davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1921-01-22
ROADS SHOW DECREASE
In Spite of Increased Rates They Are
Not Making Any More Money.

In spite of their rate raises of last
august, the reports of the railroads
show that they are not making any
more money than they did before the
increases. J
A decrease is shown in the operating
revenues of practically all roads in the
United States for the eleven months
ending November 80, 1920.
The Santa Fe shows a decrease of
s9,169,576 from the same period of
1919. The total operating expenses of
the road for the period were s161, 364,-
252, and the total operating revenues
were 1896, S93.470.
The total operating revenues of the
Rock Island during the same period
were 1874, 0S1,3s6, and the operating
expenses were $115.s01,11s. This was
a decrease of $7,634,774 over the same
period last year.
The total operating revenues of the
Union Pacific during the eleven month
period were s120.714,15o and the to-
ltal operating expenses $S5,9S7.0sS.
The total operating revenues of the
Missouri Pacific during the same
period were S107,437.742, and the
Operating expenses $101,725,561.
The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1921-01-22
NO IMPROVEMENT WORK.
Those Charged With Keeping VI
Roadbed Are Taking Vacation

Roadbed Are Taking Vacation.
business is not only dull with the
freight and passenger departments Of
the railroads, but even with the main
tcnance of way forces, according to j..
H. BreheEey. trainmaster of the~Rock
Islands Kansas division.
There is far less trouble encoun-
tered just now than is usually met at
this season of the year. on account of
takes a load Off the section foreman
and section hands.
Incidentally, the roadbed is in far
better condition on this division than
it is during the ordinary January.
But little construction or improve
ment work can be accomplished, how
ever, during the winter, because there
Is always the chance of a freeze which
would result in any surface disturb
ance of the soil becoming frozen hard,
and the latter condition would be
worse than leaving the roadbed as it is
at the present time.
Consequently, the section men and
those charged with keeping the road
bed in good condition are taking things
pretty easy
In the current issue of the Rock Is
land Magazine there are published a
number of pictures showing what the
track gangs are up against in winter,
on the northern lines of the road, dur
ing the ordinary January. Pictures
of snowplows forcing their way thru
drifts higher than the smokestacks OF
the engines driving them, were gath
the magazine, under the supposition
that they would fit conditions when
the magazine was issued. The weather.
man fooled the editor.
The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1921-01-22
NEW TRAIN ON ROCK ISLAND.
OH Industry Near Eldorado. Ark,
Caused Much Travel.

Because of the activity in thenewly-
developed oil fields near Ell Dorado,
Ark, the Rock Island has found II
necessary to add another train to
those which run from Little Rock,
Ark. to FL Dorado. The train is
made up of standard sleeping and day
coaches, and leaves Little Rock short
ly after midnight. arriving at the oil
fields early the next morning.
Special interest for Rock Island en-
ployes in the new field is based on the
fact that the presence of natural gas
in the Ell Dorado field in large guam
titles was first discovered on land
owned by Miss Blanche Parnen. an
employe in the office of the division
superintendent at Ell Dorado.
The first gas well. Constantine No,
1, which blew i'm was so million
cubic feet 1t is still blowing at the
same rate, with about 20 barrels of
oil day. The company has not been
able to stop the flow. due to the fact
that there is a leak in the casing.
When the we'll is capped, the gas
breaks out at points scattered up and
down the valley to the east and west
of the we'll This gas has been piped
to the city limits of Ell Dorado and is
being used by the factories and schools
of the city. A franchise is being con-
sidered for its domestic use
OF the fifteen wells drilling and
completed near Ell Dorado. all have
found gas in greater or less iantities.
Many other wells are now going down
in this vicinity and plans are being
laid On which the field will be de-
veloped on a big scale.
The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1921-01-22
TELLS OF FREIGHT DAMAGES.
II. f. Reddig Is Author of Interesting
Magazine Article

