Thanks to whoever brought up the subject of "grain salvage". This was a big
thing in most terminal yards where grain cars were switched.
Certain switchmen were always equipped with brooms, shovels and sacks for
salvaging left over grain from cars after they were pulled from the terminal
elevators. It could be quite a lucrative proposition.
It was said of the Chicago Division Superintendent who I worked for on the
Rock Island. "George had an old 37 Plymouth and he would leave the yard
everyday with the seats full of grain sacks as well as the trunk and fenders
loaded and the springs fully depressed" This was of course when he was a
switchman and prior to his rise to greatness.
As Superintendent George was the first to condemn any switchman seen
"salvaging" grain...Those who"knew him when" would laugh heartily when George
assumed an air of righteousness.
The covered hopper brought an end to most, if not all, of the grain salvaging
activities around yards.
I mentioned in the matter of claims paid to grain shippers for loss of grain
for various causes. In the matter of defective equipment claims were paid
100% on the basis that it was the carrier's responsibility to furnish
equipment which didn't leak. Grain door leaks were paid on the basis usually
of 50% on the basis that it was the shipper's responsibility to cooper the
cars and he could have made a mistake in doing that.
The big contention was claims on what were termed "clear record cars". That
is cars that showed no evidence of leakage. We railroad claim agents took
the position that this so called "loss" was merely a difference in scale
weights and that there was no actual loss.
Scales were termed "country" and "official". Country was merely the country
elevator's scale weights which were really not much more than a good guess.
Official weights were those a major terminals where the scales were deemed to
be more accurate and other criteria which has escaped my memory in the mists
of time. It's been nearly 40 years since I dealt with this stuff.
Shippers usually insisted that we pay claims on clear record cars "official
to official" on a 100% basis. Country to Official claims could be
compromised down to as low as 25% depending on the circumstances.
As the covered hopper began to come into play in the late 1950's and early
1960's for the shipment of grain a strange phenomenon came into play.
Through some miraculous meeting of the minds between all of the railroad
freight Claim agents it was agreed that no claims would be paid for loss on
clear record covered hoppers. Anyone who has had dealings railroad to
railroad on any matter will attest to the fact that it is normally impossible
to get two carriers to agree on anything, but just prior to my coming into
the Freight Claims Department of the Rock Island in 1964 such an agreement
was made.
The standing position was "COVERED HOPPERS DON'T LEAK". No claims will be
paid on clear record "losses".
THat position was still being held in 1972 when I left the Claims Department,
and I presume that it's still being done that way. There was much weeping
and gnashing of teeth during the period of the late 60's regarding said
claims, but all claim agents held fast. It was nothing short of a minor
miracle to reach such agreement (probably in violation of the anti trust
laws), but we did it.
For you CB&Q guys your Freight Claim Agents were: CB&Q Les Seehausen, FWD
L.C. Young, C&S Don Webb. Lloyd Hoskins was the first BN Freight Claim Agent
when the offices were consolidated at Minneapolis about 1970.
Pete Hedgpeth
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