waste, and on that account it ought to be reduced to the minimum; but it is not only wasteful but very annoying to people within hearing, and sometimes also results in frightening animals and causing accidents. It can be fairly stated that careful and proper attention to this matter, on the part of the engineer and fireman, will practically do away entirely with this cause of complaint.

An engine should never be permitted to blow off while standing at a station, and unless a train is stopped unexpectedly (and that, too, for an unusual length of time) it is easily possible for the engineer and fireman to so handle matters as to entirely prevent the blowing off of steam.

It is not necessary to specify in what manner this can be done. It is sufficient to say that we believe it can be done and we hope that our engineers will give it the attention which we think it deserves. The fact that engines are frequently heard blowing off at stations and between stations when running is not because the thing cannot be prevented, but rather due to the fact that the men on the engine have become accustomed to such noises and really do not give it the attention it deserves, and do not give it the careful consideration they would, perhaps, if the matter had been brought sufficiently before them. The violent use of the blower about stations is also objectionable and unnecessary, as a rule, and should be avoided.

We do not expect impossible things from men in charge of our locomotives; we recognize fully the conditions under which the work of locomotive enginemen is performed; but unless the service in that line is maintained at the highest attainable standard then we fail to that extent in doing the things which our employees as well as the public and patrons of the company have a right to expect. -Railway World.

Consolidation of Railroads.

It appears from the testimony of William Mahl, controller of the big companies in the Harriman system, that the Union Pacific (Harriman's) company

owns to-day nearly 30 per cent ($28,000,000) of the stock of the Illinois Central; 37 per cent ($5,000,000) of the St. Joseph and Grand Island road; that the Oregon Short Line (another Harriman company) owns nearly 19 per cent ($39,540,000) of the stock of the Baltimore & Ohio; 31⁄2 per cent ($3,690,000) of the stock of the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul; 8 per cent ($14,285,000) of the stock of the New York Central; 44 per cent ($10,000,000) of the stock of Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe, and 2% per cent ($2,572,000) of the stock of the Chicago & Northwestern. The most startling feature of this disclosure, however, is the fact that most of these stocks, to the amount of $103,293,745 in value, have been purchased since July 1, 1906, or in a period of six months. Remembering that when Harriman and his friends acquired possession of the Union Pacific & dozen years ago it was a bankrupt affair, that the Southern Pacific and the Oregon Short Line have since been added to it, that it paid last year 10 per cent dividends and that to these roads and their vast holdings of other roads are to be added several important steamship companies and $30,000,000 of stock of the Illinois Central held by Harriman and his colleagues individually, and we see such a rapid advance in consolidation of railroad lines as has never been duplicated in the history of the world.-Current Literature (February).

Powerful New Locomotive.

The Pennsylvania's new H-H type of freight locomotive recently constructed at the Altoona shops is a world-beater for power, according to tests now being made. On January 25 it drew a train of 65 steel cars and three locomotives from the lower to the upper end of the Altoona yard, which is a stiff grade all the way. After the start was made the train was stopped to permit a passenger train to enter the Altoona station. It was thought the monster machine would not be able to start the heavy train, but it did so with ease. To move 65 steel cars required three of the largest freight engines formerly used.-Railway World.

First Railroad- Columbus to Cleveland.

The difference in public sentiment in the early stages of railroad building when they were badly needed, and now, is graphically presented in the following historic story of the construction of the nucleus of what is now part of the Big 4, lately consolidated with the N. Y. C. System. Fifty-six years ago there was a great jollification and spontaneous welcome of these great developers of the country and its commerce. Now the change in sentiment is about as great as the change in the magnitude of these properties.-EDITOR.

OPENING OF THE OLD "BEE LINE."

On Feb. 18 the C., C., C. & St. L. (Big 4) will be 56 years old, but in these days of rush and hurry in railroad affairs not much time is given to sentiment, so the anniversary passed without ado. The event commends itself however as of great importance, as this road was the beginning of the great railroad development of the State of Ohio, which is probably surpassed by none except New York, where possibly the needs are greater.

