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{Found in the Richmond,
Fredericksburg & Potomac RR Board of Directors Minutes} |
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| Proceedings of Railroad Convention |
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| The Convention of Railroad Officers
convened on the 19th of December, 1861, with a view to determine the
best means for obtaining railroad supplies, re-assembled in Richmond
on the 5th February, 1862, according to appointment, and (Mr. Hawkins,
who had been elected Chairman of the previous meeting being absent,)
organized by electing Mr. Walter Goodman, President of the Mississippi
Central Railroad, Chairman, and appointing Mr. Charles G. Talcott,
Superintendent of the Richmond & Danville Railroad, Secretary. |
| On motion of Mr. Alexander Dudley, Mr.
Eppes was appointed doorkeeper. |
| The following Railroad Officers were
present: |
| Col. E. Fontaine |
President Virginia Central Railroad |
| Mr. H. D. Whitcomb |
Superintendent
do |
| Mr. Alex'r Dudley |
President Richmond & York River R. R. |
| Mr. Walter Goodman |
President Mississippi Central Railroad |
| Mr. Robert L. Owen |
President Virginia & Tennessee R. R. |
| Mr. W. T. Joynes |
President Petersburg R. R. |
| Mr. C. C. Sanford |
Superintendent do |
| Mr. Chas. Ellis |
President Richmond & Petersburg R. R. |
| Mr. Thos. H. Campbell |
President South Side Railroad |
| Mr. H. D. Bird |
Superintendent
do |
| Col. W. H. Ashe |
President Wilmington & Weldon R. R. |
| Mr. Peter V. Daniel, Jr. |
President Rich'd, Fred'g & Poto'c R. R. |
| Mr. Saml. Ruth |
Superintendent
do |
| Mr. P. B. Ruffin |
Treasurer North Carolina Railroad |
| Mr. J. McL. Turner |
Asst. Sup't Western North Carolina R. R. |
| Mr. H. W. Vandergrift |
President Orange & Alexandria R. R. |
| Mr. L. R. Harvie |
President Richmond & Danville R. R. |
| Mr. Char. G. Talcott |
Superintendent
do |
|
| The Chairman having announced the
Convention ready for business, Mr. Thos. H. Campbell moved that the
report of the committee, appointed at the previous meeting, be read to
the Convention and this motion being adopted, Col. E. Fontaine,
Chairman of the Committee, read to the meeting the report and its
accompanying resolutions. |
| On motion, it was decided to print the
resolutions proposed by the committee, and strict secrecy being
enjoined, the Secretary was entrusted with this duty, the Convention
adjourning over until the following day at 11 o'clock, A. M., to allow
time for printing. |
| |
| February 6th, 1862 |
| Convention met at 12 o'clock, when the
following additional members were present" |
| Mr. Humphreys |
President Memphis, Clarksville & Louisville R.
R. |
| Mr. Giddings |
President Washington County Railroad, Texas |
| Mr. A. R. Reading |
Of the Southern Mississippi Railroad |
| Col. Saml. Tate |
President Memphis & Charleston Railroad |
|
| The question before the meeting being the
adoption of the report of the committee, several amendments of the
resolutions were proposed and adopted, and after much discussion the
Convention adjourned until 5 o'clock, P. M. |
| At 6 o'clock, P. M., the Convention met
again, and the discussion of the committee resolutions was continued
until |
| On motion of Mr. Peter V. Daniel, it was
decided to appoint a committee of five to take up and consider the
various propositions before the meeting, and to prepare a series of
resolutions for adoption by the Convention. |
| Mr. W. Goodman, Mr. W. T. Joynes, Col.
Sam. Tate, Mr. R. L. Owen, and Mr. L. E. Harvie, were appointed on the
committee, and the Convention then adjourned over until 12 o'clock on
the following day. Mr. Thos. C. Perrin, President of the Greenville
& Columbia Railroad, was present in the afternoon. |
| |
| February 7th, 1862 |
| Convention met at 1 1/2 o'clock, P. M.,
and the report of the Committee being called for, it was read by Mr.
