From the Savannah Republican |
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September 9, 1862 |
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Railroad Convention |
[From the Columbia South Carolinan, Sept.
4] |
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The Convention of Presidents and Superintendents of
Railroads in the Confederate States assembled in the City Hall,
yesterday morning, at 9 o'clock. |
The following roads were represented, having an aggregate
length of 3,528 miles of complete road: |
Alabama -- Montgomery & West Point Railroad -- Charles T.
Pollard, President; Daniel H. Cram, Superintendent. Alabama &
Florida Railroad -- Chas. T. Pollard, President; Samuel G. Jones,
Superintendent. Mobile & Girard Railroad -- B. E. Wells,
Superintendent, Mobile & Ohio Railroad -- L. J. Fleming,
Superintendent. |
Virginia -- Petersburg Railroad -- C. O. Sanford,
Superintendent. |
Florida -- Pensacola & Georgia Railroad -- E. Houstoun,
President. |
South Carolina -- South Carolina Railroad -- John
Caldwell, President; H. T. Peake, Superintendent. Charleston &
Savannah Railroad -- W. J. Magrath, President; D. D. Maseif, Vice
President. Greenville & Columbia Railroad -- Thos. C. Perrin,
President; E. F. Raworth, Superintendent. Charlotte & South Carolina
Railroad -- Wm. Johnston, President. Cheraw & Darlington Railroad --
Allan Macfarlan, President. Spartanburg & Union Railroad -- Thos. H.
Jeter, President. North-eastern Railroad -- S. S. Solomons,
Superintendent. |
North Carolina -- North Carolina Railroad -- Thos. Webb,
President; T. J. Sumner, Superintendent. Wilmington, Charlotte &
Rutherford Railroad -- H. W. Guyton, President. Wilmington &
Manchester Railroad -- Thos. D. Walker, President. Atlantic,
Tennessee & Ohio Railroad -- Wm. Johnston, President. Raleigh &
Gaston Railroad -- C. O. Sanford, as proxy. |
Georgia -- Georgia Central Railroad -- R. R. Cuyler,
President; Geo. W. Adams, Superintendent; J. M. Selkirk, Agent.
Southwestern Railroad -- R. R. Cuyler, President; Virgil Powers,
Superintendent. Muscogee Railroad -- J. L. Mustain; Wm. L. Clark,
Superintendent. Macon & Western Railroad -- Alfred L. Tyler,
Superintendent. Macon & Brunswick Railroad -- E. A. Cochrane,
President. Georgia Railroad -- George Yonge, Superintendent. Western
& Atlantic Railroad -- J. S. Rowland, Superintendent. |
The Convention was organized by the choice of Mr. John
Caldwell, as President, Messrs. Samuel C. Jones and Alfred L. Tyler
as Secretaries. |
Committees were appointed to report on transportation,
supplies and schedules. |
The Committee on Transportation made a report, which was
adopted, recommending that the transportation of troops, soldiers on
furlough and discharged soldiers, be two cents per mile on main
lines, and three cents on side lines. Commissioned officers on
furlough to pay full fare. On freight, the rate offered by
Government was adopted, viz: 1st class, 65 cents per 100 lbs. per
100 miles; 2d class, 20 cents; 3d class, $20 per car load; 4t class,
$15 per car load. If carried on passenger trains, the rate to be
increased 50 per cent. Each road to adopt and publish its own
regulations in relation to the carriage of dead bodies. |
The Committee on Supplies made a report, recommending
that two establishments for the rolling of rail road iron and the
manufacture of supplies be erected, one near the iron and coal
region of Alabama and the other upon Deep river in North Carolina.
The companies in South Carolina, North Carolina and Virginia to join
in the erection of the works on Deep river, and the companies in the
other States to join, as far as possible, in the erection of the
other. And as the Government has taken into its possession all the
coal, iron, brass, copper, tin, tools, &c., and also the mechanical
skill of the country, that application be made in the name of the
Convention to the Government, requesting that such articles may be
supplied at cost to any company that may truly need them. |
The following was adopted: |
That owing to difficulties and delays of settlements, for
the present, through tickets should not be sold on either direction
beyond Augusta, Savannah or Charleston; and it is recommended that
the through tickets be arranged on the basis of the local rates of
each road, and that a standing committee be appointed to prepare
such tickets as soon as the rates over all the lines can be
ascertained. |
The following resolutions were unanimously adopted: |
Resolved unanimously by this Convention, That our
best endeavors for the future, as in the past, shall be given to the
Confederate government in the transportation of the troops and
government property, and hereby respectfully request the President
of the Confederacy to issue an order, that officers of the
government shall not interfere with the loading or running of
trains, as our experience has been that such interference has
hithertofore resulted both in detriment to the government and to the
road. |
Resolved further, That Dr. Lewis, representing the
Government in this Convention, is requested to bring the above
resolution to the notice of President Davis and to solicit his
prompt action in the premises. |
Resolved, That in making schedules in future, time
shall be given, at suitable watering places, for soldiers and other
passengers to obtain water and that it shall be the duty of
conductors to have it announced to the passengers on all the trains,
upon arriving at those places, that the train will stop -- minutes
for the purpose of obtaining water. |
Resolved, That the rates reported and adopted this
day do g into operation on the 1st proximo. |
Resolutions of thanks to the City Council and to the
Chairman were adopted after which the Convention adjourned. |
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