The opening of the old railroad as far as Columbus, then known as the Cleveland, Columbus & Cincinnati Railroad (Bee Line), was one of the events of early times in this State. Public interest in it was keen, due to the fact that it was the climax of an effort extending over 15 years and engaging the attention and energy of the foremost men of Cleveland. The first charter was taken out in 1836, but as the demand was made that the line should be built in three years, or the grant lapse, this charter was forfeited, and gave place to another taken out on March 12, 1845. Connected with this venture were names familiar in Cleveland's history, such as John W. Allen, Leonard Case, Alfred Kelley, Philo Scoville, Richard Hilliard, Irad Kelley, Truman P. Handy, and Horatio N. Ward, while Newton Gunn, Stephen N. Sargent, Henry Hosmer, and David King of Medina, were also among the projectors. Mr. Allen was

Men of sound judgment and broad minds saw great possibilities behind the new railroad, but were beset with vicissitudes from the outset. The money was not immediately available, and to procure it a commissioner, J. W. Woolsey, was sent to Cincinnati, to Columbus, and to the East, but he returned without funds. The board was inactive for a period of about six months, but in August, 1847, it met again and in the face of the difficulties gave out the announcement that the road must be and would be built. How this was to be done no one knew, but a rift in the clouds soon appeared.

Edmund Dwight came from Boston and suggested to the members the feasibility of employing an engineer well known in the East, that confidence might be placed in the enterprise so as to lead to the investment of the necessary capital. This was done, and John Childers of Massachusetts was chosen to fill the position. The meeting of the board was an important one, for it noted the enlistment in the project of Leonard Case and Alfred Kelley, both being chosen directors. Mr. Kelley was made the president of the company, and was also holding that office at the time the first train was run. The city raised $200,000 for the furtherance of the project, and private capital was invested in large sums.

Ground was broken for the new enterprise on September 30, 1848, and the contractors agreed that the line should be completed prior to November 1, 1850. The road was completed in a short time as far as Shelby, and a regular train service was put into effect from Cleveland to Shelby. The through line, however, was not completed until February 18, 1851, and this was a great occasion. A number of citizens of Columbus came over the line, which had been built for 31 miles out of that city, and a large delegation of Cleveland people, headed by William Case, mayor of Cleveland, went to that point from here. The two trains lined up on either side of the gap, while the people collected on the hillsides in the vicinity and saw the last rail laid. Mayor Case

and President Kelley, of the railroad, drove the last spike, while great shouts arose from the people, and the general din was added to by the blowing of whistles.

The same day the train which returned to Columbus bore with it an invitation to the members of the House of Representatives to ride upon the first train over the new railroad and participate in the celebration of Washington's birthday in Cleveland, which would be more elaborate than usual on account of the popular feeling over the completion of the line. This invitation was accepted and on February 21 the first train started out of Columbus, carrying the House of Representatives and many of the distinguished I citizens of Columbus and vicinity, to Cleveland. The train reached Cleveland at 5 o'clock in the afternoon and was given a great ovation.

The air was cold and keen, but this did not prevent a great crowd of people assembling to see the train. As it came sweeping down from the bluff into the valley thousands of throats bid it welcome, and the hoarse belching of the cannon and the blaring of trumpets played no small part in the celebration, while bands of music struck up here and there lively strains. It was truly a gala day in Cleveland. The following day, Washington's birthday, was more so. It was taken up with parades, ceremonies, speeches and banquets.

The after development and the present status of this road are better known than was the humble origin. The cognomen which was given the road, "the Bee Line," is a well-known one to people who are at all familiar with railroad affairs, and the name that was later given it, the "Big Four," is a national term, more generally known, in fact, than the registered name of the road. All know how the line has expanded, taking in the route to Cincinatti, then building a branch to Bellefontaine and later being joined with a road reaching to Indianapolis, then absorbing properties that gave it an outlet to St. Louis, then to Chicago, and last of all to Louisville.

