US431765A - Edward p - Google Patents

Description

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ATTORNEYS y Patented July 8, 1890.

I. SQ.

,WAY BILL.

mz Noms PETERS co., vuoto-urna., msnmawu, n. c.

(No Model.)

E. P. CAMPBELL.

' UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

EDWARD P. CAMPBELL, OF NEW YORK, Y.

WAY-BILL.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 431,765, dated July 8, 1890.

Application nea october I22, 1889.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, EDWARD P. CAMPBELL, of the city, county, and State of New York, have invented a new and Improved Tay-Bill, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

My invention relates to way-bills used in the transportation of merchandise, as freight or express matter, by rail, water, or otherwise from and to points located on the same railroad and from and to points located on different roads passing over one or more connecting roads or lines; and the invention has for its object to provide a way-bill of this character which will efficiently substitutemall local and through way-bills and all local and joint manifests or invoices, and will obviate the necessity of rebilling, remanifesting, or reinvoicing merchandise at the junctionpoints of the various roads or lines over which it passes, and will materially facilitate early accounting and auditingby railroad and transportation companies, and furnish a proper basis for the prompt division of earnings or revenues between the companies interested.

The invention will first be described, and will then be particularly pointed out in the claims.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawing, forming a part of this specification, and which is a face view of one of my improved way-bills fully transcribed as in use.

The drawing represents a way-bill used in dispatching a car-load of freight received by Steamship from Liverpool, England, at Boston, Massachusetts, and shipped thence by rail to Salt Lake City, Utah, over siX independent lines of railroad.

The central or main portion of theway-bill is preferably ruled off by horizontal and vertical lines to provide spaces in which to transcribe information ordinarily given on bills of this character, and the order of this information will be indicated by printed headings, such as Consignor and original point of shipment, Consignee and destination, Description of articles and marks, Weight, Rate and reference number, Freight, Advances in detail, Total prepaid, or any other required data, all of which are written in the drawing.

The main or general heading of the wayv semi No. 327,776. (No Specimens.)

bill, which occupies all its upper part. eXcepting the extreme left-hand portion or upper left-hand corner of the bill, may also have any ordinary or approved matter printed or produced thereon with proper spaces for writing the necessary data or instructions. When the first receiving-railroad or transportation-line (commonly known as fast freight-lines) uses way-bills provided with its own printed heading, such heading will be prominently produced and at the center of the top of the waybll. In this instance itis the Fitchburg Railroad Company, as shown. The space to receive the name of the first shipping-road or transportationline may, however, be left blank, thus allowing any way-bill to be used ion any railway or line by either writing or printing the name or title ofthe company in this space.

Below the title or title-space above named are prominently printed or produced the words Way bill, below which to the left is the word Via, with a space to receive the name of any particular transportation company-in this instance, the Erie Despatch line. To the right of these are printed or produced the words From and To, With blank spaces to the right of them to receive t-he names of the billing and delivery stations. In the bill shown these are Boston, Mass, and Salt Lake City, Utah, respectively. To the right hand of these and of the name of the first carrying-road are produced the Words and abbreviations Date of XV. 13., The, 1855-, with adjacent spaces for the date of the Way-bill, which in this case is June 28th, 1889, and below this dating is the phrase Number of way-bill, with a space for the number, which is Written lOl, and below these are the words Car initials and Car No, with adjacent spaces for them, which are writ-ten E. D. and 40,098, respectively.

Below all the above matter at the top righthand portion of the way-bill provision is made for the records of transfers of freight from one car to another en route by two transfers,

or lst transfer and 2nd transfer, with the marks Station, 1853-, lnto, Car, Initials and Car Nd, arranged in line after each transfer, with adjacent spaces in which to write the proper data indicated. ,o

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It is customary in transporting freight by rail to weigh the car at the earliest opportunity; hence I will first describe that part of my invention which relates to a description of the car and the recording of its Weight. This schedule A of information I produce at the extreme upper left-hand corner of the Way-bill, and it consists, preferably, of the top phrase Description of car, under which are produced,from left to right, the phrases Kind of car, Length, Capacity, and preferably with the words Feet and Pounds, spaces being provided beneath in which to write this data, which in this instance reads B0X, denoting` the kind of car; 27%, indicating the length of the car in feet, and 30,000,indicating the loadingcapacity of the car in pounds. Underneath this data is produced the phrase Weighing record, and under this the phrases Weighed ontrackscales, At, Station, The, and the numerals 188- are preferably printed, with suitable spaces to write the place and date of weighing the car. In this instance these are Boston and June 28th, 1889. Under the date and dating-spaces are produced the words Gross, 'Iare, Net, and preferably with the word Pounds beneath each, with an adjacent space in which to write the weight,which in this instance is forty-nine thousand gross pounds, nineteen thousand tare pounds, and thirty thousand net pounds.

