| Annual Report of the Richmond &
Danville RR |
| as of October 1, 1863, |
| Superintendent's Report |
| |
| Superintendent's Report |
| |
| Superintendent's Office R. & D. R. R. |
| Richmond, December 7th, 1863 |
|
|
|
Lewis E. Harvie, Esq.
|
|
President
|
|
|
|
Sir,
|
|
I submit the following report of the operations of the road
for the fiscal year ending September 30th, 1863:
|
| Earnings
of the Road for the Year |
| Local passengers |
|
$354,293.27 |
|
| Through " |
|
70,041.03 |
424,334.30 |
| Outward local freight |
|
70,541.50 |
|
|
" connection " |
|
14,045.47 |
|
| Inward
local
" |
|
141,599.78 |
|
|
" connection " |
|
12,154.01 |
|
| Intermediate local " |
|
61,987.64 |
|
|
" connection " |
|
12,478.81 |
|
| Coal |
|
78,544.85 |
|
| Belle Isle |
|
2,174.82 |
393,526.88 |
| Express |
|
44,322.96 |
|
| Southern Express |
|
23,282.55 |
|
| Confederate States Mail |
|
13,902.52 |
81,508.03 |
| Confederate
States Transportation |
| Passengers |
|
161,602.91 |
|
| Freight |
|
160,579.61 |
322,182.52 |
| Transportation for the State of
Virginia |
|
|
1,380.80 |
| Earnings of Telegraph line |
|
|
10,028.90 |
|
Total Earnings |
|
$1,232,961.43 |
| Expenditures |
| Accounts registered from 1st Oct.,
1862 to September 30th, 1863 |
|
$993,643.26 |
|
| Deduct inventory October 1st, 1863 |
239,795.48 |
|
|
| Add inventory October 1st, 1862 |
74,458.52 |
165,336.96 |
|
|
|
828,306.30 |
|
| Deduct cost of work done for
Piedmont RR |
|
31,571.20 |
|
|
|
796,735.10 |
|
| Salaries |
|
10,539.05 |
|
| Taxes, insurance, &c. |
|
4,404.10 |
|
| Decrease in rolling stock |
|
9,316.82 |
|
| Working expenses for the year |
|
|
820,995.07 |
| Nett earnings |
|
|
411,966.36 |
| Working expenses 66-66
per cent. of gross receipts. |
|
|
| Nett earnings 33-40 per cent. of the gross receipts |
|
|
| Expenditures
for the Year |
| Salaries |
|
$10,539.05 |
|
| Taxes, insurance, &c. |
|
4,404.10 |
|
|
Maintenance of Roadway and Real Estate |
|
|
|
| Repairs of road |
179,062.98 |
|
|
|
" " bridges and culverts |
1,388.77 |
|
|
|
" " Wells
and water stations |
2,240.30 |
|
|
|
" "
Buildings |
18,582.25 |
201,274.30 |
|
|
Repairs of Machinery |
|
|
|
| Shop expenses |
50,198.78 |
|
|
| Repairs of engines |
50,185.59 |
|
|
| Repairs of passenger, mail and baggage
cars |
9,710.04 |
|
|
| Repairs of freight cars |
30,129.84 |
140,224.25 |
|
|
Operating |
|
|
|
| Oil and tallow |
74,705.00 |
|
|
| Cotton waste |
1,993.91 |
|
|
| Wood |
44,917.35 |
|
|
| Train expenses, including pay of
conductors, engineers, baggage masters, firemen, brakesmen,
cleaners and overhaulers |
98,122.55 |
|
|
| Depot expenses, including pay of
watchmen, agents, and their hands, and stationery, and other supplies for
depots |
96,060.40 |
|
|
| Advertising |
1,549.67 |
|
|
| Office expenses |
11,312.14 |
|
|
| Stock killed |
1,481.25 |
|
|
| Lost and damaged freight |
11,411.90 |
|
|
| Telegraph expenses |
9,346.96 |
|
|
| Coalfield incline plane |
4,178.64 |
|
|
| Miscellaneous expenses |
11,289.62 |
366,369.39 |
|
|
Construction |
|
|
|
| New buildings |
59,493.90 |
|
|
| New bridges and culverts |
44.00 |
|
|
| New passenger, mail and baggage cars |
4,704.89 |
|
|
|
New freight cars |
6,678.29 |
|
|
| New wells |
4,752.13 |
|
|
|
New machinery |
10,695.95 |
|
|
| Depot improvements |
632.28 |
|
|
|
Relaying track |
969.22 |
|
|
| New telegraph instruments |
916.50 |
88,867.16 |
|
|
Decrease in Rolling Stock |
|
|
|
| Cars destroyed, worn out,
or pulled to pieces during the year |
|
|
| Two first class passenger cars |
4,000.00 |
|
|
| One express car |
600.00 |
|
|
|
Sixteen box cars |
14,400.00 |
|
|
| One stone car |
400.00 |
|
|
| One coal car (wood) |
600.00 |
|
|
| One sand car |
400.00 |
|
|
| One boarding car |
300.00 |
20,700.00 |
|
|
New Cars Built During the Year |
|
|
|
| One first class passenger and one
baggage and mail car |
4,704.89 |
|
|
| Six flats |
6,678.29 |
11,383.18 |
|
|
Decrease in Rolling Stock |
|
|
9,316.82 |
|
|
|
|
$820,995.07 |
|
|
This year's exhibit shows an increase of $508,531.43 in
gross earnings, and of $479,761.23 in working expenses, the nett
earnings being but little in excess of those of last year, although
the total earnings have nearly doubled. This results from the fact
that while the cost of working the road, owing to the advance in price
of both material and labor, has increased 140.6 per cent. -- the
advance in the rates of charge for the year's business is only 70.2
per cent.
