| From the Carolina Watchman (Salisbury, N. C.) |
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| January 27, 1862 |
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| The North Carolina Railroad |
| This institution and its mismanagement
continues to be the subject of universal complaint. Freight crowds the
depots, rotting, wasting and depreciating in value from month to
month, a frightful loss to the owners, and no relief nor signs of
relief are seen. The accustomed channels of other freight are
diverted, seeking markets by routes hitherto unknown, and still the
managers of the North Carolina Railroad remain as imperturbable as the
sleepers on the Road over which they preside. Perhaps President
Cameron has mistaken his case, supposing it to be the common fate of
public functionaries, and that in point of fact, being most abused of
any, he is the most brilliant martyr of the age, and has deliberately
resolved to give the world a glorious example of patient endurance
under wrong. It is a pleasing delusion, if delusion at all; and before
reaching the extremity of martyrdom, we would respectfully urge him to
make a flying trip to the Western terminus of his Road, calling in at
all the Stations, and taking a glance at the huge piles of produce and
other merchandize which crowd the buildings awaiting shipment. Much of
the goods thus to be seen has been wait5ing for months. Much has been
wasted, in one way or another, and heavy losses have been sustained by
such waste. Let him come to Salisbury, and look at our depot; go to
Concord and Charlotte and look at those points. |
| We have been informed that the Charleston
road has recently refused to carry freight from Columbia to Charlotte
if it had pass over the North Carolina Road, on the ground that the
latter could not or would not transport it, and there was no more room
in the depot at Charlotte to store it, and they had no more cars to
spare as storage boxes for the convenience of President Cameron's
road. Mr. Haynes, of this vicinity, having purchased a lot of hides at
Charleston, found no difficulty to get them up to Columbia. But there
he was informed they could go no further unless he could make
arrangements at Charlotte to take them off. He came to Charlotte, and
finding no other possible means of getting them through, made
arrangements to have them received at the depot of the Charlotte and
Statesville Railroad Company, and thence shipped to Centre, in Iredell
county, thence to be wagoned to Salisbury, a distance of 25 miles. And
just here let us advise the President of the fact that thousands of
dollars of freight from the Western N. C. Road has been lost to his
road by the detention of goods at Salisbury. Produce is now carried
from Newton, Statesville and other points along the Western across the
country by wagons, either to the Charlotte and Statesville or
Charlotte and Rutherford Roads, and thence through Charlotte South.
The freight cars of the Western Road are consequently, idle, and that
Company is sustaining a ruinous loss in this way. It is equal to a
Yankee blockade so far as freights are concerned. And what makes the
matter worse for Mr. Cameron, he don't ??? to be a ??? the subject. He
knows it all, on ??? ???? excellent opportunity offered him to relieve
the depots in Salisbury, Concord and Charlotte, and has neglected to
improve it. The President of the Western N. C. Railroad Company,
seeing the ruinous effect of the stoppage of freight at Salisbury, on
the business of his Road, proposed to President Cameron to send
engines and cars to his relief, and transport the accumulated freights
at and between Salisbury and Charlotte, and pay him half the receipts
for the privilege of running over his road. It was objected to, on the
ground that the trains would come in collision. But the President of
the Western Road replied that Mr. Cameron might fix his schedule to
suit himself, and the Western trains would run in reference to it, let
it be as it might. And still nothing has been done. The public are
still wearied and wronged; like the dog in the manger that would not
eat himself nor let others eat, the President will neither relieve the
public nor let others do it. He is stopped from saying that he has
insufficient engines and cars, for the present urgent demands on his
road, so far as Charlotte and Salisbury are concerned; and if we are
correctly informed, he is without excuse at the Eastern end, a similar
proposition to that by President Powell having been made him there. |
| And yet, after all the complaints we have
heard; even after seeing wagons loading at Salisbury for Charlotte,
and the wagon boy cracking his whip over his team and slowly wending
his way through the mud and over the hills at the rate of one and a
half miles an hour, for that destination, we confess ourselves
incredulous that President Cameron would allow this state of things to
exist if he could prevent it. But why can't he prevent it? There is no
one here capable of rendering an excuse for him, or if capable,
willing to do it. He therefore, stands before this community as the
author of many losses and any amount of vexation and trouble sustained
by its citizens, and will be held responsible for them until we shall
have rendered a satisfactory account for the wretchedly inefficient
use made of the public property entrusted to his management for the
public good. |
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