National Archives Reference Information Paper 91 -- Railroad-related Records

Part III(C)

Federal Regulation and Oversight of Railroads (Section C)

Record Group 137 Records of the Federal Supply Service

III.90 The Federal Supply Service procures, stores, and provides supplies and services to federal agencies, regulates the supply functions of other agencies, and standardizes purchase specifications. This record group includes files of predecessor organizations, such as the Federal Coordinating Service and the Procurement Division. The records include correspondence, reports, and statistics concerning the routing of supplies by rail and determination of freight rates and are described in the Preliminary Inventory of the Records of the Federal Supply Service, NC 106.

III.91 Among the records of the Federal Coordinating Service are classified files, 1921-33 (270 ft.)(MLR Entry 4, NC 106), arranged according to a modified version of the War Department decimal classification scheme. Within classifications, the records are arranged for the most part alphabetically by subject, geographical area, or Federal Government agency. The records consist of letters received, copies of letters sent, memoranda, reports, minutes of meetings, circulars, bulletins, schedules, lists, tables, charts, maps, photographs, publications, and other records concerning the disposition of surplus war materials, methods of purchasing, liquidation of supplies, specification of materials, advertising, warehousing, employment, manufacturing, and disbursing. Other functions included transportation of supplies, communications, real estate, service and supply of buildings, adjustments of office and storage space. Decimals specifically relating to railroads include the following:

500.094 (individual railroads),

500.319.1 (reports-tonnage-rail),

500.334.8 (military and rail carriers conference concerning railroad passenger and freight shipping),

500.457 (shipment of chemicals),

500.523.01 (shipment of explosives),

500.523.94 (shipment of coal, steel, and other commodities arranged by railroad), and

500.551.2 (freight rates).

III.92 The records of the Federal Traffic Board also include the series classified files, 1921-33 (25 ft.)(MLR Entry 6, NC 106), arranged according to a modified version of the War Department decimal classification scheme. Within classifications, the records are arranged for the most part alphabetically by subject, geographical area, or Government agency. The records consist of letters received, copies of letters sent, memoranda, reports, minutes of meetings, circulars, bulletins, schedules, lists, tables, charts, maps, photographs, publications, and other records concerning the coordination of Government passenger and freight service. In addition, the records concern the routing of shipments and determination of rates. Important decimals in terms of railroads include the following:

523.091 (routing),

551 (tariff rates, equalization agreements, schedules),

551.1 (passenger),

551.2 (freight), and

551.6 (land-grant and bond-aided railroads, land-grant equalization agreements).

III.93 The reading files of the Rail Routing Division, 1922-35 (2 ft.)(MLR Entry 7, NC 106), arranged chronologically, consist of carbon copies of letters sent and of memoranda. The records concern the routing of military and nonmilitary railroad freight traffic.

III.94 The Procurement Division of the Federal Supply Service included the Federal Traffic Section, which was concerned with emergency relief procurement during the Great Depression. The series records of the Federal Traffic Section, 1933-36 (5 ft.)(MLR Entry 13, NC 106), is arranged according to some

classifications of the modified version of the War Department decimal classification scheme. Important decimals for railroads include the following:

500.523.091 (routing shipment of supplies),

500/551.2 (freight rates), and

500/551.6 (land-grant and bond-aided railroads, particularly equalization agreements).

Most of the records are dated 1936.

Record Group 151 Records of the Bureau of Foreign and Domestic Commerce

III.95 Established in the Department of Commerce and Labor by an act of Congress, August 23, 1912, the Bureau of Foreign and Domestic Commerce was responsible for the preparation and publication of official statistics on foreign commerce and the promotion of manufacturing by the compilation of information on industries and on foreign and domestic markets. The Bureau's records are related to the condition of railroads, freight rates, and railroad equipment in the United States, Mexico, and Canada. The records are described in the Preliminary Inventory of the Records of the Bureau of Foreign and Domestic Commerce, NC 27.

III.96 The Bureau's general records, 1917-40 (847 ft.)(MLR Entry 1, NC 27), are arranged according to a subject decimal classification scheme. Included are incoming and outgoing correspondence, and reports pertaining to the China Trade Act, concessions, consortiums, foreign trade, foreign economic relations, and the economic growth of certain foreign countries and the United States. Records relating to North American railroads are located in Transportation and Communications, Freight and Passenger Rates (#505), Canada (box 2269) and Mexico (box 2271); Railways (#520), Canada (box 2344) and Mexico (boxes 2350-2351); Railway Cars (#523); Railway Locomotives (#524); and Railway Supplies, including rails and ties (#525). The general records are indexed by the index to general records, 1917-40 (26 ft.)(MLR Entry 2, NC 27), which are arranged alphabetically by subject category and thereunder by subject or geographic location. Subject categories include Railroads, Rails, and Railway.

