| From the Charleston Mercury |
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| September 8, 1862 |
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| The Railroad Convention |
| The Convention of Presidents and
Superintendents of Railroads in the Confederate States assembled at the
City Hall, Columbia, on Friday last, the 5th last: |
| The following roads were represented,
having an aggregate length of 3528 miles of completed road: |
| Alabama -- Montgomery & West Point
Railroad -- Chas. T. Pollard, President; Dan'l H. Cram, Superintendent.
Alabama & Florida Railroad -- Chas. T. Pollard, President; Samuel G.
Jones, Superintendent. Mobile & Girard Railroad -- B. E. Wells,
Superintendent. Mobile & Ohio Railroad -- L. J. Fleming, Superintendent. |
| Virginia -- Petersburg Railroad --
C. O. Sanford, Superintendent. |
| Florida -- Pensacola & Georgia
Railroad -- E. Houstoun, President. |
| South Carolina -- South Carolina
Railroad -- John Caldwell, President; H. T. Peake, Superintendent.
Charleston & Savannah Railroad -- W. J. Magrath, President; B. D.
Hassell, Vice-President. Greenville & Columbia Railroad -- Thos. C.
Perrin, President; E. F. Raworth, Superintendent. Charlotte & South
Carolina Railroad -- Wm. Johnston, President. Cheraw & Darlington
Railroad -- Allan Macfarlan, President. Spartanburg & Union Railroad --
Thos. B. Jeter, President. Northeastern Railroad -- S. S. Solomons,
Superintendent. |
| North Carolina -- North Carolina
Railroad -- Thos. Webb, President; T. J. Sumner, Superintendent.
Wilmington, Charlotte & Rutherford Railroad -- H. W. Guyon, President.
Wilmington & Manchester Railroad -- Thos. D. Walker, President.
Atlantic, Tennessee & Ohio Railroad -- Wm. Johnston, President. Raleigh
& Gaston Railroad -- C. O. Sanford, as proxy. |
| Georgia -- Georgia Central Railroad
-- R. R. Cuyler, President; Geo. W. Adams, Superintendent; J. M.
Selkirk, Agent. Southwestern Railroad -- R. R. Cuyler, President; Virgil
Powers, Superintendent. Muscogee Railroad -- J. L. Mustain, President;
Wm. L. Clark, Superintendent. Macon & Western Railroad -- Alfred L.
Tyler, Superintendent. Macon & Brunswick Railroad -- A. E. Cochran,
President. Georgia Railroad -- George Younge, Superintendent. Western &
Atlantic Railroad -- John S. Rowland, Superintendent. |
| The Convention was organized by the choice
of Mr. John Caldwell as President, and Messrs. Samuel G. Jones and
Alfred L. Tyler as Secretaries. |
| Committees were appointed to report on
transportation, supplies and schedules. |
| The Committee on Transportation made a
report which was adopted, recommending that the transportation of
troops, soldiers on furlough and discharged soldiers, be two cents per
mile on main lines, and three cents on side lines. Commissioned officers
on furlough to pay full fare. On freight, the rate offered by Government
was adopted, viz: 1st class, 65 cents per 100 lbs per 100 miles; 2d
class 20 cents, 3d class $20 per car load; 4th class $15 per car load.
If carried on passenger trains, the rate to be increased 50 per cent.
Each road to adopt and publish its own regulations in relation to the
carriage of dead bodies. |
| The Committee on Supplies mad a report
recommending that two establishments for the rolling of railroad iron
and the manufacture of supplies be erected, one near the iron and coal
region of Alabama, and the other upon Deep river, in North Carolina. The
companies in South Carolina, North Carolina and Virginia to join in the
erection of the works on Deep river, and the companies in the other
States to join as far as possible in the erection of the other. And as
the Government has taken into its possession all the coal, iron, brass,
copper, tin, tools, &c., and also the mechanical skill of the country,
that application be made in the name of this Convention to the
Government, requesting that such articles may be supplied at cost to any
Company that may truly need them. |
| The following was adopted: |
| That owing to difficulties and delays of
settlements, for the present, through tickets should not be sold on
either direction beyond Augusta, Savannah or Charleston; and it is
recommended that the through tickets be arranged on the basis of the
local rates of each road, and that a standing Committee be appointed to
prepare such tickets as soon as the rates over all the lines can be
ascertained. |
| The following resolutions were unanimously
adopted: |
| Resolved unanimously by this
Convention, That our best endeavors for the future, as in the past,
shall be given to the Confederate Government in the transportation of
the troops and Government property. And hereby respectfully request the
President of the Confederacy to issue an order, that officers of the
Government shall not interfere with the loading or running of trains, as
our experience has been that such interference has heretofore resulted
both in detriment to the Government and to the road. |
| Resolved further, That Dr. Lewis,
representing the Government in this Convention, is requested to bring
the above resolution to the notice of President Davis, and to solicit
his prompt action in the premises. |
| Resolved, That in making schedules
in future, time shall be given, at suitable watering places, for
soldiers and other passengers to obtain water, and that it shall be the
duty of conductors to have it announced to the passengers on all the
trains, upon arriving at those places, that the train will stop ---
minutes for the purpose of obtaining water. |
| Resolved, That the rates reported
and adopted this day do go into operation on the 1st proximo. |
| Resolutions of thanks to the City Council
and to the Chairman were adopted, after which the Convention adjourned. |
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