Special agents are usually appointed by and report to the general superintendent. The number employed depends on the size of the system and local conditions at large terminal freight houses and yards and passenger terminals.

CAR ACCOUNTING, CAR DISTRIBUTION, FAST FREIGHT

The officer actually in charge of car movements is variously called superintendent of car service, car accountant, or superintendent of transportation. In some instances the superintendent of transportation has an assistant who is a car accountant, and there are various titles and arrangements for covering the work, as shown in preceding pages.

Car Accounting

The work to be performed by the car accountant consists of keeping a record at all times of all the freight cars on the line of the company. There are two objects in view: first, to advise the general manager or superintendent of transportation as to the exact location and distribution of all the cars on the company's lines; second, the determination of the rental charges payable by the company for the use of foreign equipment and of the rentals due to it from other companies. To accomplish this, the record must show the initials of the owning company and the number of each car, the time when it arrives on the tracks of the company, and the time at which it leaves such tracks. The actual collecting of the information as to car movement is a work involving much detail and the employment of many men, but the principles involved are those stated above.

In the earlier history of railroads, the rental for the use of cars was based on the mileage of loaded cars.

In the seventies this charge was 12 cents per mile for loaded cars, and nothing for empties; subsequently this rate was on ordinary cars reduced to 34 cent and finally to 6 mills for all mileage both loaded and empty. After 1902 the system of a per diem charge was adopted; that is, a certain rate per day for the car while in the service of a company other than its owner. (The present rate is 45 cents per day.) Rules providing in great detail for the accounting and for the movement of the cars when on foreign lines have been adopted, the general purpose of which is to facilitate such accounting and use.

The actual performance of the work of accounting for the cars is simple, involving the employment of men at all junctions and connections with other railroads, and a report daily by the station agents of the home company. These reports are made at about 4 o'clock in the afternoon, and are forwarded by wire through the dispatcher to the car accounting officer.

Car Distribution

During normal times and particularly when business is brisk, the subject of car distribution is a very important one to the operating department. It often happens on a large system that one portion of the line may have a surplus of cars and another a shortage, and it requires much skill to effect an economical distribution of cars at all times.

The general object is to provide a car for a shipper within a reasonable time after it is requested. It is often not possible, nor would it be always wise, to furnish cars to each shipper requesting them immediately on receipt of his requisition therefor. The inevitable result in many instances of such a process would be the blockading of tracks at all important terminals in the

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40 pars for shipments shall be miered through the FIDI KL vho reports such requests, together with Pars that are being re haled at his station ready for shipment to the hepatiben wir in reports as to the whole frision to the superintendent of transportatva, or other der darged with ear distribution.

Seasonal Somnis for wrain classes of ears must be instipated by £ ali of cars in advance of arul ase. The movement of vegetables from the South in the early spring and of grain from the West in the fall are instances of soth demands. A knowledge of crop and market conditions is essential to the making in advance of an intelligent estimate of the amount of equipment that will probably be required.

The coal traffe between the mines and large manufacturing centers, such as St. Louis, Chicago, Pittsburgh, and Cleveland, involves the use of an immense number of cars. It is not possible to determine, even a few hours in advance, the number of coal cars that will be released at one of these large centers at the end of the day, and a fair distribution of cars among mines, many on isolated branch lines, is difficult.

The nature and direction of traffic must also be con

sidered.

While lumber, heavy machinery, etc. may be more conveniently loaded on flat cars, if the shipment is destined to a section whose return shipments are largely grain or other agricultural products, it is well, if possible, to ship the lumber or machinery in box cars rather than flat cars to avoid the empty mileage of the flat cars returning. It would evidently be uneconomical to furnish an 80,000-pound car on a request for a shipment of 20,000 pounds of merchandise, and equally so if small capacity cars were supplied for a shipment of a large amount of grain, aggregating several or many carloads, which should move in 80,000-pound grain cars. Such matters, while seemingly simple, require most careful supervision and regulation, which the superintendent of transportation or a similar officer supplies.

Fast-Freight Movement

There are three main divisions of freight traffic which affect the operating department: fast freight, time freight, and ordinary freight.

Perishable goods, such as fresh meats, dairy products, tropical fruits, vegetables, poultry, and certain merchandise, are fast-freight commodities; high-class merchandise, such as sugar, coffee, canned goods, machinery, etc., are time freight; lumber, coal, ore, sand, stone, and such commodities are ordinary freight. Agents are supplied with instructions as to the classification of each commodity and they way-bill shipments in accordance therewith. Way-bills for fast freight should be of a distinctive color.

The cars carrying fast freight are usually designated by a small card attached by the yard clerk so that they may be readily distinguished and given preference. These distinguishing way-bills and cards give such cars

individual identity and facilitate their prompt movement and easy tracing.

Fast freight is moved in trains scheduled frequently at over twenty miles per hour; time freight in trains scheduled at from twelve to fifteen miles per hour. In case a fast or time freight car is set out for any reason, its way-bill must be left at the station with the car. If the agent should overlook the character of the car, the switchman will hardly do so on account of the distinguishing color of the card attached to the car. At the end of a division, should the yard master overlook such a car in making up his train, the yard clerk in giving conductors their way-bills will notice the special waybills on account of their color and thus check the yardmaster.

On interline shipments the yard clerk of the home line furnishes his superintendent of transportation with the way-bill numbers of all cars turned over to each connecting line. The yard clerks of the foreign road will telegraph the superintendent of transportation of the home road, giving the time of arrival and departure at division points of all trains carrying fast-freight cars together with the home road's way-bill numbers, so that the superintendent of transportation is advised at all times of the location of such freight.

In case any fast freight car is set out between division points for any reason, he is also advised by wire by the conductor of the train; should the conductor fail to advise him, the report of the division yard clerk next beyond will disclose the fact. In such instances the superintendent of transportation wires the trainmaster of the particular division on the foreign road to have the car repaired and got to the next division point in a slow train, where it is picked up by the next scheduled fast-freight train. This system of foreign line tracing