I am not limited to the precise wording of the schedule A shown and described above at the upper left-hand corner of the way-bill, provided the same data is secured. As instances, I mention that the phrase-headings Description of car a'nd Weighing record may be omitted, as these are evident from the matter following them in the schedule. The distinguishing features of this part of my invention are, iirst, the statement or provision for the statement of the Kind or class of car referred to in the way-bill, as it is obvious that the car may be eithera box-car, as indicated in the drawing, or it may be a refrigerator, heater, stock, rack, gondola, coaldump, or other style of car, and this informa- -tion is important, as different classifications and tariff rates prevail for freight loaded in different classes of cars. The tare of a car is effected by special' allowances for racks, linings, heating and coolingappurtenances inside of cars, snow, ice on outside of cars, &c. The specification on the way-bill of the style or class of car, together with the tare statement, as indicated, is important in determining the correct amount to collect for transportation, and to be audited as the earnings on the car, which amount is to be subdivided and the proper proportions due each independent'line of railroad over which the car passes en route settled accordingly.

The most important feature of my improvement pertains to a record on one original way-bill of the various railroads the freightcar is to travel over to its destination, with provisions for stamping the dates the car arrives at and is forwarded from the various junction-points en route and its arrival at destination; also, for the stamping of a copy of said original way-bill for the use of each road over. which the car is routed, each copy to be stamped by the junction agent of each road at the same time and in the same manner as the original way-bill until the copy of it has reached and received the stamp of the junction agent of the individual road by which it is to be retained. By this planreach .road is furnished with a record from the stamping on the copies showing the date forwarded from the billing-point and the date received at and forwarded from each j unction-point up to its receipt of the freight. This feature of the way-bill is preferably embodied in a tabulated record of the Routing of car, placed, preferably, at the lower `part or bottom of the Way-billv and arranged as follows: At the left hand and top of this ltabulation is produced a schedule B, comprising the phrase Routing of car, and below this the phrase Road on which above billing-station is located, and below this is a blank space to receive in writing or printing the name of the billing-road, which in this instance is the Fitchburg R. R, and below this is produced the phrase Agent at destination will stamp below date of arrival of freight, and below this is provided a space to receive the stamp of the agent at the station of delivery, and this stamp in the bill shown reads Received, Salt Lake City, Aug. 6, 1889, Union Pacific Ry.7 To the right of this schedule B are preferably arranged six blocks or spaces C, each ruled horizontally to provide two top spaces. The upper space of each block C has produced at the top the phrase Connecting road, and the lower space of each block has produced at its top the phrase Junction point, while below each Vblock has a space c, which receives the stamp of the agent at the junction-point. Before the phrases Connecting road and Junction point the successive blocks C are preferably numbered consecutively from left to right to indicate the first, second, third, fourth, fifth, and sixth roads and junctions, as shown in the drawing. It is not essential to this part of my improvement that both the phrases Connecting road and Junction point be produced on the blocks C, as the phrase Junction point may alone be used, the agents stamp at said point clearly indicating the line of railroad there receiving and dispatching the loaded car; but by providing the phrase Connecting road also the first filling agent by filling out the adjacent spaces dictates the route the car shall take to its destination; hence the use of both phrases on each block C is preferred in practice.

Thisim proved Way-billis usedas follows: The bill shown in the drawing states thatfBroWn dt Co., Liverpool, England, have shipped to French & Co., Salt Lake City, Utah, 100

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the drawing.

