Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1914-12-03
RUSH OF WAR EXPORTS.
The Congestion of Freight Destined to
Foreign Governments.
New York Journal of Commerce.

New York journal Of Commerce
Freight room on outward-bound steam
ers is at such a premium that shippers
are being compelled to pay fancy prices
for what they succeed in sending abroad
and in many instances It Ia impossible to
get room at any price without the aid or
sanction Of some Of the foreign govern
ments. This applies to all commodities
forwarded by private shippers. for the
transatlantic lines are being overwhelm-
ed with shipments OF war material. The
railroads are bringing It in faster than
II can be taken care Of. and some un-
usual shipments are being handled which
tax the facilities Of the various termi-
nails. The New York Central, the Pennsyl-
vania, the Lackawanna, and. In fact. all
the western lines, are bringing In train
load after trainload of materials that
have never come this way before. Horses
and mules are being unloaded daily. chief
ly by the Pennsylvania and New York
Central lines.
At one Of the terminals alone-and the
same conditions prevail at all Of them for
that matter--there are now awaiting
transfer to the steamers 60 carloads OF
trainloads Of shoes. the latter coming
from Binghamton. New York State Yes
terday there were three lighter loads OF
automobile trucks taken to the steamer
side, and these are arriving in con-
tinuous stream day after day All OF
this material Ia not arriving in carloads
but in trainloads, train consisting OF
80 or so cars. There were several train
loads arrived yesterday of saddles and
harness, while barbed wire is coming for
ward as rapidly as 1t can be handled
Another unique arrival yesterday was
a train Of q cars of "caterpillars," A
caterpillar for war use Is a rather formid-
able proposition 1t is a huge traction
engine that carries It's own track OF wood
en- blocks on an endless chain passing
over the side wheels and making II posi-
BILE for 1t to work Its way over any kind
Of ground. hard or soft or even marsh
land. Their use can be guessed. but the
railroad company refused to state on what
boat they were to be shipped or to what
government they were consigned, In
fact the railroad in question was not par
/ ticularly ueeirous of giving any publicity
to the matter whatever.
In some instances the need for these
war goods Is so urgent that no expense
is spared to get them to the seaboard al
quickly as possible. Fur coats in vas,
quantities are being shipped from Mime.
apolis to New York by express, ever
the fast freight being too slow. These
are being taken by the English govern.
ment and come through in less than Ave
days goods that were shipped last Fri.
day from Minneapolis, for instance ar.
irving here on Monday.
Another unusual shipment that will &C
forward as soon as the material can be
obtained is 100 cars OF telegraph poles
These will mean probably 5000 individual
poles and are believed to be intended fol
Greece.
Another railroad is known to have re-
ceived 50 carloads of automobile trucks
which were being transferred to the
steamships as fast as facilities would
permit Railroad men say that with or
ders that are still being placed and with
those already In hand there is no end II
sight OF the present outward rush OF
freight.