The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1921-12-19
M EN-, WON EN-
A ND T HIN C S

IA IN IL i IL IN VI ~ /
Chicago is the worlds foremost railroad ter
minus. Every train either begins its journey
or finishes its trip in Chicago, no train passes
through, 40 per cent of the railroad mileage of
the United States terminates in Chicago.
The above applies to every one of the SO
railways including "a of the great railroad sys-
TENS which serve it. There are also Is belt
within the city limits is 2,84O miles, and if laid
straight away would stretch more than half
across the continent, or if trestle could be
built across the Atlantic like the one in Florida
it would be able to reach from shore to shore.
am merely making these statements off hand
without getting the exact data.
Chicago has more than 100 railroad yards
for the receipt, transfer and dispatch Of freight
shipments with III receiving yards distributed
throughout the city. And these freight yards
are no Small pumpkins for number of them
cover $50 acres more of land each, and one
tract of 24O acres. 1t has an unrivalled sys-
tenn of handling freight within the Metropoi-
entering the city Only those who are shippers
realizes the service of belt lines The greatest
switching yards have been built.
But more than the surface lines, so miles of
tunnel, under the central business section used
exclusively for freight, connect docks, depots,
warehouses, wholesalers and department stores
and industries with the various railroad terrn-
nails and warehouses. There are six railway
passenger stations located in or near the heart
of the city to for the passenger traffic.
Chicago has four great systems of elevated
railways, aggregating about 200 miles of tracks.
These systems interchange business that for
one fare, passengers may go from one section
of the city to the other by merely changing
cars at the transfer stations. There are 205
stations and 1,167 cars.
There are five interurban roads serving Chi
cago. These lines extend far out into the
suburbs and surrounding territory and connect
with many other electric systems that feed
Chicago. There is also a motor bus company
and an interurban motor despatch which is
freight service over the various lines There
are five electric surface lines that start in or
near the city limits and extend into suburban
territory.
There are five steamship lines freight and
passenger) maintaining routes from Chicago,
and these are supplemented by SO other lines
that run into Chicago practically all of which
are freighters carrying coal, iron, lumber, steel,
grain, automobiles and other merchandise. l
have been at pains to gather these facts in or
der to show just what pressing problem trans
portation is in the life of great city and that
instead of its growing less it increases year by
year.
Sailing vessels and prairie schooners have
been superseded by steamships and railroad cars
of ever increasing size. The cry on the sea
is for ships of mammoth dimensions and on land
for grades that will permit powerful engines to
draw greater number of freight cars. The
worlds commerce while better cared for than
in the days of sail boats and wagons is yet
cuffering to be moved quickly and economically.
Today both railroads and steamships seem
choked and freight is not moved with dispatch
and there is loud complaint about overcharges
The steamship took away much of the cargoes
of the sailing vessels the railroads put the river
boats out of commission, the electric lines i'm
pnged on the steam lines, and now comes along
the motor truck and the jitney to further COM
picate both the freight and passenger service of
steam and electric lines. 1t is small wonder
then that the managers of the great railroad
systems and the receivers of the street car lines
(for many of them are operated under the
courts) are put to it to find sufficient rev.
enues to operate. The situation demands the
best thought of railroad men, shippers, legisla-
tors, aldermen commissioners, and the public
as upon its wise solution depends peace and
prosperity.
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