Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1916-12-09
All Railroads Reaching
Atlantic Seaboard Check
Shipments.
SEAPORTS CLOSED
TO WAR EXPORTS
Order Strikes Hard Blow Il Expert
Business to Warning Nations- -osms
Of Lines Exempt Food For Cons
sumption In United Statss- Embarno
Duo Solely to Congestion Of Freight
in East and Tising Up :: Cars.

Chicago. Dec. s.-Announcemcnt TO.
day that all eastern roads were In tho
embargo on shipments to the Atlantic
coast left only New Orleans and Gall
weston as the commercial practical
trade routes to Europe Tor munitions
makers of tho west.
The entire list Of Atlantic seaboard
ports is closed by the embargo on
shipments. every line In the Eastern
Freight Association having issued an
order which strikes at the export bus-
mess. Makers Of certain goods for
export use are affected by the embargo.
Coal 10 Excepted.
The embargo applies to certain car-
load shipments with some exceptions
chief Of which is the coal commodity.
seldom shipped from the middle west
to the Atlantic. Several OF the roads
have announced that the embargo villa
not oe enforced against food for con~
sumption In the United States.
The order raised a storm OF Que0>
tions among shippers and had an im-
mediate effect In several markets. Elk.
ceptions made to the order by indi.
yiylual roads varied considerably and
gave rise to doubts as to what was for
bidden to be shipped east and what waa
not.
Explanation Of Embargo.
An explanation of the railroad em-
barge order was given by an official OF
the Central Freight Association last
night
"As I understand It," he said. ''tho
orders OF the eastern roads affect car
load shipments. which are the bulk OF
the business from this part OF the
country moving toward the Atlantic
coast. All the eastern roads have is-
sued embargo orders as individuals and
not us an association.
For this reason there seems to be an
|unc certalnty among shippers a. 20 what
comes under the embargo and what
does not. That Is because each separ-
ate road has a distinct list OF excep-i
tions to the order. ALL believe. mako
an exception of coal (probably because
lat Is SO greatly needed) and OF PERISH
able goods In transit at the time the
order went into effect. There la also
the exception of supplies for the Unit
ed States sggovernment. In order to get
at the other exceptions II would be
necessary to read each roads order
carefully"
N. Y. CentrA Exospts Food.
Other exceptions to the order made
by several roads apply to live stock in
transit on connecting lines at the date
the embargo went into effect.
The New York Central lines make an
exception of food for human con-
sumption" which means domestic con-
sumption only.
Another road. which il known as a
large carrier of perishable goods. IS
In the embargo because Of lack Of
loading and icing.
These Lines Affected.
The lines now included in the en-
barge orders are all those irf the East
ern Freight Association. These are
the New York Central the Pennsylva-
MIA, the Nickel Plate. the Erie, the
Wabash, and others.
Benjamin McKeen. general superin-
tendent Of the transportation in Pits
burgh. said
1.-The abnormal business III The mid
die west makes 1t imperative that this
embargo take effect temporarily. We
have exerted every possible effort to-
offset congestion. but the embargo had
to be resorted to to prevent paralysis
of freight traffic. 1t will be lifted in a
short time II we can clean things up
The same official explained that
thousands of loaded cars are standing
idle on his tracks for want OF locomo-'
tion and sufficient terminal property to
handle the freight.