Sixteen Months' Journey of a Car--Detentions by the Way--Difficulties of the Car Accountant's Office--Necessities of Through Freight--How a Company's Cars are Scattered--The Question of Mileage--Reduction of the Balance in Favor of Other Roads--Relation of the Car Accountant's Work to the Transportation Department--Computation of Mileage--The Record Branch--How Reports are Gathered and Compiled--Exchange of "Junction Cards"--The Use of "Tracers"--Distribution of Empty Cars--Control of the Movement of Freight--How Trains are Made Up--Duties of the Yardmaster--The Handling of Through Trains--Organization of Fast Lines--Transfer Freight Houses--Special Cars for Specific Service--Disasters to Freight Trains--How the Companies Suffer--Inequalities in Payment for Car Service--The Per Diem Plan--A Uniform Charge for Car Rental--What Reforms might be Accomplished. HOW TO FEED A RAILWAY 298 BY BENJAMIN NORTON, _Second Vice-President, Long Island Railroad Company_. The Many Necessities of a Modern Railway--The Purchasing and Supply Departments--Comparison with the Commissary Department of an Army--Financial Importance--Immense Expenditures--The General Storehouse--Duties of the Purchasing Agent--The Best Material the Cheapest--Profits from the Scrap-heap--Old Rails Worked over into New Implements--Yearly Contracts for Staple Articles--Economy in Fuel--Tests by the Best Engineers and Firemen--The Stationery Supply--Aggregate Annual Cost of Envelopes, Tickets, and Time-tables--The Average Life of Rails--Durability of Cross-ties--What it Costs per Mile to Run an Engine--The Paymaster's Duties--Scenes during the Trip of a Pay-car. THE RAILWAY MAIL SERVICE 312 BY THOMAS L. JAMES, _Ex-Postmaster General_. An Object Lesson in Postal Progress--Nearness of the Department to the People--The First Travelling Post-Office in the United States--Organization of the Department in 1789--Early Mail Contracts--All Railroads made Post-routes--Compartments for Mail Clerks in Baggage-cars--Origin of the Present System in 1862--Important Work of Colonel George S. Bangs--The "Fast Mail" between New York and Chicago--Why it was Suspended--Resumption in 1877--Present Condition of the Service--Statistics--A Ride on the "Fast Mail"--Busy Scenes at the Grand Central Depot--Special Uses of the Five Cars--Duties of the Clerks--How the Work is Performed--Annual Appropriation for Special Mail Facilities--Dangers Threatening the Railway Mail Clerk's Life--An Insurance Fund Proposed--Needs of the Service--A Plea for Radical Civil Service Reform. THE RAILWAY IN ITS BUSINESS RELATIONS 344 BY ARTHUR T. HADLEY, _Professor of Political Science in Yale College, Author of "Railroad Transportation_."