N&W's competitor in 1910--C&O

[NW Mailing List]

Bluefield Daily Telegraph
December 31, 1910

BIG SHAKE-UP OF C. & O. OFFICIALS THREATENED
------
Must Operate Road More Cheaply or Make Room for Some One Else, Report Says
    It was stated here last night on excellent authority that unless the present officials of the Chesapeake and Ohio are able to make a better expense showing on that line there will be a shake-up which will reach a great many members of the official family.  This decision has been reached on account of the many recent comparisons which have been made by railroad and financial editors and which showed that the Chesapeake and Ohio has not been able to come anywhere near operating as cheaply as the Norfolk and Western, though up to the time the Chicago short line was acquired the Hawley road* had practically the same mileage as the Norfolk and Western.  There is a continual cry for more cars on the Chesapeake and Ohio with the result that, in view of the dissatisfaction and out cry caused when the operators got after the Baltimore and Ohio, the directors of the road are determined that something shall be done.  Thousands of cars of coal are tied up on the line, with the necessary shortage, as these cars cannot be dumped as fast as they should be.  This shortage of cars is blamed on the lack of equipment, whereas some of the directors feel that the road has sufficient equipment if it could be moved.
    Among the official family there is reported to be some dissatisfaction.  Too many officials over the officials in charge of movement is blamed for some of the disorganization, and the other officials, such as trainmasters, etc., are not given the latitude which they should have.
    At a recent speakfest held in Cincinnati, Sam Dixon, one of the latest Chesapeake and Ohio shippers, told that the Chesapeake and Ohio officials are the easiest railroad men in the world to meet and that anyone can see the general manager.  This sociability is alleged to hurt the system, as it is said to continually force orders from the general manager's office with the resulting discord among the men who are always looking for orders, lacking the self-confidence which men in these positions have on the Norfolk and Western.
    There is practically a general superintendent for every two divisions on the line, whereas the Norfolk and Western with a number of divisions has but two general superintendents.
    The Norfolk and Western operates for less than sixty per cent, while the Chesapeake and Ohio runs about eighty per cent, and a comparison is odious when it is taken into consideration that the lines have the same mileage for all practical purposes in comparison.  The Norfolk and Western has a record of which it can be proud, and it is safe to say that there is no other road in the south which can operate as cheaply with the possible exception of the Louisville and Nashville, which road has an excellent organization, as has the Atlantic Coast Line.  These latter lines have more mileage and their expense ratio is low, but even they are hardly as well managed as the Norfolk and Western.  The general manager of the Norfolk and Western, N. D. Maher, was offered the position of general manager of the Chesapeake and Ohio and was also offered the same place on the Norfolk and Southern, with the understanding that he would be made president.  His pride in the Norfolk and Western and the system which has been built up since he has been connected with the line is such that he refused to leave this road in spite of the flattering offers made to him by both the roads mentioned.
------
*In January 1909 the Edwin Hawley interests bought contolling interest in the Chesapeake and Ohio Railway.

Gordon Hamilton
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://six.pairlist.net/pipermail/nw-mailing-list/attachments/20100618/191767b8/attachment.htm>