III.97 Reports of commercial attaches, 1917-40 (129 ft.)(MLR Entry 14, NC 27), are arranged alphabetically by name of city where the official was stationed and thereunder chronologically. The reports for Canada (boxes 75-92) and Mexico (boxes 345-360) contain information concerning the condition of railroads in those countries.

III.98 The general records of the Bureau of Statistics (1905-08) include some cartographic records. Among these are published maps of the world including principal land and sea transportation routes for the years 1905, 1906, and 1908. The editions for 1905 and 1908 include tables showing the mileage and costs of the principal railroads by country; mileages of railroads in the United States for the period 1832 to 1835, quinquennially during the period 1840 to 1905, and for the years 1906 and 1907 (3 items).

Record Group 179 Records of the War Production Board

III.99 Established in the Office of Emergency Management by Executive Order 9024, January 16, 1942, the War Production Board exercised general direction over Federal war procurement and production programs. It inherited the functions and responsibilities of several predecessor organizations, including the War Resources Board that was active during 1939. The functions of the War Resources Board included cooperation with the Joint Army and Navy Munitions Board in formulating policies relating to the mobilization of the nation's economic resources in the event of war. Records relating to railroads include materials relating to Federal involvement in the control of wartime production and allocation of railroad structures, machinery, and equipment. The records also include documentation on the allocation of raw materials, such as steel, used in the production of railroad equipment. The records are described in the Preliminary Inventory of the Records of the War Production Board, PI 15 and Supplement to Preliminary Inventory #15, Records of the War Production Board, NM 57.

III.100 General records the of the Board include the series policy documentation file, 1939-47 (1,220 ft.)(MLR Entry 1, PI 15), arranged according to a decimal classification scheme designed to bring together under identifying symbols all papers relating to specific subjects. These records consist of correspondence received and sent, reports, memoranda, and other documents selected from the records of the various organizational units of the War Production Board, the Civilian Production Administration, and predecessor agencies. The records serve to document the growth and development of the policies, administration, and functions of the agencies responsible for the control of scarce and critical materials and commodities during World War II. The main numerical designation for records relating to railroads in the policy documentation file is 632 (boxes 2151-2165). The policy documentation file is indexed by the index to the War Production Board policy documentation file, 1939-47 (300 ft.)(MLR Entry 2, PI 15), which is arranged alphabetically by subject. The cards show the file numbers of the documents indexed and give a brief synopsis of the information that they contain. There are voluminous entries under the designation "Railroads." This file is reproduced on National Archives Microfilm Publication M911. Significant files and documents in the policy documentation file include the following:

1. a report entitled "U.S. Class I Railroads At War," WPB Report (632.001 R);

2. Railroad Industry Advisory Committee Meeting documents (632.005 M);

3. a report concerning the Office of Defense Transportation (ODT) Railroad Program (632.041);

4. a file concerning railroad materials, requirements and allocations (632.0413);

5. several files concerning railroad transportation, requirements, foreign supply, conservation, and domestic transport (632.1);

6. several boxes (boxes 2155-64) of records relating to railroad machinery and equipment, such as rolling stock, motive power (steam and diesel locomotives), rails, scrap, supply, foreign requirements, orders, production allocations, and labor (632.2);

7. a file on railroad construction (632.5); and

8. a file concerning railroad problems in World War I (632.6).

III.101 Related to the policy documentation file is the series select document file, 1939-47 (345 ft.)(MLR Entry 3A, PI 15), arranged roughly alphabetically by subject. It consists of correspondence received and sent and reports, memoranda, and other documents selected from the records of various organizational units of the Civilian Production Administration and its predecessor agencies for inclusion in the policy documentation file. These documents had not been inserted in that file when the Civilian Production Administration was terminated and therefore they have been kept as a separate series of records. Records relating to railroads are filed under "Railroads" (boxes 668-672) and arranged chronologically by year. Included are correspondence and reports relating to railroad equipment and repair shops.

III.102 Also among the general records of the War Production Board are security-classified records relating to the mobilization of industry during World War II ("Related Materials File"), 1940-47 (370 ft.)(MLR Entry 3B, NM 57), arranged numerically. This series consists of materials related to the policy documentation file but filed separately. Included are documents relating to railroad equipment and repair shops. The subject card index to Series 3B, 1940-47 (30 ft.)(MLR Entry 3C, NM 57) is arranged alphabetically by subject and thereunder numerically by document number. Entries give the subjects of documents and numerical designations. There are voluminous entries under the designation "Railroads."

