| From the Raleigh Standard |
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| July 2, 1862 |
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| Our Rail Roads |
| The publication of the Directors of the
several Railroads of the State recently appointed by Gov. Clark,
suggests some ideas in regard to the management of two of our
Railroads, which may not be inappropriate at this time. |
| Raleigh & Gaston Rail Road |
| We doubt if there be a Railroad in the
Southern Confederacy managed better, if so well, as the Raleigh &
Gaston Railroad. Ever since the reorganization and refitting of that
Road, no matter who has been President, it has been splendidly
managed. Even when our quondam friend, Gaston H. Wilder was
President, whom every body knows is rather a slow coach, it was
well-managed. Gen. Branch did admirably as a Railroad President -- far
better than he has ever done or ever will do, as a Brig. General. Dr.
Hawkins' energy and promptness, however, rank him with the first
Railroad Presidents of the Confederacy; and no Road has a better
superintendent than Mr. P. A. Dunn. |
| The great secret of the success of this
Road, however, does not lie so much in the ability of its Presidents,
as in the wise policy adopted years ago, and rigidly adhered to, to
employ none but the most fit men as chiefs or subordinates of
the several departments. Its employees must be sober, industrious,
reliable and competent men, or they are discharged. The
amount of wages demanded by each, has not been the sine qua non
with the managers, but the question is, are they worth what they
demand? The success of the Road is, therefore, to be attributed
more to the efficiency and thorough competency of the Johnsons, the
Vasses, the Allens, the Hortons, the Lipscombs, the Pooles and others
employed on it, than to any other one fact. Many of them have been on
the Road from the beginning -- they are as much interested in its
success as if it belonged to them. It scarcely ever loses a mail, a
box or barrel, and a serious accident has never occurred on the Road.
We learn that every engineer at Present was raised an apprentice on
the Road. Promptness, safety, and the spirit of accommodation
characterize its operations, and the Road is coining money. |
| North Carolina (Central) Railroad |
| We wish we could say as much for the North
Carolina (Central) Railroad. The State and the people are more
interested pecuniarily in this Road than all the rest. Its eminent
success is a matter of State pride as well as of State interest. It
has had good Presidents. The lamented Fisher did much to make the Road
an efficient and successful one, but it has always had some drawbacks,
from some cause. It is, moreover, a long Road, and it is a Herculean
task to manage it and keep every screw tight and in the right place.
Mr. Webb, the present President, is a sensible, energetic young man,
and he is doing his utmost to make it what it should be. Besides, the
Road when he took it was in a bad condition -- nearly run down and
time is required to work it up. |
| But there is manifest incompetency or
dereliction somewhere. Complaints against the Road are becoming too
common. Collisions, running off, loss of mail, dreadful accidents,
enormous losses of freight, trunks, baggage of all kinds, and failures
as to time are constantly occurring. On the other end of the Road,
some one is always grumbling. |
| We do not know that any one is to blame
for the inefficiency of the Road. But it is certain that something
must be done to produce a change in its affairs. It ought to have been
the most prosperous Road in the country for the last twelve months,
and we learn that the losses have been so great that it is doubtful
whether much has been made. We hope far otherwise. |
| We fear the secret of its poor success
lies mainly in the too frequent changes made in the chiefs and
subordinates of the several departments. A penny-wise and pound
foolish police has been practiced too much, we fear. The price of
wages and not the character and fitness of the employees, has been
weighed too much, perhaps. Why is it that Capt. Allen, one of the best
Road-masters in the land, was not kept on the Road? Were he at his
post, there -- and he is at home on a Railroad -- things would work
better. Capt. A. is no friend of the Standard, but we will do
him or any other man justice. We throw out these hints for the
consideration of the stockholders who are to meet soon. We repeat it,
something must be done to make this great interest of the State what
it should be. |
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