Bbls. Tinware marked and weighing thirty thousand pounds. The rate and reference number is 75, the freight is two hundred and twenty-five dollars, and the advances are one hundred and fifty dollars for ocean charges. After receiving this freight at Boston the agent of the Fitchburg Railroad Company loads it into car N o. 40,098 of the Erie Despatch line, having initials Fh D., and then lls out or transcribes the way-bill, as shown in the drawing and hereinbefore described, excepting the weight data in schedule A, which will be filled in by the weighmaster at Boston or the first convenientpoint on the line -where a track-scale is provided.

The billing agent at Boston also transcribes the routing-schedule B C by writing the name of his road Fitchburg) in the space provided in the schedule or block B, and by writing the names of the successive railroads and their j unction-points in the blocks C. The first connecting-road and junction-point are D. and H. Canal Co. and Mechanicsvilla N. Y. 5 the second connecting-road and junction point are N. Y., L. Erie& XV. and Binghamton, N. Y. g the third are Chgo it Atlantic and Marion, 0.5 the fourth are C., B. t Q. and Chicago, 111., and the fifth are Union Pacific and Omaha, Neb, the sixth block being left blank, as the Union Pacific Railway runs the car through from Omaha junction to its destination at Salt Lake City, Utah. It willbe understood that there will be as many blocks Cprovided on the way-bill as the longest haul may require, or more or less than the six blocks shown in the drawing, and the way-bills having six or more blocks C may be used with short-haul freight, passing but one, two, or three junction-points and transferred to as many different roads, thoseblocks C not required being left blank.

After theV billing agent at Boston thus transcribes the billing details and fills in the route of the car to its destination he will take eight tissue copies of the way-bill, one of which may be in his own copy-book for reference, and one he will at once send to the auditor of his road, in this case the Fitchburg R. R., for use in accounting purposes. Another he will send at once to the auditor of the Erie Despatch Fast Freight Line for line-accounting purposes. The Boston agent will send the other five copies and the original way-bill with the freight to the first junction-point at Mechanicsville, and when the car is turnedV over at that point by the Fitchburg road to the Delaware and Hudson Canal Company road and dispatched thence on the said Delaware and Hudson Canal Company road the agent at Mechanicsville will put his reporting datestamp on the first block C of the Routing of car in the original way-bill and in the same location on all five copies thereof, this stamp reading Mechanicsville reports J une 30, 1889, D. in H. C. Co. R. R. 0o., as shown in The agent at Mechanicsville will retain one tissue copy of the way-bill to cago, Illinois.

send to the auditor f the Delaware and Hudson Canal Company Railroad, and then send the original and other four copies forward to the agent of his road at the next junctionpoint-Binghamton, New York. This agent, on the arrival of the lfreight, will turn the same over, together with the original waybill and the other four copies, to the junction agent of the second connecting-road-the New York, Lake Erie, and Vestern-at Binghamton, New York, and when this'agent receives and dispatches the freight over his road he will put his reporting date-stamp in the second block C of the way-bill and the four copies-viz., Binghamtom N Y., reports, July 5th, 1889, N. Y.,'L. E. & W. R. R., and he will retain one copyto be sent to his auditor and then forward the original way-bill and three copies thereof to the agent of his road at the next junction point-Marion, Ohio. This agent, on the arrival of the freight at Marion, will turn the same over, together with the original way-bill and the other three copies, to the junction agent of the third connectingroad-the Chicago and Atlantic-and when this agent receives and dispatches the freight over his road he will put his reporting datestamp in the third block C of the way-bill and the three copies-viz., Marion, O., reports, July 15, 1889, Chicago & Atlantic Ry,

and he will retain one copy to be sent to his auditor and then forward the original waybill and two copies thereof to the agent of his road at the next junction-point-Chi- This agent, on the arrival ofl the freight,-will turn the same over, together with the original way-bill and the other twoV copies, to the junction agent of the fourth connecting roadthe Chicago, Burlington, and Quincy-and when this agent receives and dispatches the freight over his roadlhe will put his reporting date-stamp in the fourth 'block C on the way-bill and the two copiesviz., Chicago, lll., reports, July 24th, 1889, C., B. du Q. R. R.-and he will retain one copy to be sent to his auditor, and then forward the original way-bill and one copy thereof to the agent of his road at the next (and last)`junc tion-point-Omaha,Nebraska. rIhis, agent, on the arrival of the freight, will turn the same over, together with the original way-bill and the one copy, to -the junction agent of the fifth connectin g-roadthe Union Pacific Railway-and when this agent receives and dispatches the freight over his road he will put his reporting date-stamp in the fth'block C onthe way-bill and the one copy-viz# Omaha reports,Aug. lst, 1889, UnionPacificRy. This last copy he will send to his auditor, and the original way-bill, with the freight, he will at once forward to destination on his road- Salt Lake City, Utah. Vhen the freight arrives there, the local agent will put his stamp on the first block B of the Routing of car, as follows: Received, Salt Lake City, Aug. 6th, 1889, Union Pacific Ry. The earnings for transportation on this shipment between Bos- IOO ton, Massachusetts', and Salt Lake City, Utah,

