The news scimitar. (Memphis, Tenn.) 1907-1926, 1920-07-13
RAILROAD CARS
PURCHASED To
PREVENT T|E-UP
BY ROY T. RlsLEY.

-
One hundred and five open-top auto
matte dumping railroad cars have Just
been purchased outright by the road
commissioners Of districts Nos. I, 8 and
OF Crittenden county and Ozark Trail
district OF Poinsett county. to assure an
| adequate supply Of road paving mate
rails for the construction of the 33,-
OOO,O0O highway Improvement projects
| now in progress, and prevent complete
tie-up Of construction work threatened
| by the shortage OF open-top cars. De-
livery OF these cars Is to be made with
| In 80 days.
Scarcity OF cars has hampered and
delayed construction since the work
| started this season, The recent priorl-
| ~ order of the interstate commerce
commission diverting practically all
| open-top cars to the movement OF coal,
while not applying to railroads west of
| the Mississippi river, has virtually stop
| ped the delivery OF open-top cars load
| ing road building materials for mini
mum period Of 80 days. Gravel pits
have been shutting down and road paw
ing is almost at a standstill all over
| the country.
Much Road Building.
Fifty miles OF concrete road and 1i5
miles OF gravel roads are under CON
struction In the districts named. sched-
uled for completion by the end of 1921
To rush the work through, the districts
have procured much expensive equip
ment to facilitate the unloading and
distribution OF materials-ten modern
unloading cranes, fleet OF several
score motor trucks, a dozen or more
spur tracks for unloading cars and 9TH
er machinery-and organized a large
labor force.
Then came the car famine. without
freight cars to provide an uninterrupted
supply Of gravel, sand. rock and ce-
ment the carefully laid plans OF the
engineers were threatened to be set
at naught, the elaborate equipment to
stand idle and the working force to dis
integrate, delaying indefinitely the
completion OF the project.
But by the bold action of the road
commissioners and engineers in buy
Ing their own cars move unprece-
dented In highway Improvement work.
It is hoped TO overcome the one OBJ
stacle seemingly beyond their control.
The Morgan Engineering company,
Of Memphis, In charge OF the work, and
the commissioners, negotiated for the
owners The price paid and the name
of the company from whom the cars
were purchased was not announced.
II is said that the cars were built
for the use OF the government and were
designed especially for hauling such
materials as are used in highway con-
struction. They are equipped with air
controlled appliances for dumping on
either side OF the track. Most OF the
cars are said to be in territory adjacent
TO Chicago, but some OF the cars are
in the East.
When the highway improvements are
completed, II is the purpose of the COM
missiOners to sell the cars, and with
the prevailing scarcity Of cars it Is
believed that they can be disposed Of
with virtually no loss.
There IL some question as to the at
titude OF the interstate commerce COM
mission toward privately owned cars in
case any Of them should stray into the
territory governed by the priority order.
AS the order now stands, the railroads
are instructed to divert all open-top
cars to the movement Of coal. irrespect-
i've OF ownership, but If necessary it is
believed that a special ruling might be
made to exempt such cars from the
order
with the cars purchased and such
equipment as may be obtained from the
railroads, 1t is believed that sufficient
materials may be kept moving to main
tain construction at normal rate.