Democratic Sentinel, Volume 20, Number 48, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 4 December 1896 — RAILROAD INTERESTS. [ARTICLE]

RAILROAD INTERESTS.

Prospects of Great Increase of General Traffic. Chicago railroad'officials say that for months their business has been exceedingly dull and earnings have been below the dull months of the last dull year. Now a revival is looked for in freight circles. Officials predict one of the heaviest movements of merchandise known in many years. Country merchants as well as the jobbers in the large cities have allowed their stocks to run down to the minimum. The movement of west-bound merchandise has been the lightest for many years. Thousands of stocks must be replenished and country merchants will buy heavily. This means heavy loads for the railroads, and correspondingly heavy earnings. No falling off in the heavy east-bound movement of grain, which began under the cut freight rates of last month, is looked for. Orders for cars are coming into general freight offices from all points in the west, nnd more than one road fears a car famine. As most of this grain will move under contracts made at the reduced rates there will not be large increases in revenue from that class of freight, but the greatest economy of operation as well as the greatest amount of revenue will develop from the movement of loaded’ cars both ways. Passenger men are also expecting heavy business. Commercial make up a large .percentage of all roads’ passengers. Many merchants prefer buying their goods at the large centers to ordering of traveling men, and they, too, will soon be using passenger trains. The winter tourist busiuess also has been delayed.