| Annual Report of the Alabama & Florida
(of Florida) RR |
| as of May 1, 1867 |
| Superintendent's Report |
| |
| Office of Ala. & Fla. R. R. Com. (of
Fla.) |
| Pensacola, May 1st, 1867 |
| |
| To President, Directors and
Shareholders Ala. & Fla. R. R. Com. (of Fla.) |
| ***** |
| The companies against which
suits have been brought are: |
| Mobile & Great Northern Railroad Company |
| Alabama & Florida Railroad Company of
Alabama |
| North & South Alabama Railroad Company |
| Montgomery & West Point Railroad Company |
| Selma & Meridian Railroad Company |
| Northeast & Southwest Alabama Railroad
Company |
| Alabama & Tennessee River Railroad Company |
| Arrangements were made for bringing suit
against the Wilmington & Manchester Railroad Company
in North Carolina for two engines which had been placed upon
that road (the Dart and Perseverance) when they agreed to
place the engines in the order required, and return them to us
at Pollard, Alabama, at their own expense -- paying us three
thousand dollars in consideration of a settlement. These
engines were returned to us in December last, and were hired
to the Alabama & Florida Railroad Company of Alabama, at
the rate of twenty dollars a day each. They are still employed
on that road. |
|
| 1,012 tons, 384 lbs.
railroad iron |
|
| 3,726 |
cast chairs |
70,511 lbs |
| 1,190 |
wrought chairs (lip) |
8,925 " |
| 416 |
"
" (sleeve) |
5,824 " |
| 34,265 |
lbs. spikes |
|
| 2 |
cast frogs weighing |
1,450 lbs |
|
| Six switch stands were taken
from our road for the purpose (as was stated at the time) of being
placed on the Montgomery & West Point Railroad. |
| Of this property, the
evidence shows there were actually delivered to the Montgomery &
West Point Railroad Company, and used in repairs of their road -- |
| 608 tons, 12 cwt. 1 qr. 43 lbs. rails, 20,317
lbs spikes |
| 13,290 lbs. cast chairs, 14,749 lbs. wrought
iron chairs |
| 1 cast frog weighing 800 pounds |
|
| Delivered to North &
South Alabama Railroad Company {South &
North Alabama RR}-- |
| 120 bars railroad, 120 chairs |
|
| Placed on the connection
between depot of Alabama & Florida Railroad Company, of Ala., and
depot of Montgomery & West Point Railroad Company -- |
| 193 tons, 1 cwt. 1 qr. 12 lbs. rails |
| 19,988 lbs. chairs, 9,900 lbs. spikes |
|
| There are 65 long bars, 4
short bars, 81 chairs near the depot of Montgomery & West Point
Railroad Company ready to be turned over to this Company on demand. |
| For the balance of this
property -- to wit: |
| 175 tons, 16 cwt. 2 qrs. 24 lbs. rails, 4,053
lbs. spikes |
| 36,363 lbs. chairs, 1 frog, 6 switch stands |
|
| we took for payment to the Alabama &
Florida Railroad Company, of Ala. |
| There were taken from Alabama
& Florida Railroad (of Fla.) to form the connection between Selma
and Meridian -- |
| 2,291 tons, 7 cwt. 13 lbs. railroad iron |
| 6,762 wrought chairs, weighing 54,096 lbs. |
| 4,277 cast chairs, weighing 68,432 lbs. |
| 5 frogs, weighing 4,500 lbs. |
| 2 switch stands, 63,917 lbs spikes |
|
| The Selma & Meridian
Railroad Company was operating the whole line between Selma and
Meridian, and was understood to claim ownership of this iron. It was
known, however, that a portion of the road bed was claimed as
belonging to a Company known as the Northeast & Southwest Alabama
Railroad Company. When suite was brought against Selma & Meridian
Railroad Company for foreclosure of the mortgage, the Northeast &
Southwest Alabama Railroad Company was made a party. The evidence
shows that of the above property, 1191 tons, 1176 lbs. rails, 85,341
lbs. chairs, spikes, frogs, 1 switch stand, were placed on the bed of
the Selma and Meridian Railroad proper, as distinguished from the
Northeast & Southwest Alabama Railroad. |
| The evidence shows 1062 tons
rails, 27,048 lbs. wrought chairs, 34,216 lbs. cast chairs, 43,440
