The watchman and southron. (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, February 21, 1917, Image 6
FIEI6RT CONGESTION IN EAST
SHORTAGE OF CARS CAUSED BY
CONGESTION PRESENTS SE?
RIOUS PROBLEM.
Fenhsrgo Placed by Railroads on
Shi parent of Exports to East and
Mot has of Steamers to Porta are
Piswetcd to Relieve Trouble.
Washington, Fei?. 15.?The chief
railroads .of the country took sum?
mary action tod*y to relieve the
?hortag-e of freight cars and traffic
congestion at Eastern seaports, again
approaching an acute stage because
of the curtailment of trans-Atlantic
sailings by Germany's new subma?
rine campaign.
Representatives of 30 roads at a
meeting here attended by interstate
commerce commission officials reach* I
ed a "gentlemen's agreement" for a
new and drastic campaign of re?
lief. Including the following meas?
ures:
Adoption of regulations tantamount
to a virtual embargo on all export
shipments through eastern ports un?
til a part of* the vast accumulation
Already awaiting steamships can be
cleared away.
liberal use of "an intelligent em?
bargo'* on all domestic eastbound
shipments. Such an embargo, al?
ready effective on some roads, may be
extended.
A policy of separating empty from
loaded cam In the congested yards
and sanding the empties back with
ethers? nleeeia by unloading t a West?
ern Noes In solid train loads ahead of
ndt ether traffte except passenger
Eastern roads agree to give an ad?
ditional empty car to their Western
connections for every losded car re?
ceived.
Export traffic through the East will
remain virtually at a standstill during
the period of adjastment and east
bound domestic traffic will be greatly
curtailed If the plans work out The
amount of freight for export has in?
creased greatly at Eastern ports be?
cause of the great decrease In steam?
ship sailings since the severance of
diplomatic relations with Germany,
the congestion at some Eattern yards.
It. was said, having become so se?
rious that It is extremely difficult to
mote anything One road is report?
ed to have every track crowded and
lay addition care loaded with export
Client standing on 94 barges in New
and In addlton there arc 4.000,000
bueMs of export.wheat in Minneap?
olis Which has been waiting trans?
portation to the East for more than
two months.
In New England, railroad men said,
there is a threatening shortage of
grain, while the flour supply of Pitts?
burgh, Philadelphia, New York and
Mew England cities Is rone too large.
At today's meeting It was decided to
move two train loads of 50 cars each
from Minneapolis daily, one laden
with wheat for New England, the
other carrying flour to New England
and the three c ties named.
The two dairy trainloads of wheat
and flour are to be given the right
of way over all other traffic except
passenger business. Railroad officials
believe ths plan will succeed In avert?
ing any foodstuffs shortage in Eastern
cities. Ths embargo applying agalns*
oast bound shipments, it was said, will
not apply to foodstuffs for domestic
use, which will be expedited as much
ss possible. The roads also will move
coal promptly to Eastern cities and
to any points where a shortage threat?
ens, directing their first energies to
keeping the lines open for coal and
food.
As fast sa soiling ocean steamers
diminish the accumulation of freight
awaiting export at Eastern ports the
railroads will let down the bars on the
embargo, permitting the shipment,
ton for ton, of supplies to replaco
those taken away. In this manner,
It le thought, the eld accumulation
ran be disposed of aid fresh shipment
can be disposed of snd fresh ship?
ments will await their turn.
Finding the empties In crowded
yards, making them into trains and
dispatching them westward on fast
freight schedules is a task which some
officials regard as almost herculean,
though necessary if adequate relief
Is to bo obtained. Some of the roads,
H is understood, have offered to place
?their own empties at the disposal of
other roads hit harder by the gen?
eral shortage snd all the roads, it was
said/ will work in close cooperation
toward amelioration of conditions
tl. usjhout the country.
WORST CONGESTION KNOWN.
Chicago, Feb. 15.?The freight con?
gestion which the "gentlemen's agree?
ment" made today by reprenntatlvcs
of 30 leading railroads ut Washing?
ton Is designed to relieve it is said
by shippers, railroad men and traffic
experts of commercial organizations
to be more serious at present than
ever before.
Associated Press dispatches from
East and West. North and South,
snd Information gathered In this city,
the heart of the country's rullroad
TO CONTINUE BELGIUM WORK.
AMERICANS WILL NOT WITH?
DRAW FROM FAMINE DIS?
TRICTS.
Gorman Authorities In Brussclls De?
cide to Retract Orders for Aban?
donment of Task.
