The Hawaiian gazette., 1917-02-27
PILES UP
ASSH|PS ARE HELD
Loaded Cars Congest Piers and
Tracks Throughout Metro
H.. .... poIitan District

NEW YORK, February II--Cars
cars everywhere, and not shin "a
load-this is the literal truth about
the freight yards, piers, and tracks in
and near the metropolitan districts
since the German submarine aetiyitie,
have held ships in port. The frcigh,
yards are literally full of cars. ears
loaded to the limit with merchandise
waiting ships. a:.. ...a
One travelling down the Hudson
River from the upper end of the city
to the Battery may see floats loaded
to capacity with cars and standing
idly at piers, which are themselves
packed with cars from end TO end
and scarcely tug Of a ship with steam
up in sight. What tugs were seen YES.
terday were running up and down the
river without tows, and ferryboat cap.
tains were denied their favorite aqua.
tic sport of lodging car floats.
Cars loaded and idle were living
strung out in long lines on all availa.
BILE tracks under the Palisades on the
Jersey shore and where the Palisades
ended; cars were run back from the
river in numbers sufficient 20 make n
pile as high as the Palisades.
Elsewhere IL was the same. Wher.
ever cars could be hauled and left they
we're found-waitihg until something
happens. Thousands and thousands of
wheels, and not one mOving--this is
what appaIs railroad men. For not only
is the freight in the cars blocked at
the expense Of shippers, railroads, and
consumers, but the cars are urgently
needed in other parts of the country.
The railroads have done all they
can to release ears. They have raised
the demurrage rates, but still the ship.
pers find less expensive to pay the
increased rate and use the ears for
storage than TO unload freight where it
cannot be properly cared for and may
wait weeks for transportation.
Matters are further complicated by
the fact that the cars have been
packed in such numbers and under the
pressure Of snch food of incoming
freight that there is no order to their
arrangement, A ship may tie up at a
pier ready for freight specifically con.
signed TO it--and the freight may be
in cars a mile or more from the pier
with other cars filing every track be.
tween them and the ship. The cars
in the way can't be moved back and
the cars desired can't be moved up, so,
although the ship is waiting and the
freight has technically arrived in the
port, the two cannot be brought to,
gether. The Pennsylvania Railroad
has made extra efforts TO relieve such
situations by first going to extremes
to get some track to the pier open and
then sending out one of it's large port.
able cranes ordinarily used for lifting
engines out of bitches. Several times
one of these cranes has picked up car
from among hundreds of others, lifted
it over several other cars, and deposit.
ed il on the track open to the Her.,
But such steps only touch the sur
face of the congestion. While steam,
ship men are waiting to see what the
German blockade will do, and while
railroads are doing everything possible
to prevent the arrival of more cars in
the city, thousands now remain idle
in the yards and on all track space not
actually needed for moving trains.
The impressive thing about the
scene, as viewed from several points
is the almost absolute stiffness of
everything. Cars and cars-wheTe,
under usual circumstances, men would
be busily engaged in unloading, en-
gines in switching, and boats in car.
rying cars across the river-there is no
activity at all--everything is dead and
motionless. 49,, .