lbs. spikes, 900 lbs. frogs, were placed upon the bed of the Northeast
& Southwest Alabama Railroad proper, as distinguished from the
Selma & Meridian Railroad, both roads forming the connection
between Selma and Meridian. This leaves to be accounted for, 37 tons,
1 qr. 25 lbs. rails. For this we must look either to the Mobile &
Great Northern Railroad Company, or Mobile & Ohio Railroad
Company. |
| Eighty (80) rails, with the
requisite chairs and spikes, were placed on a siding of the Mobile
& Great Northern Railroad. For this, suit has been brought against
that company. |
| Of the iron used for Mobile
defenses, an account of which was given in a former report, that which
was found was so cut up and bolted down as to be hardly worthy the
attempt to recover it from the Government. An attempt, however, was
made, but so many difficulties were found in the way that the effort
was abandoned. |
| The history of the seizure
and appropriation of our rolling stock was given in a former report. |
| After the seizure, it was
first divided between the Mobile & Great Northern Railroad, and
Alabama & Florida Railroad, of Ala; subsequently a portion was
transferred to the Alabama & Tennessee River Railroad, and, as
before stated, two engines were placed on the Wilmington &
Manchester Railroad in North Carolina. |
| When the war closed, the
assets of the Company consisted of what remained of road bed and
bridging between Pensacola and State line -- a distance of forty-five
miles. |
| About eight miles of iron
remaining near Pensacola. |
| A contract for 1,000,000
brick paid for in Confederate paper. |
| 154,000 acres of land
mortgaged to secure the indebtedness of the Company |
| The remains of cotton
purchased. |
| Sugar and syrup estimated at
$1,000 in value. |
| The Company had claims upon
other Railroad Companies for property taken during the war, which were
estimated in our annual report of 1865 at $297,469. |
| The bond indebtedness of the
Company, bills payable, and past due interest, amounted to $616,096. |
| ***** |
| {Extract from
Statement A, Statement of Cotton Purchases} |
| Date |
By whom purchased |
No. bales |
| 1863 -- Sept. 5 |
J. H. Mulford, Columbus, Georgia |
78 |
| Oct. 29 |
J. R. Jones, Columbus, Georgia |
128 |
| Oct. 20 |
Gilmer & Co., Montgomery |
175 |
| 1863 & 1864 |
W. J. Keyser |
718 |
| 1861 -- Dec. 21 |
Geo. W. Hutton, of Jas. Knowles |
26 |
| 1865 -- Jan. 19 |
Goe. W. Hutton, of J. M. Yeldell |
100 |
|
Total Bales Purchased |
1,225 |
|
Total Cost |
$118,886.23 |
| None of this cotton
was sent through the blockade |
|
| ***** |
| The last report made to the
stockholders prior to the evacuation, was made by me as General
Superintendent, 5th May, 1862, there being no President. |
| In June, 1862, I was elected
by your Board, President of the Company. It was a season of trial --
the position one of great -- of grave -- responsibility, but one which
I felt -- under the circumstances, I could not decline. In the
performance of the duties appertaining to that station, I have avoided
no labor -- no hazard -- no care. |
| My Annual Report of May,
1866, was the first made directly to the stockholders since May, 1862
-- the evacuation of Pensacola and the impossibility of obtaining a
proper representation of the stockholders in any meeting which might
be called operating to prevent an attempt to convene you. |
| Annual reports were, however,
made, showing in the main what had been done in the endeavor to avert
total ruin and bankruptcy from Pensacola and her people. |
| A full history of what has
been done was not given, it cannot be given now -- it is not deemed
proper to do so -- unless and until success eventually crowns the
efforts which have been and continue to be made. |
| ***** |
| O. M. Avery |
| Gen'l. Sup't. |
|