The road has numerous other branches also, so that it might be said that the "Big Four" system dominates the territory reaching south to the Ohio river and as far west as St. Louis, with Cleveland as a starting point.

The road has been presided over by such men as Alfred Kelley, J. H. Devereux, Judge Stevenson Burke and M. E. Ingalls in the office of president, not to speak of other good men. Its passenger affairs have been dominated by such men as A. J. Smith, D. P. Martin, E. O. McCormick and W. J. Lynch, all having a share in making the property one of the most progressive railroad lines in existence today. It has been generally understood for several years that the Vanderbilts have exercised some influence over this road, the impression being that it amounted to one of control. It has not been, however, until recently that the New York Central Railroad has purchased the controlling interest by buying up the preferred stock amounting to $12,000,000. With this transaction the road passes into the hands of one of the greatest systems of railroads in existence today.-Cleveland Leader.

The Tehuantepec Railway.

In January the Tehuantepec Railroad which crosses Mexico at the narrowest part of that republic, and which brings the Atlantic and the Pacific into close touch by rail, was opened to through traffic. This great work has been conducted so quietly that the world has heard but little about it. The ports of Coatzacoalcos on the Gulf of Mexico and of Salina Cruz on the Pacific will immediately increase in importance. Each town has been a bustling spot for many years, even previous to the beginning of the construction of the railway across Tehuantepec isthmus, but the formal opening of that road to through traffic on January 1 will largely increase their activities as shipping points.

As the Tehuantepec route is several hundreds of miles north of the isthmus of Panama, the railway at the latter point

will immediately feel the competition which Mexico's new transcontinental road will offer. Even the Panama canal, when completed, will find this Mexican road a rival of some consequence. The road is 192 miles in length, and can be traversed in five or six hours by the schedules which have been arranged. Necessarily it will compete from the outset with the big transcontinental roads in the United States and Canada, which are 3000 miles long, or more. The overland freight charges by Mexico's new line will be small, and thus for many sorts of traffic between the two big oceans this route will have advantages.

But the work on the construction of the Panama canal will not be retarded by the Tehuantepec line. That course will be shorter to the Pacific from New York, New Orleans and the rest of the ports on the North Atlantic and the Gulf than will the Panama route, but as it will require transshipment at each end it will be more costly. Panama will thus have advantages over it which will count heavily in the coming time. Nevertheless, the opening of the new line of communication between the two big oceans by way of the Tehuantepec isthmus will be an event of great consequence to the United States and to the rest of the world's maritime powers, and will attract wide attention.St. Louis Globe-Democrat.

Early Railroading.

The Baltimore Sun prints an interesting sketch of the early days of the Washington branch of the Baltimore & Ohio, which it rightly describes as a great historic railway. Surprise has been ex pressed that the Baltimore & Ohio, in spite of favorable reports concerning the development of steam motive power abroad, should have resorted to horse power when opening its first division, from Baltimore to Ellicott City, in May, 1830. As a matter of fact, however, experiments with the steam engine in England at that time were not satisfactory. When the Baltimore & Ohio did adopt the locomotive, it was the American-made ma

chine that was put in use, and the city of Baltimore came to be known as the cradle of the American locomotive. No other make has ever found its way to the motive power possessions of the Baltimore & Ohio. This fixed rule of sticking to the domestic product was justified by the experience of other pioneer roads in occasional trials of foreign engines. The American locomotive was born in Baltimore, and Ross Winans worked out the plan which has since been followed, though he of course started with the somewhat crude products of Cooper's and Davis's genius.