III.103 More of the Board's general records related to railroads are in the Office of Industry Advisory Committees, director's file, 1942-47 (7 ft.)(MLR Entry 4, PI 15), arranged in part in a numeric subject file and in part by subject. The series consists of correspondence, memoranda, and reports relating largely to the administration of matters relating to the various industry advisory committees. Included are summaries of meetings and reports and memoranda concerning the postwar conversion of industry. Records relating to railroads include a file on distribution of steel for freight cars, 1947 (box 22) and files concerning freight car builders and the Railroad Freight Car Builders Conference, 1946 (box 24).

III.104 Records of the Resources Protection Board include the series security-classified correspondence of the resources analysis branch relating to railroad bridges and tunnels, 1942-43 (1 ft.)(MLR Entry 75AA, NM 57), arranged alphabetically by name of railroad. The records consist of reports prepared by individual railroads listing bridges and tunnels on the railroad. The reports include lists, maps, and charts.

Record Group 187 Records of the National Resources Planning Board

III.105 Established by Reorganization Plan #1, effective July 1, 1939, the National Resources Planning Board (NRPB) planned public works; coordinated Federal planning related to conservation and the use of natural resources; conducted long-range research studies; and stimulated local, state, and regional planning. Public works planning included research and planning for many facets of railroad operations. The records of the board include reports and studies concerning railroad companies, rail traffic, equipment, and routes, before and during World War II. There are a significant number of reports concerning the Alaskan Railroad. The central office records are described in the Preliminary Inventory of Central Office Records of the National Resources Planning Board, PI 50.

III.106 The central office records of the NRPB include the series central office classified correspondence and related records, 1931-43 (724 ft.)(MLR Entry 8, PI 50), arranged according to a modified Dewey Decimal classification scheme. The records consist of correspondence, memoranda, reports, minutes of meetings, official letters, personnel and financial records, copies of studies and reports, records of special committees, and related records. This series contains correspondence between the NRPB and individual railroads and reports concerning many facets of railroad operations (#733-733.2), arranged in chronological order (boxes 1792-1795). The records include reports concerning railroad statistics regarding passenger and freight rates and traffic, studies of railroad facilities and terminals, railroad routes and lines including the proposed United States-Canada and Alaska Railroad and the Alaska Railroad, railroad corporate reorganizations, and railroad abandonments. Some specific studies include "Railroad Industry After the War," 1942; "Railroad Motive Power Supply and Utilization," 1942; "Railroad Freight Cars," 1940; "Analytical Study of Railroad Car Equipment," 1940; and "Railway Transportation," 1941.

III.107 The records of the Chairmen of the National Resources Planning Board include records of Frederic A. Delano relating to Alaska, September 1940-August 1943 (1 ft.)(MLR Entry 11, PI 50), arranged by type of record: correspondence, reports, and miscellaneous. The series consists of correspondence, memoranda, reports, and miscellaneous materials pertaining to Alaska, particularly the proposed United States-Canada and Alaska Railroad.

III.108 Cartographic records of the NRPB, in the records of the Transportation Section, include base maps of the United States and the Eastern United States annotated to show the volume of intercity passenger traffic of railroads originating in Washington, DC; the volume of interregional passenger traffic on railroads; and maps of the middle Atlantic states consisting of a base map and a map showing the amount of rail passenger revenue originating and terminating in Washington, DC, and Buffalo, NY. The records of NRPB regional offices include maps of Region 1, New England states, such as a diagrammatic map showing values of production in the chief industrial centers and volumes of freight traffic on the main rail routes. The maps of Region 10, Alaska, show among other subjects, existing and proposed railroads, dating 1941.