IL L INuUS II <hudfOF VI interesting
Magazine Article.
H. F. Reddig, formerly division SUI
perintendent of the Kansas division of
the Rock Island, is the author of one
of series of articles in the current
issue OF the Rock Island Magazine, on
freight damages and claims.
A special campaign to cut the losses
due to the damages and claims on
freight is being waged by the Rock
Island for this year.
Reddig's article drives home the
magnitude of the sum which is lost
to the road annually thru these means.
Reddig's article brings home, to the
minds of the readers the gigantic waste
by comparison with the personal and
real property in the city of Trenton.
Mo-. which is an important Rock Is
land division point. The freight
claims paid by the road, Reddig's arti-
Gle says, are half as great each year
as the entire assessed valuation of the
city-"in other words, in two years we
are wasting the equivalent in value of
a city as big as Trenton. Costly ir-
regularities are happening every day
which indicate clearly that a great por-
ton OF this waste is avoidable, and
should be eliminated if everyone per-
formed his duty" the former division
superintendent says.
The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1921-01-22
ON 10000 Miles Travel.

Wholesale freight rates, why not
wholesale passenger rates? the travel
ing men want to know.
Delegates at a recent meeting of the
International Federation of CONNER
cial Travellers organizations, repre-
senting more than 10000 commercial
travellers, urged the adoption by the
railways of interchangeable mileage
tickets, good on all lines. to be sold at
a flat rate of 20 per cent under ex-
listing passenger traffic. These tick
cts were to be in denominations of
5000 or 5000 miles. which would pre-
vent the general public from availing
itself of the reduced rates to any ap-
preciable extent.
The delegates will agree. IL neces-
sary. to accept a book of mileage up
to 10000 miles which would practical
iy close the sale to the public. The
proposition was discussed. with repre-
sentattves Of the railways at meetings
held in Chicago.
The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1921-01-22
Kansas Division of Rock Island
Is Third in Contest.
1874 Acres of Right of Way Put
INTO Crops.
CONTINUE PLAN THIS YEAR
Section Foreman at Mcpherson
Made S54 Profit.
Vegetables Valued at 500
Raised by Arlington Man.

The Kansas division of the Rock
Island stood third in a unique contest
among fourteen divisions OF the road
during 1920, by reason of having 1s4
acres OF the right of way put into
crops and cultivated by nfty-fodr en-
ployes during the year.
The Rock Island is continuing a
system started during the war, of en-
couraging employees to lease and culti-
vate small plats Of ground along the
right of way. The reports for 1920
show that there were cultivated in
this way 1875 acres of Rock Island
ing hanIled by an empioye being 2.65
acres.
st. Louis Division Leads.
The st. Louis division led the system
in the contest. with 200 acres leased
to 1876 employees. The Indian Terri
tory division was second, and the Kan
sas division was third. The last on
the list was the Chicago terminal divi-
sion, where two employees leased an
acre of ground between them
A very wide variety of crops were
grown on the leases, but a uniformity
Of profit was noted in the reports.
Their spare time cultivation Of the
land, which would otherwise have lain
idle, resulted in the accumulation of
several hundred dollars in profit. to
the Kansas employees.
Made Profit of S54.
The section foreman at Durham,
Kan, planted a small patch of pota-
toes from which he harvested twenty
bushels. The section foreman at Nc
Pherson sowed three and a half acres
of the right of way in oats, and gath
cred 119 bushels, with a profit of $54.
The section foreman at Groveland,
Kan, planted two acres of alfalfa and
kafir corn, with profit of $50. The
section foreman at Arlington. Kan,
planted a garden half an acre in ex-
tent and secured from it vegetab les
to the value of 500 at an expense of
about SIS The coal chute foreman at
the same point planted three-fourths
of an acre of alfalfa, and realized a
profit of $50 A pumper at Airing
ton grew 500 worth of vegetables on
half an acre of right of way.
Advantage to Section Men.
The section foremen were, as a rule.
the men who took advantage of the
opportunity to lease the small patches
OF ground. Various crops netted prof
II 70 the forem"n at Langdon, Turon
Cullison, Bloom and Mineola.
In spite of the fact that the war is
over and the war garden fever has
passed, there has been an increase in
the past two years in the number of
railroad employees willing to avail
themselves of the opportunity to inn
prove their spare time and the Rock
Island right of way. Plans for this
year Will contemplate the further
growth Of the idea.
The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1921-01-22
REIMBURSEMENT. OF TAXATION.
County High School Support Problem
Up Again in Senate.