London, FeV. 15.?Representatives
of the American Commission for I
lief in Belgium will not with aw
from the occupied portions of Belgium
and northern France as previously
had been arranged, but will remain
for the present, it is now stated.
The commission received today a
dispatch from its office in Rotterdam
stating that at a meeting held in Brus'
selsthe German authorities announc?
ed that all representtaives of the com?
mission might remain in Belgium and
northern Franco on the same footing
as heretofore. Present at this meet?
ing were Baron von der Lancken,
civil governor of Brussels, the Ameri?
can and Spanish ministers, represen?
tatives of the Belgian relief commis?
sion and of the Belgian national com?
mittee.
The Weather.
These days are Ideal for the using
one of these silk Jersey sport coats
which tho Sumter Dry Goods Co. are
se lii *. Bight pretty shades to select
from.?Advt.
Gas in the stomach or bowels is a
disagreeable symptom of a torpid liv?
er. To get rid of it quickly take Her?
oine. It is a marvelous liver stim?
ulant and bowel purifier. Price 50c.
Sold by Slberts Drug St?re.?Advt.
Rev. Dr. E. E. Oillespie has declin?
ed a call to the pastorate of Florence
Presbyterian church and will remain
in York.
A scald, burn, or seven? cut heals
slowly If neglected. The family that
keeps a bottle of Ha Hard's Snow
Liniment on hand Is always pre?
pared for such accidents. Price 2f.e,
60c, and $1.00 per bottle. Sold by
Sibert's Drug Store.?Advt._
system, pictured business as suffering
keenly from the sluggish movement
of freight trains.
For many months the congestion
has been working westward from the
seaboard,^ where at first the effect was
folt in the insufficiency of ocean bot?
toms to transship the tremendous in?
flux of war supplies needed in Europe.
At first it was war munitons which
blocked ">ther traffic but generally as
yaifcs oeCama ooaitfted other prod?
ucts accumulated until now there are
10,000,000 bushels of grain in Chi?
cago elevators and 7.00,000 bushels
in railroad cars which can not be
moved. And North, South and West
of this gateway instructions are out
holding back shipment of every?
thing except perishable goods, live
stock and fuel. Unusually cold weath?
er and heavy snowstorms did their
part in increasing the evils of the sit?
uation.
From New York to Chicago rail?
road yards are jammed with cars,
thousands of them loaded, and these
imprisoning many empties.
Among shippers the opinion is ex?
pressed that the railroads are doing
the best they can.
NEUTRAL STEAMERS MAY HELP.
New York, Feb. 16.?Relief from
the freight congestion caused by the
German submarine policy was seen
today In the announcement that a
number of Dutch and Scandinavian
vessel* would soon depart with car?
goes. The understanding that the
British naval authorities had ar?
ranged for neutral ships bound for
Scandinavian ports to touch at Hali?
fax Instead of Klrkwall and thus
avoid the submarine zone, gave prom?
ise of the resumption of regular sail?
ings.
The export situation today, how?
ever, was decdlared by railroad traffic
heads to be the most serious in the
history of the port. They said the
congestion was not serious here bo
cause of almost wholesale embargoes
against shipments from the West lor
export. These embargoes, it was
pointed out, are responsible for un?
usually congested conditions in the
West.
Unless relief now Is assured through
early offerings of considerable cargo
space, according to men familiar with
the situation, more restrictive embar?
goes must be placed, congestion will
Increase in many parts of the coun?
try, loaded cars will stand idle, great
quantities of perlshablo foodstuffs
will be dumped on domestic markets,
manufacturers will cease to consign
shipments eastward and the produc?
tion of many raw products will be
reduced.
Railroad traffic managers assert
that the ship shortage situation of a
year ago, when the export burden
overtaxed New York capacities, taught
a lesson from which they are pro?
fiting c*; this time. Then piers and
terminals were piled with freight
much of which perished. Today, they
point out, there Is no such congestion
because for many months the rad
roads have accepted freight from the
South and West only when consignees
proved In advance that cargo space
was awaiting.
ONE OF WORST PROBLEMS IN
GERMAN RELATIONS RE?
MOVED.
Danger of Final Break is Still Very
Serious Matter, as U-Boat War Is
Being Waged with Unrelenting
Ferocity?Otber Matters Still Un?
settled.
Berlin, Feb. 15, via London, Feb.
16.?The American seamen who. were
brought prisoners to Germany on
board the British steamer Yarrow
dale have been liberated.
Was*- jton, Feb. 15.?News, of
the liberation of the 72 American sea?
men brought to Germany by the prize
ship Yarrowdale came tonight after
President Wilson and other i dminis
tration officials had retired. Their
release disposes of one of the most
pressing and irritating phases of the
German-American situation.
