The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1913-05-17

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handling. storing and distributing but
to it's accounting and record methods
as we'll
Thus system is the keynote of eff
ficiency and economy, and on no otner
railway has the system of handling and
caring for material been given more
thought and attention than on the
Santa Fee Everyone in the department
has become a stickler on system, with
the result that now the forty-two mil
lion dollars worth of material passing
under the jurisdiction of the store de-
partment each year is handled with
clocklike precision and every avenue OF
waste is we'll guarded.
When one thinks of the trainload
after trainload of supplies, lumber
coal. oil and so forth constantly
streaming to or along our lines he be-
gins to realize the gigantic problem IN
volved in their proper handling.
Great stores of castings must be
taken care Of Millions upon millions of
small articles, such as tacks, bolts, fit
tings lanterns, soap, glass, tools, e!ec-
trical fixtures, must be kept where they
can be drawn upon at a moments no.
tice And it is up to the storekeeper to
see not only that he always has enough
of these on hand but that too many
do not accumulate. Obviously system
is necessary.
TODeka'S General SUOFe.
lust imagine a great, complete hard
ware store. Then imagine a score and
a half of them, specializing in railroad
material situated at the most advan-
tageous distribution points on the sys-
tenn. And in Topeka we find the great
esta blishment of the wholesaler, name
w. the general store, ana IN Cleburne
and San Rernardino two branches, CEN
tralizing supervision and allowing the
80 smaller stores to keep their stocks
replenished without delay.
The output of dozens of huge lumber
concerns is necessary to supply the
needs of the Santa Fe. Millions of feet
of lumber are prepared for use in maxi
| ing car repairs. laying crossings and
| keeping the bridges and buildings of
the system up to the Santa Fe stand
| ard.
Steel rails are purchased on esti-
| mates prepared by the general manager
| and spread directly over the territory
wherein required, but come under the
| Jurisdiction of the store department.
| Fuel oil and coal, handled much in the
| same way, also are carried on the books
of the general storekeeper, and under
| him are operated all fuel stations, ac-
| count being kept of all fuel used on
| the various districts, an important fea-
| ture of the Santa Fe store department
| organization and a system seldom in
| use on other roads.
Material Worth $1O,OOO,OOO on Hand.
In order that acquisitions may be
honored promptly-and allowing for the
fact that large purchases for future
| requirements are made from time to
| time in order to take advantage or
! especially favorable market conditions
| 10 million dollars worth of material
in the nature of general supplies, rails,
ties and fuel, is on hand day after day
| throughout the year to supply the de-
mands of our great modern railroad, all
of which is under the supervision of the
general storekeeper although directly
in charge of the following storekeepers
and their division storekeepers: H. M
Powell, Topeka; H. E. Ray, San Bernar-
dino, Cal; E. S. Newton, Cleburne
Tex.
In order that nothing may be over
looked, two travelling storekeepers, E
J. Price and G. F. Wettling, spend
their time going over the lines of the
system checking up everywhere anc
comparing conditions at each point
with those on the rest of the road.
In a large stone building located ad-
jacent to the shops in Topeka, and
known as the system general store, Is
kept the main supply of small mater
ial. Thousands of tons of sheet stee
and rough castings are stored by the
store department, in carefully kept
sections, along both sides of the ma
chine shop in Topeka, had tons of bal
iron are stored alongside the black
smith shop. An electric crane, trav.
cling over a treStle twelve hundred
feet long, handles the heavy castings
stored along the outer wall of one side
of the huge machine shop.
Acres of Equipment.
| Thus in Topeka the store depart
ment spreads itself over many acre:
here, there and elsewhere, the mater
ing proportions. 1t even has domin
ion over the great piles of lumber
| which stretch a mile or more dowT
| the car repair tracks toward Kansa:
| City, in some places half a mile wide
and in this area embracing enough
| material to stock all the lumber yards
| of cities such as Kansas City and Lo!
| Angeles. 1t is safe to say that, outside
of the department itself, not even
| dozen men in the railroads service
| comprehend the hugeneSs of it's oper
| atoms or realize the qualifications o
| its service and the nervelike system
| which keeps the head of the depart
| ment in immediate touch with condi
| tions all over the system.
| Twenty-four carloads of materia
| can be accommodated on the tracks
| alongside the Topeka storehouse ant
| delivery made from them simultan
eously Seven more carloads can b.
] taken care of at one time at the cast
i ing platform, while alongside the oil
house fourteen cars can be emptie'
II or filled without delay.
II $50 Employees in Topeka.
III Two hundred men are necessary t
i truck that material from the cars, t
II keep it in good shape and to reas
semble various portions of it for ship
ment where needed. These two hun
II dred men work under the direction o
sixteen foremen-each foreman il
III charge of a certain section of tn
III lstorehouse, with goods of certai
character in his care-and these fore
II men report to Mr.. Wolff, as genera
II foreman. All told there are on tn