The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1923-04-22
RAIL WAY AFTER 70
YEAR. STRUGGLE, IS
READY To GIVE Up
Illinois Road Finds Itself Un-
able To Meet
Expenses

SPRINGFIELD, ILL.,, April 2i.-(By
Associted Press.)-A railroad run
ming on it's nerve is the description
given by its managers to the Chicago.
Peoria and St. Louis railroad. the
largest in the United States to be re
leased by the interstate commerce
COMM son from it's obligation to
continue interstate traffic.
The bondholders have asked that
the road be permitted peacefully to
end it's fitful career because expenses
are about to eat up their security, but
they have found it harder to kill Il
railroad than 1t is to acquire enc.
While commerce commissions, leg
islative committees, courts and doz-
ems of patron committees are at
tempting to apply the pulmotor to
the railroads ebbing life, its mana
gers say they will shortly have to re-
linquish It, because its equipment and
road bed are becoming dangerous for
public use.
Lsfgest In Illinois.
This Is the largest railroad lying
wholly within the state of Illinois. 1t
is the net result of many buyings and
settings and combinations of roads,
which finally resulted in the CONSOLE
dation of two lines in 1900 to be
known as the Chicago, Peoria and St
Louis Railway company of Illinois
l.
two parent companies being in the
hands of the federal court at the time
they were lnsolidated. and bank
ruptcy has been its lot almost all the
time since.
The main line runs from Peoria,
Ill, to East st. Louis, operating 247
miles of track. of which 237 are
owned and the balance is under lease.
branches run from Havana to Jack
sonville and from Lock Haven to
Frafton. Its first trackage was laid
as early 1858.
Its territory is almost exclusively
agricultural. except for potential
industrial district on the south end
of the line, near East st. Louis. Its
greatest revenue Is derived from in
termediate freight business trans
ferred from connecting line to con-
Meeting line. 1t serves six coal mines
with a potential daily capacity of
5000 tons. There are only eight other
industrial plants on the line. The
local freight depends entirely on ag
ricultural products and live stock.
o O O
There are about 10 towns and VII
lagos on the line. OF these, SO com
These SO, however, are small ranging
from station stops of eight persons
to the town OF Athens, of 1,440 pop
ulation. The total population of all
the communities which will be with
out railroad service if the Chicago
Peoria and St. Louis railroad is
abandoned, is about 11,400. Many OF
these towns depend on automobiie
trucking. and in fact the plight OF
the road is ascribed by the road S
management partly to the constantly
growing use of the automobile for
both freight and passenger traffic.
The passenger business has de-
creased from 1873 passengers in
1912 to 344.573 passengers in 1922.
which 1929 are in bad order, accord
ing to w. C. Hurst. general manager
of the road, and % of its 81 locomo-
tives were out of service for re-
pairs on March "a last.
The operation of the property has
resulted each year since 1917 in a
deficit, until the net cash liabilities
900, 900. For the causes OF these
troubles. Mr.. Hurst points to the fed
eral control during the World War,
when much of the freight business
went to other lines and has never
returned. and to the great increase
in wages without a corresponding in
crease in freight rates.
Consolidated During Wnr.
During the war the road was con-
soldated with the Chicago and Alton
road it's chief competitor. and much
freight business which went to the
Chicago and Alton at that time has
never returned. The road is at dis
advantage. also. according to it's off,
est line between competitive points
but has heavier grades than any o.
its competitors.
The final disposition of the road is