A readjustment of the taxation by
which county high schools are sup
ported is provided for in two bllls
which have been introduced by sena-
tors Taylor and Gray in the senate
Senator TAYLOR. taking the condf-
tons in his own county as an exam
pie, has decided that to tax each dis
trict in a county which maintains
high school to help pay for the main
tenance of a county school is double
taxation, and should be abolished His
bill provides for the making of the
county high school rural high school,
to be supported as such, in cases SINH
lar to the one which has arisen in
Reno county.
Senator Gray would have the high
school tax for the county high school,
evenly distributed among the districts
of the county and would have the di-
rect school tax make UP the balance
necessary.
The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1921-01-22
Railroad NeUs of Week
RY V F. RIJNDY
BY v. E. BUNDY.

more" the questioner at the other end
of the wire protested. Further in
quiry elected the fact that she had a
package to mail to Dover-and was
curious to know how the U. s. mail
got there when there was no railroad
into the town.
The story brought applause from
Cliff Lowe. ticket clerk at the station
Cliff declared he wished he had a
dollar for every time that he had
painstakingly hunted thru a mass of
folders end guides to determine the
connection to some out of the way
town in another state. only to find
that the party making the inquiry had
a letter for that point, and Eff I mail
it tonight, when will it get there"
And Cliff. under penalty of being
declared ungallant. says the women
who ask that sort of a question are
more numerous than the men.
The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1921-01-22
THEY MAKE SHORTER JOURNEYS
New Railroad Rates Show Loss In
Gross Receipts From 1920.

The new rates did not pan out as
well as the railroads expected when
they were granted in August. 1920.
The new rates have failed by $41, 544,-
063 to produce as much money as they
were expected to produce.
And this in spite of the fact that
there were more passengers carried
during September, the first month
after the new rates became effective,
than were ever carried in a single pre-
vious month in the history of the
roads.
During that month 104.351. $50 pas
sengers were carried. but their jour-
neys were shorter than the average
Journey of the passengers who rode
during September, 1919.
There was less freight carried dur
ing September, 1920. than during the
same month in 1919, according to a
report made by the roads to the inter-
state commerce commission, by 3,0S7,-
000,0 900 tons.
The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1921-01-22
MEETING OF KANSAS AUTHORS
First District Conference Last Night
Annual Banquet Thursday.

Annual Banquet Thursday.
The First district conference of Kan
sas Authors club was held Friday eve
ming at the home of Mr.. and Mrs. Geo.
P. Morehouse and the session brought
out interesting experiences of club
work.
Mrs. H. o. Garvey presided and men
toned the fact that the writers of this
district should become better organ
lied to keep up with the splendid work
being done in some of the other dis
tricts.
George P Morehouse, secretary of
the state society, told of some of the
funny and serious experiences of con-
quoting the recent 5000 prize contest
of Kansas Ruthorship and handling the
hundreds of manuscripts submitted.
Prof. j. W. Searson, president of the
General society, and head of the Eng
glish department at K S. A c.. gave
an extended account of the years work
and of the several successful district
meetings held at Kansas City, Pitts
burg. Hays and Dodge City. He also
announced that the offering of the
awards for Kansas authorship would
be continued for the coming year, and
mentioned the large number of fine
Kansas writer's had been brought out
and encouraged by this contest.
Mrs. Margaret Hill McCarter pointed
out the necessity of placing limit
upon the number of manuscripts sub
mitted by these poetic and short story
contestants in the interest of fair play
and also to lessen the mass of material
to DE passed upon by the judges.
Propositions and applications for
membership OF some twenty additional
Kansas writers were made and re-
ferred to the executive committee.
References were made to thesspien-
did increase of membership in the last
year and the fine program arranged.
The annual meeting and BANQUET will
he held by the state society Thursday,
January 81.
The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1921-01-22
JOHNSON GETS GOLD MEDAL.
Union Pacific Employe Tells How to
Prevent Accidents

The best paper on the prevention
OF accidents, read at a recent division
safety first meeting of Union Pacific
employees, was presented by Avery
johnson, foreman for the Union Pacific
at Delphos. The meeting was held at
the Hotel Muehlebach in Kansas City.
johnson was presented with a gold
medal in recognition of the value of
the paper which he read. He has
been in the service of the company for
the past thirty-three years. and has
taken a leading part In the safety first
work of the road.
The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1921-01-22
THRU DINING CAR SERVICE.
Rock Island Trains Nos. 1 and VIII
Be COmpIeteIY Eauipped.

