| Annual Report of the South Western RR |
| as of August 1, 1861, |
| Superintendent's Report |
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| Superintendent's Report
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| South-Western Railroad Co. |
| Macon, Ga., August 1st, 1861 |
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To R. R. Cuyler, Esq.
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President
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Sir,
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The Tenth Annual Report from this office, is herewith
submitted, showing the operations of the Road for the fiscal year
ending August 1st, 1861:
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| Earnings of the Road
for the Year |
| Up freight (eastward) |
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$186,486.16 |
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| Down freight (westward) |
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191,578.45 |
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| Total freight |
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$373,064.61 |
| Through passengers |
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$63,911.58 |
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| Way passengers |
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141,247.65 |
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| Total passengers |
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205,159.23 |
| Mails |
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20,342.69 |
| Miscellaneous earnings |
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1,350.00 |
| Total earnings |
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$599,916.53 |
| The current expenses of the year have been |
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312,853.01 |
| Showing net earnings for the year
of |
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$287,063.52 |
| The permanent expenditures have been |
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6,600.00 |
| Leaving, after the payment of
ordinary and extraordinary expenses |
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$280,463.52 |
| Current Expenditures |
| The expenses for
operating the Road have been as follows: |
| Repairs of Road |
| Proportion of salary of President, Treasurer,
Superintendent and Supervisors, wages of Overseers and
Watchmen at Bridges, and hire of Negroes for the year |
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$57,975.39 |
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| Materials, stringers, ties, bridge timber, etc. |
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36,526.48 |
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| Tools, subsistence, clothing, physicians' bills
for Negroes, stationery, printing, etc. |
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25,041.29 |
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| Total repairs of Road and Bridges |
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$119,543.16 |
| Fuel and Water |
| Wood for Locomotives and Stationary Engine |
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$4,277.75 |
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| Pumping Water, putting up new Pumps and
Cisterns, Wells, and Cistern-houses |
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10,562.74 |
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| Total Fuel and Water |
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14,840.49 |
| Repairs of Buildings |
| Including repairs of Station Houses and other
buildings |
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621.01 |
| Maintenance of
Motive Power |
| Repairs of Locomotives, including proportion of
salary of President, Treasurer, Superintendent and Master
Machinist, wages of Mechanics and Laborers at Shops, and all
Materials used for the year |
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$16,034.90 |
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| Wages of Runners and Firemen |
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28,371.12 |
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| Oil, Tallow, Cotton Waste for Locomotives and
Stationary Engine |
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3,599.80 |
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| Total Maintenance of Motive Power |
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48,005.82 |
| Maintenance of Cars |
| Including proportion of salary of President,
Treasurer, Superintendent and Master Carpenter, wages of
Mechanics and Laborers at Shops, Wheels, Axles, Lumber,
Paints, and all other materials used in repairing and keeping
in order Passenger, Baggage, Mail and Freight Cars, (new Cars
not included,) for the year |
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$42,265.38 |
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| Oil, Tallow, Cotton Waste, etc. |
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2,833.40 |
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| Total Cars |
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45,098.78 |
| Transportation
Expenses |
| Including proportion of salaries of President,
Treasurer, Superintendent and Clerks, Wages of Conductors and
Train Hands, salaries of Agents at Americus, Butler, Albany,
Cuthbert, Fort Gaines and Chattahoochee, Laborers and Watchmen
at Macon, Americus, Smithville, Albany, Cuthbert, Fort Gaines
and Chattahoochee, Freight Houses and Cotton Yards |
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$62,018.29 |
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| Printing, Books, Stationery, etc., for the year |
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1,595.00 |
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| Freight damage, paid for goods lost and damaged |
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410.43 |
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| Stock damage, paid for Cattle, Horses, Hogs,
Mules, etc., killed and injured |
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5,430.96 |
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| Agents at Stations -- Paid Commissions |
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9,850.08 |
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| Total Transportation |
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79,304.71 |
| Incidental Expenses |
| Including Printing, Advertising, Books,
Stationery, Postage, Attorney's Fees, Court Costs, Donations,
Gratuities, Salary of Transfer Agent, and all contingent
expenses not included under either of the above heads |
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5,439.04 |
| Total current expenditures |
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$312,853.01 |
| Permanent
Expenditures |
| Permanent expenditures
have been made the past year as follows: |
| For stone and brick culverts, foundations,
cotton yard, wall, etc |
$7,303.47 |
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| Extension of Warehouse at Macon, Repair houses
on line of Road, etc |
5,713.53 |
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| Total |
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$13,017.00 |
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| Deduct amount charged to Construction |
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11,817.00 |
$1,200.00 |
| For six Box Cars |
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$4,500.00 |
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| For completing three Baggage Cars |
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900.00 |
5,400.00 |
| Three new Locomotive Engines, the T. M. Furlow,
Chipola and Pachitla |
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$28,500.00 |
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| Deduct charged to Locomotive Engines |
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28,500.00 |
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| Total permanent expenditures paid
for from earnings |
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$6,600.00 |
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The total earnings have been $599,916.53. Total last
year, $676,895.87. Decrease, $76,979.34. Notwithstanding this decrease
in earnings, I am satisfied that we have carried as many tons of
freight over the Road this as last year, as a large portion of our
down freights this year were of the heavier articles, such as corn,
bacon, lard, flour and guano, which pays much less freight per ton
than lighter merchandise.