Record Group 193 Records of the Commissioner of Railroads

III.109 Established by an act of June 19, 1878, the Office of the Commissioner of Railroads was created for the purpose of mandating that the railroads west, north, and south of the Missouri River to which the United States granted loans or subsidies submit annual reports to the Commissioner and examining the books and accounts of these roads once every fiscal year. Other duties included assisting the directors of railroads should they ask for assistance and seeing that laws relating to railroad companies were enforced. The Commissioner was not given the authority to enforce these laws, hence its chief duty was factfinding only. The submission of annual reports by railroads was mandated by the Pacific Railroad Act of 1862. These annual reports were to list the names and addresses of all stockholders and of all directors and officers of the railroad, the amount of stock, lines surveyed, lines slated for construction, cost of surveys, receipts for passenger and freight traffic, expenses of operation and maintenance, and amount of indebtedness. Initially these reports were to be filed with the Secretary of the Treasury by July 1 of each year, but the due date was changed by an act of June 25, 1868, which required that the report be filed with the Secretary of the Interior by October 1 of each year. By the same act, the Northern Pacific, the Atlantic and Pacific, and the Southern Pacific Railroads (companies that also received aid from the Government under acts of July 2, 1864, and July 27, 1866) were also required to submit annual reports. Due to problems with the submission of the reports, the Office of the Auditor of Railroad Accounts was created in 1878 under the Department of the Interior to handle railroad matters. An act of March 3, 1881, changed the name of the office to the Commissioner of Railroads. The office was abolished and its records transferred to the Secretary of the Interior, effective June 30, 1904. The records of the Commissioner of Railroads and the Pacific Railway Commission include correspondence, registers and indexes, statistical records, reports and other documents submitted by railroads, the annual reports of the Commissioner, records relating to the Pacific Railway Commission, a scrapbook of newspaper clippings relating to railroad affairs, and related materials. Most of the records discussed are in the Preliminary Inventory of the Commissioner of Railroads, PI 158.

Records of the Office of the Commissioner of Railroads

III.110 The register of letters received, June 24, 1862-June 25, 1873 (0.1 ft.)(MLR Entry 1, PI 158), arranged chronologically by date of receipt of letter, has entries showing date of receipt of letter, date of letter, name of writer, subject, and action taken. The letters registered, which are among the records of the Lands and Railroads Division of the Office of the Secretary of the Interior (Record Group 48), relate to such subjects as the appointment of commissioners and directors for the Union Pacific Railroad, the gauge of track and changes in the route for the railroad, submission of reports and maps, requests for copies of reports, compilation and inspection of track, and other matters concerning the building and operation of the railroad. References are also made for letters relating to the other Pacific railroads.

III.111 The series record of United States Bonds issued to railroad companies, 1865-80 (0.1 ft.)(MLR Entry 2, PI 158), contains tables showing detailed information concerning bonds issued to railroad companies upon the completion of construction of track, and funds due to railroads companies for services rendered to the Government.

III.112 The bound volume, record of information relating to railroads, ca. 1874 (0.1 ft.)(MLR Entry 3, PI 158), contains a list of directors of the Union Pacific Railroad from 1865 to 1872; a list of agricultural college scrip acts from 1862 to 1871; a list of state railroad acts from 1856 to 1874; a list of railroad commissioners for certain railroads; and sections from the annual report of the Secretary of the Interior relating to railroads from 1868 to 1871.

III.113 The directory of railroads under the jurisdiction of the auditor, 1878 (0.1 ft.)(MLR Entry 4, PI 158), contains a list of the railroads subject to the auditor of the commission, and the names of their officers.

III.114 The series letters received, July 2, 1878-May 21, 1904 (7 ft.)(MLR Entry 5, PI 158), is arranged by number of letter, 3-3674 from 1878-1882, and 1-9225, from 1883-1904. The letters, from officers of railroads, Federal and State officials, and the public, concern such matters as the number of passengers and amount of freight carried by the railroads, copies of schedules and freight and passenger tariffs, reports of mileage constructed with date of construction, reports stating the sections of the railroad were ready for examination, reports of land sold to actual settlers, administrative records relating to the submission of periodic reports from the railroads, and the status of suits by the United States to recover penalties from railroads for not making the reports in a timely fashion. The following two series facilitate access to the letters:

1. registers of letters received, July 2, 1878-December 31, 1882 (0.2 ft)(MLR Entry 6, PI 158), arranged alphabetically by first letter of surname of writer and thereunder by number of letter. The two volumes show number of letter, date written, date received, name and address of writer, subject, and date answered.

2. registers of letters received, January 1, 1883-March 28, 1904 (1 ft.)(MLR Entry 7, PI 158), arranged alphabetically by the first two or three letters of writer's surname and thereunder by number of letter. Three volumes show number and date of letter, date of receipt, name and address of writer, and the subject.

III.115 The record of letters referred ("Endorsements"), January 1891-January 1899 (0.1 ft.)(MLR Entry 8, PI 158), shows date, name and address of writer, subject, name of official or agency referring, and disposition of letters referred to the Commissioner of Railroads or referred by his office to other officials or agencies. The entries are indexed alphabetically at the front of the volume by name of writer.

III.116 The series "Letters Received . . . Not Indexed or Filed," January 27, 1885-April 29, 1887 (0.1 ft.)(MLR Entry 9, PI 158), is arranged chronologically by date of receipt. It consists of letters to the Commissioner of Railroads and other officials of the Department of the Interior from Government and railroad officials, attorneys, and others thanking him for or requesting copies of his annual reports; transmitting reports and copies of minutes of meetings of the board of directors, the executive committee of the board, and the stockholders of railroads; giving notice of these meetings and of business to come before them; giving legal opinions; and answering questions about railroad business.