Thru dining car service on Rock
Island trains No. l and 2, running be-
tween St. Louis and Los Angeles, has
been inaugurated. This cuts out sew
eral stops for meals for these trains
in the western part of Kansas and in
New Mexico. Slightly less than two
months ago the runs of the trains were
extended from Kansas City to st.
Louis
The dining car is to be removed
from trains No. Is and &c, between
Kansas City and Belleville. accordin
to the same circular which announced
the Inauguration of the thru service on
the two st. Louis trains This compels
trains 25 and &c to stop at Mcfarland
for supper.
The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1921-01-22
WILL HONOR ANNUAL PASSES.
Employees VIII Be Permitted to Ride
on Golden State Limited.

Announcement has been made that
white annual passes to Rock Island
employees, bearing the autograph sig
nature of the chairman of the board
of directors, or of the president. are
to be honored on the Golden State
Limited, on any territory.
Employees annual passes and ex-
change passes are to be honored on
the Golden State, which is one of the
pet trains of the road, only between
Kansas City and Chicago, and only on
the sleeping cars
Some grades Of employes-superin-
tendents, master mechanics. train
masters, division engineers. road fore
men and road masters, will be per-
mitted to ride the trains only on their
own divisions.
The Golden State Limited is exclu-
sive, even when it comes to employees.
The 1921 annual passes have just
been distributed.
The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1921-01-22
FOR MERrTORIOUS SERVICE.
Nineteen Employees of Rock Island On
December Honor Roll.

Nineteen employees from the Kansas
division of the Rock Island have re-
ceived mention for meritorious service
during the month of December, &C
cording to the honor roll of the road.
published in the January issue of the
Rock Island magazine
A large number of the men have
been recommended or have received
letters or merit marks for having Sc
cured passengers for the road, among
the men acting as assistant pasSen-
ger agents being employees from all
the ranks of the road-section hand
and up.
The majority of the employees, how
ever, have been recommended for out
standing faithfulness, efficiency or
zeal in performing their regular
duties, and a little more than their
duties.
The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1921-01-22
SENTIMENT IN ARCHITECTURE.
Bishop James Wise Makes Impressive
Talk to Architects.

and sentiment thru architecture was
brought out In the address of Bishop
James Wise at the banquet Of the State
of Architects Friday night
Art. in the architects labor. may be
used TO perpetuate the memories of
great men or events, or principles,
Bishop Wise declared.
Other speakers at the banquet.
which closed the annual state meeting
of the association, were: T A McNeal,
of Topeka; Prof. Goodwin Goldsmith,
of Kansas university; Lorentz Schmidt,
retiring president, and W. E. Glover.
of Topeka, the new president, who
acted as POSTMASTER.
The architects spent Friday in a
series of business meetings and dis
onssions. and listened to an address by
John H Kitchen, of Kansas City, Mo-
The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1921-01-22

of the outdoor sports in the state of
Kansas. there is published in a cur
rent issue of a leading railway trade
magazine an account Of q new road
which is projected in Kansas.
The road is said to be planned to
run from Hyacinth. in Ellis county.
to Great Bend. in Barton county. with
spur to Hays. 1t is to be called the
Golden Belt railroad, and. according
to the railroad magazine, is planned
entirely for the purpose of handling
Kansas wheat in the region traversed.
The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1921-01-22
WOMEN ASK MANY QUESTIONS.
One Wanted to Know How Q. S. Got
Mail to Dover

How do I get TO Dover over the
Rock Island?" a woman asked City
Passenger Agent c. z. Bascom re-
Gently over the phone. The Rock Is
land man tried to explain that the
city of Dover is not on the railroad,
but must be reached by automobile
stage from Willard. the nearest rail-
road point. some six miles away.
"Oh. but I've been there by auto
mobile. don't want to go that way any
The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1921-01-22
HELP TWO ROADS
Rock Island and Missouri Pa
cific Profit by Fund.
Railroads Have S300,OOO,OOO
to, Assist Them.
TOTAL OF SIT, 645,9 37 USED
Interstate Commerce Commits
sion in Charge of Money.
Thirty-FOnr Companies Borrow
From Government.