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The current expenses of the year are greater than last
year $59,478.43, from which should be deducted $34,194.06, being
amount of material on hand in excess of last year at same date,
leaving increase of expenditures at $25,284.37. This increase in
current expenses has been produced by the increased number of miles
(29 1/2) of Road operated, and the increase in repairs on cars,
locomotives and repairs of Road.
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On the 10th day of September last, 11 5/8 miles of new
Road, from Coleman to Fort Gaines, and on the 23d day of October, one
mile, from Georgetown to Chattahoochee, (a temporary station on the
east side of the Chattahoochee river, opposite Eufaula,) was opened to
business, making the length of Road now in use 206 1/2 miles; and the
average number of miles operated the past year 204 1/2 against 175
miles the year previous.
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As mentioned in my last report, owing to the grading
beyond Cuthbert, towards Eufaula and Fort Gaines, being heavy and
rapidly built, the banks settling, etc., it has been necessary to keep
a train and thirty-five hands for ten months of the year on those
lines, at an expense of $8,500, which has been charged to
construction. This part of the Road, with the exception of the track
through Harrell's Cut, is in good order. I have had this cut widened,
and will probably have to ballast the Road bed through it, before it
will stand.
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| Earnings per mile, passenger and mail |
$1,102.70 |
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| Earnings per mile, freight and miscellaneous |
1,830.88 |
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| Total per mile |
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$2,933.58 |
| Current expenses per mile |
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1,529.84 |
| Net earnings per mile of track in use |
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$1,403.74 |
| Gross earnings per mile run by engines |
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1,81,6 |
| Current expenses per mile run by engines |
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94,7 |
| Net earnings per mile run by engines |
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87c |
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Total bales of cotton transported during the year,
174,208, against 206,307 last year.
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Tables D and E show that there were from the
South-Western Railroad proper 101,733 bales; last year, 125,376 bales;
decrease, 23, 643.
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From Columbus and Muscogee Railroad we received 72,275
bales, against 80,931 bales the year previous, making decrease of
8,656 bales, and a total decrease for the year of 32,299 bales.
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By the South-Western Railroad to Macon, there were
24,973. The year previous 32,503. Decrease, 7,530 bales.
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From the Muscogee Railroad to Macon there were 111 bales,
last year 138 bales.
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Number of through passengers for the year, 29,481 -- way
passengers, 88,231; total, 117,712, being an average per day of 322,
against 353 last year. Total number of passengers carried over the
Road since it was opened, July 1st, 1851, 823,032.
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The trains have been run with great regularity over the
Road the past year, but one accident of a serious character having
occurred to our passenger trains, which was produced by the removal of
a rail by some malicious person, from the outside of a curve, between
the 62d and 63d mile posts, by which the engine and three cars were
precipitated down an embankment twenty feet high. No person, however,
was seriously injured, which was certainly providential, as the
baggage car, in which there were six persons, turned entirely over,
alighting on its trucks at the bottom of the embankment, and was
considerably damaged. The damage to the engine and train was about
$3,000. Two accidents have occurred to freight trains, doing damage to
cars and machinery of over $3,000.
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Number of miles run within the year by passenger and mail
trains, 208,872. Freight and other trains, (exclusive of filling or
gravel trains,) 121,463. Total, 330,245 miles run. Wood used by
locomotives, 3,904 cords, being an average of 84 1/2 miles run to each
cord of wood, at a cost of 2 8-10 cents per mile for fuel.
