The Washington times., 1913-11-05

diG dBcuA d dudI Tel
miles of railroads in the United States,
but nobody knows just where they are.
SO Uncle Sam is going to send out l5O
surveying parties to find out.
This announcement is made by Judge
Charles A. Prouty, now generalissimo
of the huge task of managing the valu-
alton of the railroads. Mr.. Prouty was
a member OF the Interstate Commerce
Commission until last Saturday, when
his resignation took effect. He resigned
in order to take charge, for the COM
mission, of the great valuation task
IN which he has long been deeply in
terested.
In assuming the duties of his new po-
sition, Mr.. Prouty made some inter
esting announcements as to the work
ahead of him. There is no such thing as
a detailed and complete survey of the
railroads. Few of the companies are
able to furnish detailed plats of their
property, showing exactly what they
own and where il is. Obviously. there
fore, the first task ahead of the Gov
ernment appraisers is TO make an ac-
curate map of the properties; to learn
precisely what real estate is owned,
what structures occupy it, and the like.
The paucity of exact facts in the rec
ords of the railroad companies them
selves is rather surprising.
I'VE Will probably put out about $50
surveying parties, covering the whole
country" said Mr.. Prouty- There will
be about eight men in each party, max
ing a total of 100 or thereabouts in
this branch of the work alone. The
problem of organizing and transporting
these has not been an easy one. We will
probably decide to give each party q
special car to transport its people and
paraphernalia, and provide quarters In
which to live while working through
the country. When their work Is done
and piats are made, il will be possible
for the first time to know just what
the railroads own OF real estate and
structures, and where they are
Complete History As Models.
This ground-plan survey is OF
course only beginning. 1t will in
cIude a determination, not only of
exact land ownership by the roads |
but also a description of the struc- !
lures. The survey will describe cuts, |
nils, gra des. etc, giving measure
Inents in detail so that il will be pos |
sible to calculate exactly what actu- |
ally has been done TO bring the work |
20 its present status. Bridges, |
whether steel stone or pile, will be '
measured and described in like
fashion, so that when the work is
done and the results worked out we !
Will be able TO tell by our records |
Just what are the physical facts about |
every mile of road; how much cut has /
been made, how much fill. under what |
conditions, what kind of material has |
been moved. what kind of ballast, |
and how much there is, and all such
physical facts.
Not less interesting than this |
ground-plan survey is the beginning
h.,er -aIr- Of . b.
Porate history of every railroad. The I
law Imposes, in this connection,
task of impressive proportions. The /
corporate history of every railroad !
must be told from its beginnings. For
instance, If it was built in 1912 as a !
1arrow-gauge thirty-eiCht miles |
long; ard If later dozen of these i
little local roads were consolidated |
INTO bigger road; and if still later |
a dozen of these lines were brought I
together ir a system: then the his /
tory Of that system must go back TO |
the beginnings OF every one of these I
subsidiaries. and every organization,
reorganization, receivership, consoli- /
dation, issue or reissue of securities, |
etc, must be described in detail. 1t i
must be shown at what prices every |
class Of securities was sold; whether I
U was paic for In money, property, /
franchises, promoters services, or
azure sky. i
Railroad records, court records. legis- i
iative records. and all manner OF \
sources must be worked up to get all Il
his Information. Vast amounts Of II
needed records have been destroyed, II
some have been slowed away for dec
ades in musty vaults or garrets. III
Wherever they are, If yet in existence, II
they must be dug out and deciphered.
Small Roads As Models.
As start on this vast operation in
writing corporate history. Judge Prouty
mas adopted a simple scheme. He has
picked out a number o. small railroads,
most of them Of comparatively modern
construction, in different sections of the
country, and will have their data work
cd up by experts, as illustrations and
models for others to follow For in
stance, this group of models includes
the San Pedro, Los Angeles &; Salt Lake,
n the far West the Norfolk and South
ern, in the middle East; the Birming III
nam, Atlanta and Atlantic, in the
SOUTHEAST. and it will include the Kan
sas CITY Southern Or the Iron Mountain
n the II ddle West.
Each OF these roads presents differ
ent set OF conditions. The San Pedro
vas i one-.nan road when IL Vas built
William a. clark copper king. Senator
the second richest man in tine worIu,
owned vast topper interests in the
Southwest The Huntington II hartman
interests would not give him what he
thought he ought TO have in facilities
and rates, so he decided TO build his
own road from Salt Lake to Los An
geles. il WAS about the biggest stunt
~ the sort that = man ever undertook: |
but Clark had the money TO pay his bills
in cash. He didn't nave to finance his
company anywhere. when Il new million
WAS needed 10 pay new bills, he wrote |
his cheek for IL. He had desperate |
light with the Hartman lines over right
GUIDES Annual Exhibition III