L. E. Harvie, Chairman, and after a slight modification, proposed by
Mr. Thos. C. Perrin, was unanimously adopted. |
| |
| Report of the Committee |
| Your committee, to whom was referred the
various subjects of manufacturing and importing railroad supplies,
have had the same under consideration, and beg leave to make the
following |
| Report. |
| It is recommended to the various Railroad
Companies in the Confederate States that they adopt the following
measures: |
| Firstly. Railroads to associate in several
localities, to establish rolling mills on their own capital, or to
encourage private establishments |
| Secondly. The roads of the Confederate
States to be divided into no less than four divisions. |
| Thirdly. The four divisions to be as
follows: |
| The 1st to consist of
roads West of Chattanooga and the Tombigbee river, and East of the
Mississippi river, and South of Kentucky. |
| The 2nd to consist of
roads South of Knoxville, East of the Tombigbee river, and West of the
Savannah river. |
| The 3d to consist of
roads East of the Savannah river, and South of Weldon. |
| The 4th to consist of
road in the State of Virginia, and those North of Weldon, in North
Carolina; also, the roads in East Tennessee, North of Knoxville. |
| Fourthly. Each division is to exercise
their own judgment as to taking contracts from the Government, and
receiving advances for the same. |
| In carrying out the above general
principles, the following measures are proposed: |
| 1st. From the extent and varied localities
of the whole system of Southern Railroads, it is deemed best to divide
them into four working divisions, and to locate a Central Rolling Mill
to each, with such other machine shops and foundries as the wants of
each division may require. |
| 2nd. The capital necessary to put them
into operation should be subscribed and paid by the several roads
belonging to said divisions, according to length of roads, or cost of
same, as each division may determine. |
| 3rd. The affairs of said rolling mill
should be managed by a Board of Directors, consisting of the
Presidents of each of the roads in interest, who should locate said
mill and workers to the best advantage of all the roads concerned,
taking into consideration the cost of transportation, the facilities
for procuring raw material, labor, &c. |
| 4th. Said Board should from time to time
fix the price of all old material delivered at said mill or shops, and
the transportation of the same, or new work over their several lines,
which should be as near as may be its actual cost of transportation. |
| 5th. The Board of Directors should, when
organized, select a competent man as General Superintendent, and such
other officers and agents as may be necessary to manage the affairs of
said works, and should prescribe such rules and regulations as they
deem just and equitable for the distribution of the work to the
various roads, and establish the price of the same, as well as the
mode and manner of payments. |
| 6th. The Board of Directors shall fix the
capital necessary to carry out the objects here contemplated, and the
manner of paying in the same. |
| 7th. Each road in interest, shall deliver
to said mill and shops all the old material it can spare, and receive
for the same a uniform price. |
| 8th. Said Board of Directors when
organized may elect a President and Executive Committee. The latter
shall be from among themselves, who shall be charged with the active
management of the affairs of the said association. |
| 9th. In the event the several roads
constituting either of the divisions herein contemplated should fail
or decline, to establish the rolling mills and machine shops proposed
in the foregoing part of this report, then the roads constituting said
divisions pledge themselves if necessary, to make advances to such
individuals or associations undertaking to establish the same, to the
following extent, and upon the basis hereafter stated. |
| First. With any person or association who
shall establish and put into operation within eight months of the 1st
of January, 1862, a manufactory of railroad supplies, and who shall be
approved by the majority of the Companies in any division, the
Companies composing such division will contract to purchase of them
annually during the present war, and for a term of three years from
the close of the war, such supplies as they shall manufacture, to the
extent of the requirements of the several Companies for repairs,
consumption or equipment for the period named, at a price not greater
during the continuance of the war than 50 per cent. upon the rates
current for articles of like quality on the 1st July, 1860, and after
the close of the war, an advance of not more than 30 per cent, upon
the actual cost of importation of similar articles, at the time of
purchase, exclusive of the import duties. |
| Secondly. In addition to making contracts,
as hereinbefore stated, the Companies also agree to make loans, at 6
per cent. interest, to individuals who may establish such
manufactories as the majority of the railroad Companies constituting
such division shall deem advantageous to the railroad interest of the
division, to the extent of not less than $50, nor more than $75 per
mile of each of said roads, for a term not to exceed three years; said
loan to be secured by individual securities, and mortgages on property
to the satisfaction of a majority of said roads. The amount to be
loaned to each individual or association to be determined by said
majority, and not to exceed in the aggregate the above limitation. |
| Thirdly. In the event of any State or
States constituting the divisions contemplated in this report,
granting the authority by legislative enactment to railroad Companies
to become stockholders in manufacturing Companies, then the committee
deem it advisable, and recommend that the stock be subscribed in lieu
of making the loans herein provided for. |
| Fourthly. In all cases where a
manufacturing Company shall receive or accept aid from the associated
roads, in money or contracts, to establish said manufactory, then said
Company shall give to roads granting such aid a preference of work,
and shall do their work at all times, in preference to that of other
persons or corporations. |
| 10th. That to maintain the supply to each
of our Companies of such articles as shall be necessary to them before
they can be manufactured here, and to procure the materials for
repairs and manufacture which cannot be procured in the Confederate
States, and are immediately needed, it is recommended to the several
division associations to make such arrangements for importation on
their account as they may respectively deem best. |
| 11th. The Presidents of the different
Companies herein represented, pledge themselves to call together at
the earliest possible day their different Boards of Directors, for
their action upon the foregoing resolutions, and in the event of their
adoptions, to call together a meeting of the different Companies
composing the divisions, to carry into effect the recommendations
herein contained. |
| All of which is respectfully submitted, |
| Lewis E. Harvie |
| Chairman |
| |
| Mr. Marshall, President of the Manassas
Gap Railroad, was present, in addition to those who had previously
taken part in the Convention. |
| On motion of Mr. Wm. T. Joynes, |
| Resolved, That the proceedings of
this Convention, in full, be printed in pamphlet form, under the
direction of the Secretary, and two copies sent to each Railroad
Company in the Southern Confederacy. |
| Resolved, That in the opinion of
this Convention, it is of great importance that the proceedings of
this Convention on the subject of importations, and any actions of separate
Companies or associations of Companies on the same subject, should be
kept secret. |
| Resolved, That the Secretary
furnish to the newspapers for publication, so much of the proceedings
as relate to manufactories, and that the same be described as "An
Extract from the proceedings." |
| |
| On motion of Major Wm. S. Ashe, |
| Resolved, That in the opinion of
this meeting, it is of great importance to the defence of the
Confederacy, that every facility should be extended to the development
of the mineral wealth of the Confederate States; and as a large
proportion of this wealth is now owned by alien enemies, an earnest
application be made to the Confederate Congress to pass a law
confiscating and selling the interests in the property so owned by
alien enemies in the various mines of minerals, which will enable
Southern operators to work the same. |
| |
| On motion of Col. E. Fontaine, |
| Resolved, That the thanks of the
Convention be tendered to the President and Secretary of this body,
for the satisfactory manner in which they have discharged their
duties. |
| Resolved, That the thanks of the
Convention be tendered to the Council of the City of Richmond for the
use of their Hall. |
| |
| On motion of Mr. Wm. T. Joynes, the
Convention adjourned sine die. |
| Walter Goodman |
| President |
| Chas. G. Talcott |
| Secretary |