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During the year there have been delivered on the Road,
for repairs, 57,049 ties, equal to a renewal of 36 miles; stringers,
16,357, making lineal feet 323,824, and 1,474,016 feet board measure,
equal to 30 2/3 miles of track. For other than track lumber 571,093
feet, board measure. Trestle bridges, 102,492 feet. Foundations for
culverts, 7,817 board measure. Total feet, board measure, of lumber
paid for during the year, for repairs of track, bridges, buildings,
etc., 2,456,277 feet, board measure, at a cost of $38,763.57.
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There have been put in, during the year, two stone
abutments near Americus, to replace a short trestle bridge, a good
substantial cotton yard wall of stone at that point, and one culvert
of four feet span, and seven smaller culverts of stone, between
Oglethorpe and Americus.
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Our bridges are in very good order at present, but will
require considerable repairs the ensuing year.
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Motive Power
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Our motive power has been increased the past year by one
large freight engine, the Pachitla, and one first class passenger
engine, the Chipola, from Rogers' locomotive works, and one first
class passenger engine, the T. M. Furlow, from M. W. Baldwin & Co.
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There have been built in our shops the past year, five
box cars, and two more are nearly completed. The three baggage cars
spoken of in my last report were finished, and two of our old
passenger cars, Nos. 1 and 3, have been thoroughly repaired and
refitted. We have also put new and improved seats in three of our
cars, besides re-building several box and platform cars to re-place
old ones and those broken up in collisions.
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Our stock of cars now consists of --
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| First-class passenger |
13-12 in good order, 1 being painted |
| Second-class pass'r and baggage |
10-1 needs repairs and 2 paint |
| Baggage and package |
4-in running order |
| Mail and Express |
8-in good order |
| Conductors' |
12-in good order |
| Box freight |
116-112 in good order, 4 need repairs |
| Platform |
76-8 need repairs |
| Stock |
4-in good order |
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We have on hand materials as follows:
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| For repairs of Road and bridges, good rails,
chairs, spikes, ties, stringers, and other lumber, in value |
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$48,022.08 |
| Worn-out rails, etc. |
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1,200.00 |
| Materials for cars |
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16,222.64 |
| Materials for motive power |
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2,900.00 |
| Oil, tallow and waste |
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1,044.00 |
| Stationery, etc. |
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1,000.00 |
| Fuel and water |
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1,073.67 |
| Total |
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$71,462.34 |
| From which deduct iron charged to construction |
$16,284.36 |
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| Invoices unpaid |
1,359.66 |
17,644.02 |
| Value of materials on hand paid for |
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$53,818.32 |
| Value of materials on hand paid for, Aug. 1, 1860 |
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19,624.26 |
| More materials on hand this than last year |
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$34,194.06 |
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Of the amount paid for the 400 tons of iron ordered for
repairs of Road, $16,284.36 was charged to construction. As a large
portion of this iron is still on hand not used, this amount is
deducted from amount of materials on hand, and may be charged to
repairs of Road annually, as the iron is laid.
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There have been seven miles of new T rail laid, and the
same length of flange rail taken up on the main line below Fort
Valley, and 2 miles and 2,176 feet laid, and the same length of T rail
taken up on the Columbus Branch during the year. We now have on hand
for repairs and to lay, 207 tons of light T rail, weighing 40 1/2 lbs.
to the yard; 85 tons T rail, weighing 46 pounds to the yard, and 187
tons good flange rail, besides 24 tons of worn out rail.
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There have been re-rolled, at the Atlanta Rolling Mill,
122 tons of iron of pattern weighing 46 pounds to the yard, and 130
tons weighing 40 1/2 pounds to the yard, at a cost, including freight
to and from the mill, of $8,417.96, which was paid from earnings and
charged to current expenses.
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Our entire line of Road is in very fine order, with the
slight exception of a few hundred feet in Harrell's Cut.
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The bridge across the Chattahoochee river at Eufaula has
progressed slowly, the contractor having had a good many difficulties
to encounter, but the work is being well and faithfully executed, and,
as far as done, to my entire satisfaction.
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It will require, to complete the bridge and Road entire,
to Eufaula, including depot buildings and everything complete, not
exceeding $100,000.
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Respectfully submitted,
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Virgil Powers
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Engineer and Superintendent
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