III.117 Letterpress copies of outgoing letters are found in letters sent, July 1, 1878-June 22, 1904 (5 ft.)(MLR Entry 10, PI 158), arranged chronologically by date. The series consists of letters to Government and railroad officials sent to the general public relating to such subjects as appointing employees of the Office; sending reporting forms to railroads; acknowledging receipt of reports and maps from railroads; requesting passes over railroads for officials and employees of the Office; copies of reports of state railroad commissioners; information or documents from railroads and Government agencies; and transmitting copies of annual reports of the Office. Each volume is indexed alphabetically at the front by name of addressee, and each letter is identified by the number given to it in the register of letters sent.

III.118 The series "Record of Letters Sent," January 3, 1882-November 2, 1901 (2 ft.)(MLR Entry 11, PI 158), is arranged chronologically by date. These handwritten copies of outgoing letters are from the Commissioner and were made from the letterpress copies. Some of the letters that are identical in content are summarized.

III.119 The register of letters sent by the commissioner, July 1, 1878-November 2, 1901 (1 ft)(MLR Entry 12, PI 158), contains entries arranged alphabetically by first letter of surname of addressee and thereunder chronologically by date of letter. The register shows the number of outgoing letter, date, name and address of addressee, and subject.

III.120 The index to letters sent to railroad companies, May 17, 1879-July 19, 1880 (0.1 ft.)(MLR Entry 13, PI 158), is arranged by railroad to which letters were sent and thereunder chronologically by date. Entries show the date of each letter sent to a railroad, title of railroad official to whom it was sent, letterpress volume and page number for the letter, and its contents.

III.121 The series letters sent by the Railroad Engineer, July 21, 1881-March 18, 1893 (0.1 ft.)(MLR Entry 14, PI 158), is arranged chronologically by date of letter. The collection is indexed alphabetically at the front of the volume by name of addressee and contains letterpress copies of letters sent by the Railroad Engineer of the Office of the Commissioner of Railroads relating to such subjects as the receipt of information from railroads concerning their equipment, improvements, progress of construction and requests for information, documents, or approval of their plans.

III.122 Letters and certificates relating to certain railroads' noncompliance with the law, November 1878 (0.1 ft.)(MLR Entry 15, PI 158), are arranged chronologically by date of letter. These letterpress copies are of letters to railroads that did not submit reports required by law demanding compliance with the law and certificates stating that the railroads had failed to comply. Most of the 21 pages of the volume are illegible.

III.123 Letters sent by Chief Clerk Thomas Reddington, February 1 and 9, April 26, and Nov. 17, 1886 (0.1 ft.)(MLR Entry 16, A1), are arranged in rough chronological order. Included are letterpress copies of letters (with enclosures) sent to the Commissioner of Railroads by Thomas Reddington, his chief clerk, reporting on stocks and bonds held by the Union Pacific Railroad; financial statements by Thomas J. Walker, a clerk employed by the Commissioner, concerning the Northern Pacific, the Atlantic and Pacific, and the Union Pacific Railroads; and an undated and unsigned memorandum relating to possible forms of settlement by the United States with the Pacific railroads concerning the maturity of their debts to the United States.

III.124 The series "Report of Treasury Department Concerning Unpaid Claims of Railroads, May 25, 1882" (0.1 ft.)(MLR Entry 17, A1), is the reply of the Secretary of the Treasury to an inquiry from the Interior Department concerning unpaid bills from certain railroads for transportation furnished to the Government before December 31, 1880. Enclosed are statements from various Treasury Department officials.

III.125 Letters sent by Gen. James Longstreet, Nov. 6, 1897-Nov. 28, 1902 (1 vo1, 0.1 ft)(MLR Entry 18, A1), are arranged chronologically by date of letter. They are indexed at the front of the volume by name of addressee, and contain letters from General Longstreet, Commissioner of Railroads, to Government and railroad officials and to his friends and acquaintances concerning political and military appointments, requests for railroad passes, and personal business.

III.126 Subject indexes ("Timely Matters Digest"), 1878-97 (1 Vol. 0.1 ft)(MLR Entry 19, A1), are indexes to subjects relating to the business of the Commissioner of Railroads' Office. Each is arranged alphabetically by first letter of entry. They consist of the following: an index--of which the early pages are missing--to various records of the Commissioner, including this volume, letters sent, letters received, and statement books (see entry 20), and to the annual reports of the Commissioner; an index to letters sent (letterpress copybooks) by the Commissioner; an index to certain decisions of the Court of Claims and the Supreme Court affecting the bonded railroads in cases in which the United States was a party; and an index to letters received by the Commissioner.