(commonly known as freight charges,) two hundred and twenty-five dollars, are to be subdivided among the five railroads over which it passes under agreed percentages due each road, settlements to be made between the auditors of the respective roads on the stamped dates placed on the original and copies of the way-bill by the agents at the junction-points. The ocean charges shown as advances on the way-bill-one hundred and fifty dollars-paid by the Fitchburg Railroad to the ocean steamship company are also settled for in order by each road as it receives the freight under the date stamped on the way-bill and copies of the same at the j unction-points, the entire amount due-three hundred and seventy-live dollars-to be collected by the Union Pacific Rail-Way from the consignees, French (fr, Co., Salt Lake City, Utah, on delivery of the freight.

A special feature of the stamped date-plate is that under it way-'bills for freight billed through over two or more railroads are audited by the respective roads as of the dates stamped on the way-bills at the junctionpoints, and by auditing under these dates the monthly earnings of such roads can be closed and stated earlier than is customary. The

use of the stamped date as an auditing-date always places amounts earned from through way-bills to the credit of the roads earnings in the same month in which the eX- penses are charged for transporting the same freight.

I make special mention of the provision made in the Way-bill for the statement of the kind or class of car, and also of 'the provision made therein for explicit statement of the tare allowance, as both these features, considered separately or together, are important, as different charges are made for freight of the same character loaded on dierent classes of cars, and the tare allowances also differ with the style of car for the same or different classes of merchandise. I also specially mention the provision made on the Way-bill for explicit statement of the Routing of car, with the spaces to receive the agents reporting date-stamp, as these stamped dates produced at the junction-points of the several roads or transportation-lines substitute rebilliug, remanifesting, or reinvoicing of property at such junction-points, and also fix the date on the Way-bill for monthly, weekly, or other accountings and settlings of earnings between the various interested transportation companies.

I have availed myself of the privilege of ,copyrighting this Way-bill; but, because vof ,existing doubts as to the scope of the protection this affords when the wording is slightly klchanged or transposed in position, I have fmade this application to patent the salient features of my invention specified in the `claims hereinafter set forth. Having thus described my invention, what .I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

l. A freight way-bill having a space for receiving the name of the billing-road, a sej ries of spaces for receiving the names of the successive junction-points, and a space below each of the said spaces for receiving the Estamp of the agent of the receiving and juncj'tion points, substantially as described. 2. A freight way-bill having a space for receiving the name of the billing-road, a space ibelow the same for receiving the stamp of the receiving agent, a series of spaces for receiving the names of the successive connectingjroads and junction-points, and a space below zeach of the last-named spaces for receiving fthe stamp of the agent of the said connecting-roads, substantially as herein shown and described. l 3. A freight way-bill having a space in one upper corner for indicating the kind, capacity, and weight of the car, a series of spaces at its bottom for receiving the names of the several roads and junction-points, and below the said spaces spaces for receiving the stamp of the several agents, substantially as herein shown and described.

4. A way-bill for use in freight transportation, provided with a schedule embodying the description and weighing-record of the car, said description including` the kind or class of car, its length, and capacity, and the Weigh- `ing-record including the place and date of weighing and the gross, tare, and net weights, said way-bill also provided with the routing of car, including spaces for the name of the first receiving road or line and the stamp of the last dispatching and delivery road or line, and a series of blocks having spaces for the titles of the successive connecting roads or lines and for the j unction-points of said roads or lines and for the reporting date-stamp of the road or line agents, substantially as described, for the purposes set forth.

October 16, 1889.

EDVARD P. CAMPBELL. Witnesses:

A. T. CUDDEBACK,

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