With President Wilson's approval,
a note peremptorily demanding of
Germany that the Americans be Ve
leased had been prepared at the state
cdpartment and was expected to go
forward tomorrow.
There virtually is no hope here,
however that the hour of more se?
rious trouble with Germany can be
postponed much longer.
EXTREME COLD WEATHER.
Mr. Dabbs Thinks Oat Crop Will Come
Out, if Seasons are Favorable From
Now On.
Editor Daily Item:
We thought we had some cold
weather here, but a clipping from the
Worcester, Mass., Gazet'.e shows that
we do not know what cold weather is.
Temperatures of 8 to 50 belo zero and
ice 2 1-2 to 4 feet thick on the riv?
ers and lakes of New England, make
our 8 to 10 above look like spring.
Except in the shade ice melted and
the soil thawed every day during our
cold spell. I think the oat crop has
enough plants to left to make a good
crop, if seasons are favorable .^from
now on. E. W. Dabbs.
A Surprise!
The Sumter Dry Goods are show?
ing a line of silk dresses which will
prove a surprise when you leain the
price. Don't let the prettiest to be?
fore you sae them.?Advt. C
?ew York, Feb. 19.?TwA^iim
ers out of New York under ohartor
of the Kerr Steamship company were
sunk in the submarine zone, accord?
ing to reports received by the com?
pany. One, the Dalmata, Norwegian,
which left New York for Havre on
January 24th, is reported sunk Feb?
ruary 9th. The other, the Spanish
steamer Mar Adriatlco, left for( Bor?
deaux January 16th and is reported
sunk February 11th. No Americans
are believed to have been aboard.
When the bowels become irregular
you are uncomfortable and the long?
er this condition exists the worse you
feol. You can get rid of this misery
Quickly by using Herbine. Take a
dose on groin* to bed and see how
fine you feel next day. Price 50c.
Sold by Siberfs Drug Store.?Advt.
?
Sporty Sport Coats.
The sportiest ideas in sport coats in
town are now to be seen at the Sum?
ter Dry Goods Co. The good shades
are gold, copen, green, old rose, wis
? oi ia and copper. Plaids and plain
velours are also on the line.?Advt.
CONFIRMED TESTIMONY.
The Kind Sumter Readers Cannot
Doubt.
Doan'8 Kidney Pills have stood the
test.
The test of time?the hardest test
of all.
Thousands gratefully testify.
To quick relief?to lasting results.
Sumter readers can no longer doubt
the evidence.
It's convincing testimony?twice
told and well confirmed.
Sumter readers should profit by
these experiences.
E. W. Vogel, 401 W. Hampton Ave.,
Sumter, says: "For several years
I suffered from pains through the
small of my back and whenevor 1
stooped, I was in misery. My back
became very weak and several times
I had to give up work. A physician
treated me, but his medicine as well
as a number of others, brought no
relief. After using one box of Doan's
Kidney Pills, the pains disappeared
and six boxes completely cured me."
A Permanent Cure.
Over two years later, Mr. Vogel
said: "Doan's Kidney Pills made a
permanent cure in my case."
Price 50c, at all dealers. Don't
simply ask for a kidney remedy?get
Doan's Kidney Pills?the same that
Mr. Vogel has twice recommended.
Foster-MIlbum Co., Props., Buffalo,
N. Y.?Advt. (24)
A child that his Intestinal wornV
Is handicapped in its growth. A'fc;^
dosesof White's Cream Vermifuge de?
stroys and expels worms; the gJiiM
immediately improves and thrives
wonderfully, Price 25c per bottle.
.Sold by Sibert's Drug Store.?AdvL
New Models
OVERLAND,
WILLYS
AND
WILLYS-KNIGHT
Call and see the Latest Thing in the Automo?
bile Line. If it is Motor-Driven we have it.
A Car For Every Purpose
Light Four
Touring. $665
Roadster. $650
Country Club. $750
Light Six
Touring ....... $985
Roadster. $970
Coupe. $1385
Sedan. $1585
Big Four
Touring ....... $850
Roadster. . $835
Coupe .. $1250
Sedan. $1450
Willys-Knight
Four Touring .
Four Coupe .
Four Sedan . .
Four Limousine
Eight Touring
? . ? ?
? ? . ?
$1285
$1650
$1950
$1950
$1950
All prices f. o. b. Toledo and subject to change without notice.
Model 90
Touring
OVERLAND SALES CO.
210 W. Liberty St.
Sumter, S. C.
Phone 723