III.127 The series record of annual reports of the auditor or commissioner, 1879-96. (1 ft.)(MLR Entry 20, A1), is arranged chronologically by date of report or statement. The volumes contain letterpress copies of annual reports of the auditor or commissioner and his subordinates and of related financial statements. A few of the volumes are called "statement books." Two of them are indexed alphabetically by subject of document.

III.128 Annual reports, 1878-1903 (21 vols.)(MLR Entry 21, A1), are printed copies of the annual reports of the Auditor of Railroad Accounts (1878-80) and of the Commissioner of Railroads (1881-1903). These reports are also printed as parts of the annual reports of the Department of the Interior. The first annual report of the Auditor contains a historical account of the steps leading to the establishment of the Agency. It also contains a folding map showing the railroads that were considered to be subject to the auditor's jurisdiction.

III.129 The series scrapbook, Nov. 29, 1879-Nov. 29, 1880 (0.2 ft.)(MLR Entry 22, A1), is arranged in sections entitled "Auditor of Railroad Accounts," "Legal," "Commerce," and "General R. R. Newe" and thereunder chronologically. It contains newspaper clippings relating to the construction, financing, management, operation, and regulation of railroads.

III.130 Papers relating to proposed settlements with railroads, 1892-94 (0.1 ft.)(MLR Entry 24, A1), are arranged in rough chronological order. These papers show provisions of Senate Bill 751, 52d Congress; financial statements; and calculations relating to the funding of debts of the Central Pacific, Central Branch Union Pacific, and Union Pacific Railroads to the United States.

III.131 Notes of inspections, 1895-97 (3 vols. 0.1 ft.) (MLR Entry 25, A1), are original notes from inspection trips over the Kansas Pacific and Central Branch Union Pacific Railroad, giving information concerning equipment such as track, switches, crossties, bridges, and fuel stations.

III.132 The "Official Table of Distances," 1897 (1 vo1. 0.1 ft.)(MLR Entry 26, A1), arranged alphabetically by name of place, is a printed list of distances between places, prepared by the War Department for the use of disbursing officers responsible for determining amounts to be paid for mileage. A few entries in red ink have been made to show railroad rates for travel between certain places.

III.133 The series miscellaneous records, 1868-1904 (2 ft.)(MLR Entry 27, A1), is arranged chronologically by date of document, with undated documents at the end of the file. It includes papers relating to railroad finances, equipment, operation, legislation, and relations with the Federal Government; documents and newspaper clippings critical of railroads and capitalists connected with them; maps of various railroad systems; papers relating to foreign railroads; decisions of the ICC; drafts and proofs of part of the Commissioner's annual reports; and several miscellaneous volumes.

Reports of Railroads

III.134 The series reports and other documents relating to aided railroads, 1864-1904 (40 ft.) (MLR Entry 28, A1), is arranged by type of aid granted to the railroads, thereunder alphabetically by name of railroad, and thereunder by type of report. The series is comprised of: reports of aided railroads; regular reports prescribed by the Office of the Auditor or Commissioner on forms supplied by it; miscellaneous numbered or unnumbered reports, consisting of supplements or explanations of the regular reports requested by the Office and of other documents; transcripts of minutes of meetings of stockholders, directors, and executive committees; Treasury Department statements of amounts owed to railroads by the Government but withheld and covered into the Treasury; and other occasional reports. The types of reports are:

1. annual and semi-annual reports of organization, ownership, finances, and property; monthly statements of earnings and expenses on aided, non-aided, and total line;

2. a monthly abstract of the debit and credit footings of the general ledger; a monthly abstract of bills for transportation and services rendered;

3. transcripts of minutes of stockholders', directors', and executive committee meetings; Department of the Treasury statements of amounts withheld and covered into the U.S. Treasury, with reports of the sinking fund; and miscellaneous numbered reports and papers.