|
|
It will be observed that in working expenses is included
an item of $88,867.16 expended in new buildings, new machinery and
other improvements, and that if this amount is deducted from the
working expenses, they will be reduced to $732,127.91 or 59.4 per
cent. of the gross earnings.
|
|
Roadway
|
|
The condition of the roadway is unchanged with the
exception of the substitution of 5.29 miles of heavy rail, obtained
from the Government, for the flat bar between Chula and Amelia Court
House and the worn heavy rail immediately above Amelia Court House,
which reduces the total length of flat bar track on the main line of
the road to 36 1/2 miles, and gives a continuous heavy track from
Richmond to Junction, a distance of 53 1/2 miles.
|
|
The iron obtained from the Government is to be paid for
with the flat bar, for which it was substituted, and such other scrap
iron as the road can furnish (the deficiency, if there is any, being
met by a money payment) but the relative value of the T iron and the
scrap iron is not yet determined upon.
|
|
The sidings have been slightly reduced during the year,
and the total length is now 15.93 miles.
|
|
Sills sufficient to lay 16 miles, and stringers to lay
10.9 miles of track have been used in repairs during the year.
|
|
In addition to the 5.29 miles of iron obtained from the
Government on the terms stated above, 0.38 miles of bent heavy rail
was obtained in exchange for old heavy rail, and was straightened and
used in repairs of that portion of the 1st section which most needed
it.
|
|
The bridges and culverts are generally in good order, and
their repairs have cost $1,388.77 during the year.
|
|
Depots and Buildings
|
|
The depot and buildings have had extensive repairs and
additions during the year, and are most of them in good order, though
there is still work to be done to put them all in thorough repair.
|
|
The item of new buildings in the statement of working
expenses, includes the cost of completing the engine house, building
the machine shop, and such work as has been done towards the erection
of the carpenter shop at North Side; also the new foundry in
Manchester, and the saw mill buildings at Mossingford.
|
|
Work Shops
|
|
The Manchester shops have been greatly improved during
the year, not by the addition of the foundry alone, but by the
purchase of new tools, erection of boiler shed, oil vault, and several
convenient arrangements that tend greatly to facilitate the work of
repairs and construction -- and as most of this outlay, except that
for new foundry, has been included in shop expenses, this item this
year will be found to be very large.
|
|
The machine and blacksmith shops at North Side are nearly
completed, and have been in use for several months; but the iron
castings and carpenter's work at that point are still carried on in
temporary frame buildings.
|
|
Motive Power
|
|
The condition of engines on the 30th September, 1863,
will be found in table marked (G,) and from this it will be seen that
the present stock of engines is 21 in number.
|
|
Rolling Stock
|
|
The inventory taken October 1st, 1863, shows the
Company's stock of cars to be as follows:
|
| 11 |
first class passenger cars |
| 9 |
second class cars |
| 5 |
mail and baggage cars |
| 4 |
conductor's cars |
| 2 |
express cars |
| 1 |
wreck car |
| 164 |
eight-wheel box cars |
| 1 |
powder car |
| 57 |
eight-wheel flat cars |
| 26 |
four-wheel stone cars |
| 12 |
four-wheel wooden coal cars |
| 1 |
four-wheel wooden sand cars |
| 54 |
six-wheel iron coal cars |
| 15 |
four-wheel gravel cars |
| 8 |
eight-wheel boarding cars |
|
|
The number of cars destroyed and pulled to pieces, and
those built during the year, will be found in the detailed statement
of expenditures under the head of "Decrease in rolling
stock."
