| Chattanooga, October 4, 1861 |
| |
| In accordance with a call from
Wm. S. Ashe, Assistant Quartermaster General, a meeting of the
Representatives of the Southern Rail Roads was held this day at the
Crutchfield House, at which the following persons were present: |
|
Morris Emanuel, Vice President Southern (Miss.)
Rail Road |
|
R. L. Owen, President Virginia & Tennessee
Rail Road |
|
Thomas Rigby, Director Southern (Miss.) Rail
Road |
|
E. D. Frost, Superintendent Mississippi Central
Rail Road |
|
Sam Tate, President Memphis & Charleston
Rail Road |
|
J. W. Lewis, Superintendent Western &
Atlantic R. R. |
|
C. Wallace, President East Tennessee &
Georgia Rail Road |
|
L. J. Fleming, Superintendent Mobile & Ohio
Rail Road |
|
C. Wallace, President East Tennessee &
Virginia Rail Road |
|
|
|
| On motion of C. Wallace,
Morris Emanuel was called to the Chair, and L. J. Fleming appointed
Secretary. |
| Wm. S. Ashe, Assistant
Quartermaster General, explained the object of the Government in
calling the Convention to be, to request the assistance of the Rail
Roads in the Confederate States, in furnishing machinery to assist the
East Tennessee & Georgia Rail Road to transport the large amount
of Government freight now accumulated at Knoxville and Bristol, and to
adopt uniform rates for the transportation of Government freight over
the roads in the Confederate States. |
|
On motion, a committee consisting of Sam Tate, C.
Wallace, and L. J. Fleming, was appointed to prepare a through uniform
rate for the transportation of Government freight. This committee
presented the following |
|
Report |
|
The committee to whom was referred the subject of
Government freights and charges for the same, recommended that the
classification and rates be established as follows:
|
| 1st Class -- Percussion
Caps, Powder and fixed ammunition, 45 cents. per 100 lbs, per 100
miles. |
|
2d Class -- All the freights shipped for the
Government, except Live Stock, Hay, Bran, and the articles enumerated
in 1st class at 20 cts. per 100 lbs. per 100 miles. |
| 3d Class -- Live Stock,
per car load -- $20 per car per 100 miles. |
| 4th Class -- Hay and
Bran, per car load -- $15 per car per 100 miles. |
| For less than a car load of
Live Stock, the local rates of each road will be charged. |
| The labor and expense of
loading and unloading and the detention of the cars for the same being
as much for short as for long distances, less than 100 miles will be
charged as 100 miles. |
| The payments for Government
service will be received in the Treasury Notes or Bonds of the
Confederate States. |
| Sam Tate |
| C. Wallace |
| L. J. Fleming |
| |
| On motion of C. Wallace, Resolved,
That regular Rail Road through lists shall accompany each car load
or part of a car load of Government freight, omitting any assessment
of rate, and that it devolve upon each road to take its own receipt
separate and apart from the through list, for the delivery of freight
to a connecting road, to be used as a voucher in settlement with the
Government, and that each road collect its own earnings and make its
own settlement with the Government. |
| Messrs. Owen, President
Virginia & Tennessee, and Wallace, of the East Tennessee &
Georgia Rail Roads, gave notice that on and after Sunday* week they
will change the schedule to give more time on their roads. Mr. Owen
said that he should require 13 hours, and without a corresponding
change in the connecting lines the connections would be broken. |
| On motion, a committee,
consisting of Sam Tate, L. J. Fleming, and E. D. Frost, was appointed
to prepare a schedule. |
| Resolved, That the
prices for Government freight, as agreed upon by this Convention, go
into effect on and after the 15th of the present month. |
| Resolved, That the
Secretary be authorized and instructed to have the proceedings of this
Convention published, and furnish ten (10) copies to each of the
Southern Rail Roads. |
| Resolved, That the
Committee on Schedule be allowed until the 15th inst. to confer with
connecting roads not represented in this Convention and report to each
road in the interval, such schedules as may be agreed upon between
Richmond and New Orleans by that date. |
| On motion of Same Tate, Resolved,
That the thanks of the Convention be tendered to the Chairman and
Secretary. |
| M. Emanuel |
| Chairman |
| L. J. Fleming |
| Secretary |
| ----- |
| * They subsequently agreed to make no
change until the 1st of November. |
| {in pencil} |
| Pass 2 c per mile |