The railway postal service was born on the Washington branch, and there, too, the eight-wheel passenger coach became the standard. Ross Winans designed and built the first eight-wheel car in the world. Even in those early days refreshment cars were not unknown, though they bore little resemblance to the "dining car in the rear," to which the hungry traveler is now directed. When the Washington branch was opened the road declared the first American railroad dividend. At this time the Baltimore & Ohio had more miles of continuous track in operation than any other railroad in the world. The hard struggle of Morse to gain the co-operation of Congress and the Baltimore & Ohio in carrying out his plan for a telegraph line is known to everybody.-Express Gazette.

The Locomotive Engineer.

Officials who operate the fast trains recently put on between New York City and the West are just now facing a problem in philosophy which on paper looks something like this:

"How many ironclad rules can the human mind keep within instant recall if death is the penalty for forgetting?"

The answer is supposed to lie somewhere in the code of rules and signals which the officials have devised for the operation of these fast trains. These rules, of which there are about 700 for each 125 miles between New York City and Chicago, were made for the safety of

the public, but the public may well look askance when it learns that one man must remember 700 of them, and that a slip on any one rule may mean a shocking loss of human life.

These 700 rules are the average for each division of the chief railroad lines running west from New York. Each set covers the work of one engineer, who drives his train until another engineer, with a fresh set of rules, and presumably a fresh memory, relieves him. In other words, eight men, the average number of locomotive engineers who drive a fast train between New York and Chicago, must keep constantly in mind nearly 6,000 different rules, in order that patrons of these trains may travel without risking their lives. What this means to the public, in twenty-four hours' ride on one of these trains, can be judged from the following list of what an engineer on a certain 100-mile run has to watch while his locomotive is going at sixty miles an hour:

Five hundred "cross-over" switchlights to learn whether they are red or white. Fifteen "interlocking" switchlights to learn whether they are red, white or green. Seven "non-interlocking" switchlights to know whether they are red or green. Semaphore arms at twenty-five way stations for possible red lights. Four hundred highway crossings to know whether they are 66 clear." Locomotives of a dozen trains approaching on parallel tracks, for red or white lights. Telegraph operators at twenty-five way stations, who may be waiting near the track with orders. For a red flag at any conceivable point in the 100 miles, displayed as a danger signal. Whether one or two torpedoes are exploded at any point in the 100 miles, signifying "caution" or "stop." Whether his clearance card is good for each of twenty-five way stations. Whether there is enough water in the engine boiler. Whether there is enough water in the engine tender. Whether there is enough coal in the engine tender. Whether the steam pressure is being kept up. Whether the fireman is obeying another long set of rules.

Whether the engine-bell rings at 400 highway crossings.

By day the switch and signal lights are replaced by signal boards and "blocks," the color or direction of which must be read as literally as the lamps. The engineer who notes 699 of these signs from his cab window and misses the 700th has taken, in racetrack language, a “700 to 1 shot" with a trainload of human lives.

The public has good reason to ask whether the safety limit has not been reached with both speed and rules. There must be a point where the locomotive is so large and its speed so great, that one human mind cannot safely control it, no matter how few the levers are. A ninetyton passenger locomotive going at seventy miles an hour and operated by one man "inside" it, is as much a psychological freak as a 250-pound human athlete would be if turned loose with the brain of a three-year-old body.-Harper's Weekly.

Loyalty of the Rank and File.

Addressing the Association of Transportation and Car Accounting Officers at its last meeting, T. J. Freeman, counsel for the Texas & Pacific, said:

"I want to speak now, if you will pardon me, of the man who works in the rank and file. Not the transportation superintendent, but the engineers, conductors, train crews and yard men. One of the most valuable assets that any railway officer can have is the love, affection and loyalty of the men who work under him. It is an asset you can call upon in times of emergency. It is an asset that pays tenfold when you call on it. Whenever you treat that class of men fairly, you will find that they respond to it. In other words, the element of humanity runs stronger through that class of men than any other in the world. I never see a train service man but what I feel like raising my hat to him. It is a service that takes men to fill; men with souls; men with feeling; men with sentiment. In actual train service, and I have investigated to the extent of about fifteen years back, I find that one man in about