The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1918-02-02
FLOOD DANGER NOW
ADDS TO PROBLEM
OF TRANSPORTATION
Empty Cars Are Being
Rushed to Move Corn
and Cotton to East
ern Ports

Washington, February 1s-Fearing
south within few days, the govern
ment railroad administration today
rushed empty cars westward from the
eastern congestion nrea to provide for
an emergency movement of corr to
elevators md cotton to southern sea-
ports for trans-shipments to New
ENGLAND mills engaged ON governments
orders.
This was undertaken without any
diminuition of efforts to transport coal
from the mines to consumption points,
where today the fuel reserves were
reported as near the zero mark as at
at any time within the last two weeks.
Owing to the absence of new snow to-
day, and the steady work of clearing
tracks of accumulated ice piles. the
movement of coal was slightly better.
and officials predicted slight improve
ment for the next few days.
NEW DANGER GROWS
The danger of floods doomed large,
however. with forecasts of warmer
" catICA toAhOtiOW lOl tiC iiiddiC WCot,
and the gradual eastward movement Of
the thawing area. The Ohio already
flows through an ice gorge 70 miles
long between Ohio and West Virginia
and Kentucky, according to reports to-
day to Director General McAdoo, and
a slight thaw over its nothern water
shed might send it into serious food
rIx III
railroad bridges. Other streams in the
middle west and south already have
overflowed and are still rising
COTTON MOVEMENT
From st. Louis, Memphis and other
points where there are large accumu-
lations of cotton waiting shipment to
market, between $4,000 and 10000
bales will move to South Atlantic and
gulf ports within the next week on
order of Director General McAdoo,
issued today by c. H. Markham, region
al director for the south. Arrangements
have been made for ships to carry the
cotton to New England mills, some Of
which have been forced to close for
lack OF material.
Edward w. Chambers. traffic direc-
tor for the railroad administration, ad-
mitted it would require 1900 cars to
move the cotton and the entire cargo
space of about 1s ships, some of which
have been supplied by the shipping
board.
SATISFACTORY PROGRESS
Satisfactory progress was reported
during the day in the movement of ex-
port shipments of foods for the allies
to southern ports, to which they were
diverted several days ago to avoid the
eastern rail and harbor congestion.
Special efforts are to be made to
transport corn. much OF which this
year is soft and must reach elevators
quickly. After comforting today with
a delegation of grain merchants from
Ohio, Indiana and Illinois. railroad
administration officials arranged to
dispatch a number Of empty cars to
those states tomorrow to carry corn to
st. Louis. Chicago and other terminals
where large elevators are maintained
From the corn territory west Of the Mis-
isissippi river, the movement of corn
eastward continued.
Il To New England the flow Of coal was
better than yesterday, and promised Ia
improve tomorrow. TRANSFORMATION con-
ditfons in central Pennsylvania coal re-
gions, in the Pittsburg district. and in
OAio were reported improved. West
Virginia was still handicapped by high
Waters.