III.135 The railroads covered by the reports in the series include the following (listed with dates of coverage)

1. "Federal Bond and Land Grant" railroads

Central Branch Union Pacific, 1868-1904
Central Pacific, 1864-1904
Kansas Pacific, 1866-99
Sioux City and Pacific, 1877-1901
Union Pacific, 1864-1904

2. "Federal Land Grant Roads"

Atlantic and Pacific, 1877-1902
Burlington and Missouri River, July 1878
Denver Pacific, 1870-80
Northern Pacific, 1876-1904
Oregon and California, 1877-1904
St. Louis and San Francisco, 1877-1903
Southern Pacific, 1873-1904
Texas and Pacific, 1888-1905

3. "State Aided Roads"

Atchison, Topeka, and Santa Fe, 1877-1904
Cedar Rapids and Missouri River, 1877-85
Chicago, Burlington, and Quincy; 1873-1903
Chicago, Milwaukee, and St. Paul, 1877-1904
Chicago & Northwestern, 1882-1903
Chicago, Rock Island, and Pacific, 1878-1904
Chicago, St. Paul, Minneapolis, and Omaha, 1879-1902
Choctaw and Memphis, Memphis and Little Rock, and Little Rock and Memphis, 1879-99
Choctaw, Oklahoma, and Gulf; Denver and Boulder Valley; Dubuque and Sioux City, 1879-1904
Hannibal and St. Joseph, 1877-1900
Illinois Central, 1877-1903
Iowa Falls and Sioux City, 1878-88
Kansas City, Lawrence, and Southern, 1877-81
Little Rock and Fort Smith, 1880-90
Missouri, Kansas, and Texas, 1877-1902
Missouri Pacific, 1879-1903
St. Joseph and Grand Island and St. Joseph and Western, 1888-1904
St. Louis, Iron Mountain, and Southern, 1876-1904
St. Paul and Duluth, 1878-1900
St. Paul, Minneapolis, and Manitoba; Southern Minnesota, 1877-79
Vicksburg, Shreveport and Pacific, 1877-80
Winona and St. Peter, 1877-85
Wisconsin Central, 1878-1903
Worthington and Sioux Falls, 1879

III.136 The series register of reports received from railroads, 1879-1902 (2 vols. 0.2 ft.)(MLR Entry 29, A1), consists of two volumes. Entries in the first volume are arranged alphabetically by name of railroad and thereunder chronologically. Entries in the second volume are arranged chronologically and thereunder by name of railroad. The second volume is indexed alphabetically by name of railroad and includes a register of the date of receipt of the following reports from railroads: ledger footings; semi-annual and annual reports of organization, ownership, finances, and property; monthly earnings and expenses, company annual reports, an abstract of bills for Government transportation; and miscellaneous numbered reports.

III.137 Correspondence and reports received after termination of commissioner's office, 1904-07 (1 ft.)(MLR Entry 30, A1), includes a list of the records arranged by type of record and thereunder chronologically. It consists of general correspondence relating to transmission of reports of railroads and requests for information, forms, and annual reports of the Commissioner; comparative statements of earnings and expenses for several railroads; Treasury Department statements of amounts withheld for several railroads; and annual reports of the Illinois Central Railroad for 1904 to 1906.

Records of the Pacific Railway Commission

III.138 The United States Pacific Railway Commission was created by an act of Congress of March 3, 1887 (24 Stat. 488). This act authorized the President to appoint three commissioners to investigate the affairs of those Pacific railroads that had received aid from the Federal Government. On April 15, 1887, President Grover Cleveland appointed the Commission, composed of Robert E. Pattison, chairman; E. Ellery Anderson; and David T. Littler. The main office was established in New York; temporary offices were located in San Francisco and Washington. The scope of the Commission's investigation "included a history of these roads, their relations and indebtedness to the Government, and the question whether in the interest of the United States an extension of the time for the performance of the obligations of said roads to the Government should be granted; and, if so, the . . . Commissioners were directed to submit a scheme for such an extension." The Commissioners reported to the President on December 1, 1887. Anderson and Littler concurred in the report of the Commission, while Pattison presented a dissenting report. The majority report recommended an extension of time for the payment of the debts of the railroads to the Government, while the minority report recommended that proceedings be instituted for forfeiting the charters of the railroads and for winding up their affairs. The findings of the Commission were transmitted to Congress by President Cleveland on January 17, 1888. By suggestion of the President, the papers and property of the Commission were forwarded on December 10, 1887, to the Secretary of the Interior, who referred the material to the Commissioner of Railroads for his files.

III.139 Most noteworthy of the related records, except the ones to be found among the papers of the Commissioner of Railroads, are those in the files of the U.S. Senate, now in the National Archives. Especially important are the materials of the 50th, 51st, 53d, and 54th Congresses. The originals of the Commission's report and supporting documents, submitted to the Senate in January 1888, are the most bulky of the related material.