Section 21O of the transportation
act of 1920, under which the railroads
are returned to private management
after the period of government man
agement, set aside a revolving fund OF
$500. 100000 to be loaned to the ROADS
TO assist them in serving the public.
Roads Borrow S17f, 645,937.
A report of the interstate commerce
commission shows that at the end OF
1920, there had been lQaned out OF
this fund a total of $171. 645,931, to
thirty-four different roads. There
had been approved. up to that time,
loans to the extent of sos, 721,357,
but not all of the loans approved had
been made at the beginning OF the
new year.
of this s171.645.9s7. loans have
been made to two roads operating
thru Topeka. The Rock Island prof
tied to the greatest extent from the
fund, having borrowed $9,S62,OOO
from it. The Missouri Pacific was
vas granted a loan of $S,S71,T6O from
the same fund.
$4O,OOO,OO0 Is Reserved.
of the revolving fund. $40, 100000
was reserved temporarily to meet
claims and judgments against the gov
eminent. arising from the operations
during the period of government con-
troll.
The purposes for which loans have
stated in a recent report Of the COM
mission. are as follows:
To aid in meeting maturing indebt-
edness. $S6.173.75O.
To aid in the acquisition of equip
ment, 41.3S5.S70.
To add to and better existing equip
ment, $17.291.294.
To make additions and betterments
to way and structures to promote the
movement of freight car trains, $780,
S7O.443.
May Make Additional Loans.
Additional loans aggregating $751;
653,5 may be made on pending ap
plications. This will leave S2.625,049
of the revolving fund available for
additional loans. There will be cred
its to the revolving fund. during the
transition period. of interest and re-
payment of principal with respect to
loans heretofore made, which credits
will be available for still further
loans.
The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1921-01-22
BEST LOOKING GIRLS IN WEST.
Rock Island Magazine VIII Locate
PreftfeSt Girl in World

Notice has been served thru the COL
umns of the Rock Island Magazine
that the Rock Island beauty contest
which is being conducted by that or
gan in the two-fold effort to find out
who is the best looking girl among
the systems employees and to convince
the boastful manager of the n. Y. N.
H. & H. that the best looking girls in
the world are in the west, will shortly
be closed, and the final decision made.
The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1921-01-22
SANTA FE DECLARES DIVIDEND.
Quarterly Payment of 4 u Per Cent
VIII Be Paid March l.

common stock has been declared, pay
able March 1. The dividend amounts
to \ per cent, making an annual re-
turn of per cent for Investment in
the roads securities.
The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1921-01-22
WILL MEET IN HOUSTON, TEXAS.
Fifty Santa Fee Ticket Agents VIII
Attend Convention.

The Texas Association of passenger.
ticket and freight agents will hold
their sixteenth annual convention at
Houston, Tex, January %. The con-
vention will be attended by some fifty
ticket agents from the Santa Fe sys-
tenn. There are three hundred mem
bers of the association.
The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1921-01-22
ADDITION TO ARGENTINE SHOPS.
Santa Fc Asks Bids on Work Which
VIII Cost About $4,000.

Bids are being asked for by the
Santa Fe for the construction of a
one-story addition to its machine shop
at Argentine, Kan The new addition
is to cost about $45. 900.
The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1921-01-22
o. p. BUILDS 1000 NEW CARS.


The Union Pacific has recently
placed in service 1000 refrigerator
cars for the Pacific Fruit Express
1000 of the cars having been built in
the company's own shops. Orders for
the remaining 5000 were filled Nby
various car manufacturing companies.
The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1921-01-22
NEW KANSAS RAILROAD.
Road Being Planned From Hyacinth
to Great Bend to Handle Wheat.

Recalling the old days when the
building of paper railroads, and even
the grading of rights of way was one
The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1921-01-22
SANTA FE BUYS EQUIPMENT.

Total of 10000 Tons Of Steel Rails
Have Been Ordered.
Steel rails for relaying on the east
ern and coast lines and for general
replacement work along the road,
have been ordered by the Santa Fe
from the United States Steel corpora
ton. The order calls for 10000 tons
of the rails.