouble is in the quality Of the rails
we have found this year that sixty-eisht-
pound rails laid down twelve or thirteen
years ago are giving better service than
ninety-pound rails laid down two or three
years ago. and this under exactly the same
conditions Of traffic. These are the con-
dItions we have had to take into consider
alton in placing our rail orders this year
The price Of rails is about the same among
all makers 1t is quality and time of de-
livery that we look TO in giving orders"
Last week James ]. Hill Joined with a
number Of other railroad men in complain
ing Of the character OF the rails turned out
by the Steel Corporation. He said that he
thought the trouble was not with the for
nnula used IN the manufacture, but in the
care taken in making. and he agreed will
many railroad men that many Of the recent
wrecks can be traced TO defective rails.
The committee of railroad men and manu-
facturers appointed TO secure cooperation
sn improving the quality Of steel rails will
meet about March 90
The full committee follows:
Manufacturing companies - Presidents
Dinkey of the Carnegie Steel Company,
Burlington Of the Illinois Steel Company.
Schwab Of the Bethlehem Steel Com,
Company, Wood of the Maryland Steel
Company, FELTON, Of the Pennsylvania
Steel Company, Price Of the Cambria Steel
Company. Crawford of the Tennessee Coal:
Iron and Railroad Company and Farrell Of
the United States Steel Corporation
Railroads-Willard, president of the Bal
timore & Ohio; Nudge, president of the
Chicago. Rock Island & Pacific Besler,
vice-president and general manager of the
Central Railroad of New Jersey; Peck. gen
eral manager of the Pennsylvania Lines
west of Pittsburgh: Clarke, general super
irtendent Of the Delaware, Lackawanna g.
Western; Harrison, president of the Chi
cago. Indianapolis & Louisville; Bush, pres
ident Of the Missouri Pacihc; kruttschnitt
director of maintenance and operation of the
Union and Southern Pacific systems; BY
ram. vce-pTesident of the Chicago, Bur
Delaware & Hudson; Sullivan, formerly
general manager Of the Missouri Pacific;
Fish, director of the Missouri Kansas &
Texas. Brown, president Of the New York
Central. and Delano, president Of the Wa
hash Railroad.
The last time the Steel Corporation was
ignored in the placing of large order for
rails was when e. H. Hartman complained
Of broken rails in 1907, and received no sat
isfacdon. He turned lot of business over
to the Tennessee Coal and Iron Company at
that time, but .. few months later the
Southern company was absorbed by the
Steel Corporation and the order was COM
pleted by the Carnegie and Illinois Steel
, conpaDies