III.140 The most important series of the Pacific Railway Commission records are the following:

1. letters received. Apr.-Oct. 1887 (1 ft.)(MLR Entry 31, A1), arranged alphabetically by first letter of surname of writer or of the name of the railroad by which he was employed. Included are telegrams, letters, and enclosures from Government and railroad officials and the general public relating to such matters as names of persons who might give information to the Commission concerning the Pacific railroads; complaints about the railroads; reports on investigations of railroad accounts by the Commission's accountants; arrangements for taking testimony by or for the Commission; the supplying of information by the railroads, the appointment and pay of employees of the Commission; and the payment of the Commission's expenses.

2. letters sent. Apr. 21-Oct. 14, 1887 (1 vol. 0.1 ft.)(MLR Entry 32, A1), arranged chronologically by date of letter. These are letterpress copies of letters and telegrams from the Commission to Government and railroad officials and to the general public concerning such subjects as requests for information about lands donated to the railroads by the Government; the names of all stockholders in the railroads and consideration paid for stock; amount of stock held; salaries of railroad employees; payments for legal expenses, bonuses, or donations; taxes paid on lands granted by the United States and dividends declared; arrangements to take testimony; requests for cooperation of railroads with the Commission's employees; acknowledgment of receipt of documents; discussion of a legal case relating to the work of the Commission; and refusal to furnish testimony before the Commission to be used against Jay Gould and Russell Sage. The series is indexed alphabetically at the front of the volume by name of addressee.

3. report of Chief Accountant Richard F. Stevens, May 6, 1887 (0.1 ft.)(MLR Entry 33, A1), a report stating the Chief Accountant's opinion on the accounting information needed from the railroads by the Commission and concerning the employees required to do the accounting work.

4. subpoenas, May-Oct. 1887 (0.2 ft.)(MLR Entry 34, A1), arranged in rough chronological order by date of subpoena. The series consists of summonses addressed to witnesses, directing them to appear before the Commission. A few vouchers for office expenses are included with the subpoenas.

5. testimony, Apr. 12-Aug. 22, 1887 (13 vols. 2 ft.)(MLR Entry 35, A1), arranged chronologically by date of statement or testimony. There are two volumes of typewritten statements of Thomas Reddington, former Chief Clerk for the Commissioner of Railroads, and Congressman William M. Springer; and 11 printed volumes of testimony taken by the Commission. Volumes containing testimony from July 25 to August 1 are missing. Copies of documents related to the work of the Commission are printed in the back of the last volume. An index to the testimony and to the reports of the Commission and its subordinate officers accompanies the volumes.

6. exhibits, 1861-87 (1 ft.)(MLR Entry 36, A1), arranged in the order in which they were referred to or reproduced in the testimony and thereunder numerically, with some at the end not marked by date and number. There are papers relating to the Commission's investigation of the affairs of Government-aided railroads. Many of the papers are missing.

7. answer of Leland Stanford to interrogatories of the Commission, 1887 (0.2 ft.)(MLR Entry 37, A1), a reply of the President of the Central Pacific Railroad to the Commission's interrogatories included in a circular letter of May 12, 1887. It consists of a table of contents, opening remarks, answers to interrogatories by number, and exhibits.

8. "Memoranda Relating to Bond-Aided Roads," 1868-86 (5 vols. 0.3 ft.)(MLR Entry 38, A1), consisting of typed copies of documents and newspaper articles relating to the Pacific railroads. Material in two of the volumes is arranged in rough chronological order.

9. reference materials, 1875-87 (1 ft.)(MLR Entry 32, A1), arranged chronologically by date of document. The series consists of the following books and pamphlets:

a printed volume of proceedings in Union Pacific Railroad Company v. United States in the United States Court of Claims, December Term, 1875;

"Report to Stockholders of the Union Pacific Railroad" for 1875 and 1884-86;

"Report of the Government Directors of the Union Pacific Railroad Company to the Secretary of the Interior, 1885", a memorandum in reference to the speech of Hon. Barclay Henley, printed in the Congressional Record of June 20, 1886, by Moorfield Storey, Counsel for the Union Pacific Railroad;

"Report of the Board of Railroad Commissioners for the State of Nebraska" for 1886;

"Argument Before General Joseph E. Johnston, Commissioner of Railroads, in Reference to the Apportionment of Earnings and Operating Expenses over Given Portions of a Particular Road," 1886, by M. M. Kirkman, Comptroller, Chicago and Northwestern Railroad;

"Line Case of the Union Pacific Railway Company, Statement Made by Charles Francis Adams, Jr., Before the Committee on the Pacific Railroads," 1886;

"Testimony of Charles Francis Adams Before the Pacific Railroad Investigating Commission," 1887;

"Pacific Railroad Legislation. 1862-1885;" and an analytical index of evidence in the case of Ellen M. Colton v. Leland Stanford et al., n.d.