| From the Richmond Sentinel |
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| January 11, 1864 |
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| Water and Warmth for the Soldiers on Railroads |
| [From the Atlanta Register] |
| The Legislature of Mississippi has passed
a law requiring all conductors of railroads to keep water and lights
in every car, and fire when demanded, under a penalty for every
failure, of five hundred dollars, to be collected from the company
employing such conductors, one-fourth to go th the informer and
three-fourths to the State. |
| The above paragraph is clipped from an
exchange paper, and inserted here as the text of a brief article, the
substance of which should ????? Atlanta newspapers many months ago. |
| Now that our railroad trains are
constantly transporting wounded and sick soldiers, it is absolutely
necessary, to insure their comfort and convalescence, that the cars
should be lighted, well warmed, and furnished with an abundant supply
of water. In requiring that this shall be done by conductors on the
railroads in Mississippi, the Legislature of that State has done a
wise and most humane act. |
| It is to be regretted that a similar or
some other impelling force equally as imperative, is not in force on
the Western & Atlantic railroad -- leaving fire and lights out of
the question, as they do not come within the scope of our experience
on the road. |
| But water -- Why it is that no provision
whatever is made to supply the trains from Dalton to Atlanta with
water, thereby sparing the sick soldier the intense suffering he is
daily and nightly compelled to suffer from thirst. If he is unable to
fill his canteen when about to get on the train at Dalton, which is
nearly always the case, -- or if he is without a canteen, which
is very often the case, he must travel for a day or a night without a
drop of water, unless he is kindly supplied by some one more lucky
than himself, a thing that too rarely happens. |
| The managers of this road owe it to
themselves, to the State, and to humanity, to require, and to see that
the requirement is faithfully carried out, that every train engaged in
the transportation of soldiers should be constantly furnished with an
abundant supply of water. Trains on the other road of the State are
thus supplied, and it is not a little remarkable that the most
important of them all should furnish, so far as we are aware, the only
exception to the rule. |
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