|
|
It will be understood that the assumed value of the cars
destroyed is exclusive of the iron work and such other parts as were
uninjured, and were used in the repair or construction of other cars.
|
|
Telegraph
|
|
The exhibit of the working of telegraph line is given in
tables marked (L) and (M) as follows:
|
| Gross earnings |
$10,028.30 |
| Expenditures of working |
$9,012.46 |
| Nett earnings |
$1,016.44 |
| Or 10.13 per cent. of the gross earnings,
and 12.5 per cent. of the total cost of the line |
|
|
Some additions to the line have been found necessary
which swell the total cost to $8,072.59.
|
| The gross earnings of the line since its
establishment, are |
$17,329.66 |
| And the working expenses |
16,135.88 |
| The nett earnings from the year's work is
therefore |
$1,193.78 |
|
|
It will be seen that the Company has again this year
realized a very fair profit in the working of their telegraph line,
and that if the present rate of annual nett earnings continues, they
will, in seven years be enabled to pay the entire cost of the line out
of the proceeds from working it. It is therefore hardly necessary to
repeat that the benefit to the Transportation Department of the road,
resulting from the use of the telegraph line, would be a full
compensation for the outlay incurred in its construction even if the
line produced no revenue.
|
|
Passenger Business
|
| Local passengers going West |
|
|
57,850 |
|
|
"
" coming East |
|
|
49,640 |
107,490 |
| Through passengers going West |
|
|
14,901 |
|
|
"
" coming East |
|
|
8,546 |
23,477 |
| Government passengers going West |
|
|
38,369 |
|
|
"
" coming East |
|
|
50,424 |
88,793 |
| Furlough passengers going West |
|
|
7,834 |
|
|
"
" coming East |
|
|
7,196 |
15,030 |
| Total |
|
|
|
234,790 |
|
|
|
1862 and '63 |
|
1861 and '62 |
1862 and '63 |
Increase |
Decrease |
| Local passengers |
103,393 |
122,520 |
19,127 |
|
| Through " |
28,905 |
23,477 |
|
5,428 |
| Government passengers |
93,963 |
88,793 |
|
5,170 |
|
226,261 |
234,790 |
19,127 |
10,598 |
| Nett increase |
|
|
8,529 |
|
| Total mileage of local passengers |
|
|
6,187,767 |
|
|
"
" of through passengers |
|
|
1,259,708 |
|
|
"
" of Government passengers |
|
|
4,874,242 |
|
|
"
" of
furlough
" |
|
|
1,142,842 |
|
|
"
" of all passengers |
|
|
13,374,559 |
|
| Average number of miles travelled by
local passengers |
57.57 |
|
"
"
"
through " |
53.61 |
|
"
"
"
Government passengers |
53.88 |
|
"
"
"
furlough
" |
76.04 |
|
"
"
"
all
" |
56.96 |
| Receipts from local passengers |
$354,293.27 |
|
|
"
" through " |
70,041.03 |
|
|
"
" Government passengers |
161,602.91 |
|
| Total
receipts for passengers |
$585,937.21 |
|
| Average receipts for carrying one
local passenger one mile |
|
5.73 |
| Average receipts for carrying one
through passenger one mile |
|
5.56 |
| Average receipts for carrying one
Government passenger one mile |
|
2.74 |
| Average receipts for carrying one
passenger one mile |
|
4.43 |
|
|
It will be observed that the receipts per passenger mile
from local travel, are less that that from through travel,
notwithstanding that the charge per mile is the same in each class,
and this is explained by the fact that there is no arrangement for
sale of through furlough, or half rate tickets, and that therefore all
receipts from furlough tickets are included in the local travel.
|
|
It is worthy of remark that the average receipts per
passenger per mile this year, owing to the low rates paid by the
Government, are not very much in excess of the average rates before
the war.
|
|
1861-2 |
1862-3 |
| Mileage for the year |
313,267 miles |
300,186 miles |
| Receipts per mile run |
$2.31 |
$4.11 |
| Expenses per mile run |
$1.08 |
$2.73 |
| Receipts per mile of road |
$5,156.08 |
$8,775.52 |
| Expenses per mile of road |
$2,428.71 |
$5,843.38 |
|
|
All of which is most respectfully submitted by
|
|
Your obedient servant
|
|
Chas. G. Talcott
|
|
Superintendent
|
|