| Report of a Called Meeting of the Richmond &
Petersburg RR |
| on July 28, 1865, |
| President's Report |
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| Annual Report |
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| The President and Directors
meet the Stockholders at the present called meeting, under
circumstances which require a fuller explanation than usual of the
condition and prospects of the Company. |
| At the time of the evacuation
of this City, by the army of General Lee, in order to prevent pursuit,
all three of the bridges across James river were burned; very soon
after fire was applied to our long bridge, it communicated to a
laboratory near the work-shops, this laboratory was stored with fixed
ammunition, the explosion of which drove away the officers and
employees of the Company, resulting in the loss of much valuable
property that might otherwise have been saved. The Treasurer made
earnest efforts to secure the books and records, but was wounded in
the attempt and compelled to desist; they were consequently all burnt
with the depot and work-shops; the sheds on the north side of Byrd
street, under which were several passenger cars, were saved, as was
all our rolling stock, except the yard engine, "Tecumseh,"
the wood work of which was injured; it is now being repaired. |
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*****
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The roadway is in better condition than could have been
expected, after such long and severe usage. Pocahontas depot, an old and
dilapidated building, has been stripped of its flooring and sides, but
the car shed covered with iron, has not been seriously injured. The
branch road, leading to Port Walthall, after the evacuation of Norfolk,
was disused; during the progress of the war, the difficulty of procuring
iron compelled us to remove most of the track to maintain the main line;
it will, therefore, now have to be relaid.
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The most important work to be executed, in the
restoration of the Company's property, is the re-building of the James
River bridge, 2,858 feet in length; *****
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No copy of the annual proceedings of the Stockholders,
for the year 1860, has yet been obtained; we can, therefore, only
compare the present financial condition of the Company, with the year
1859. By reference to that year and the year 1864, it will be
perceived that the funded debt of the Company has been diminished
$80,964.08; in addition, the Company has acquired ninety shares of its
own stock; furthermore, in order to exhibit its state more completely,
it is useful to recall that within the period referred to, purchases
of real estate in this city, Chesterfield and the city of Petersburg,
have been made to the amount of about $33,000; making a diminution of
indebtedness in bonds and stock of $89,964.08, and an increase in land
purchased of $33,000 -- or an improvement in the financial condition
of the Company of $122,964.08.
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*****
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Signed on behalf of the Board.
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Charles Ellis
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President
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