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Memphis & Ohio Rail Road Company
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| Office of General Superintendent |
| Memphis, June 12th 1865 |
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| Jas. P. Wood, Esq |
| President |
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| Dear Sir, |
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Owing to the loss of some of the most important books
from my office & the short space of time since I have had
opportunity to examine the condition of things here, I cannot now give
you as full a report of the operations of the company since the last
annual meeting of the stock holders as I could wish.
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According to orders received from you I went south in June
1862 to look after & try to take care of the Rolling Stock &c
that was ordered to be removed from here by the Confederate Military
authorities, to wit eight Locomotive Engines ten Passenger Cars and
about seventy-five freight cars & most of the machinery from the
Shop & some patterns &c. I took them to Meridian Miss &
there put in temporary side tracks & to put the cars on keep them
from being used by anyone. I remained there with it until August 1863 in
the mean time having been compelled by the Confederate Military
authorities to lease to the Southern Rail Road six of our Engines for
use upon their road in running stores from Vicksburg & transporting
supplies to the army they soon all returned to me except Engines F.
Titus & D. B. Molloy which were kept in Vicksburg & surrendered
with the public stores to Genl Grant on July 4th 1863. In August 1863 I
removed all except 22 cars from Meridian to 44 miles north of Mobile {near
Deer Park Station on the Mobile & Ohio RR} where I also put
in temporary side tracks to place the cars on. In November finding that
the stock would be impressed for use upon any road that the Government
saw fit I leased to the roads having best facilities for taking care and
keeping in good order stock the largest portion of ours. To the Richmond
& Danville Rail Road I leased the Engines Cossitt at $20 per day and
Engine to be returned in as good order as when received when called for
by the Prest or Supt of this Company. I leased to the Charlotte &
South Carolina Rail Road at Columbia S. C. 2 Engines viz "Jas. P.
Wood" and "Geo. T. Taylor," 5 Best Passengers and 50
freight cars, at per miles on the freight cars which were @ $3.25 per
day for each car. All of this stock is to be kept in order & so
returned to the order of Supt when needed for use upon our road.
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I leased to the Ala & Tenn River Rail Road at Selma Ala
3 Engines viz. "A. Woodruff" "Genl Loving" &
"Thos Shephard, 2 Pass Cars & 12 freight cars at same terms as
to the other company.
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I leased to the Selma Iron Works some of the shop machinery
at annual interest on the estimated value.
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I leased to the Southern R. R. the large driving wheel
lathe, Iron Planer & drill to be delivered in Memphis when needed by
this Co. some 10 or 12 cars that were so rotten that I could not lease
them I left 22 cars at Meridian that were burned by Genl Sherman.
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I have the contracts for the use of the above stock, also
all orders &c.
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I tried to keep the Stock from being used at all and kept
it together as much as possible and when compelled to let it be used I
got it on roads that had facilities for taking care of it as much as
possible.
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The Conscript laws in force within the Confederate lines
did not allow me to have any one to assist me with the stock and being
alone could not do as much as I wished with the stock or take care of it
as I wished.
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I collected in the aggregate from use of stock &c as
near as I can ascertain until my books arrive about $50,000 which I
disbursed as follows
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| deposited with Ed Sebring Prest of State Bank of
South Carolina to pay ??? due on 10 per cent mortgage bonds that
are payable in Charleston and advertised for holders to present
the same about |
$32,500 |
| Paid off notes of D&RMRiker for building cars |
9,000 |
| street & hunger funds notes in Bk of Memphis |
2,000 |
| Expenses |
$6,500 |
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$50,000 |
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When forced to take the money I used it to pay off
liabilities of the company as far as possible.
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There is now large sums of money owing to us from the roads
now having the stock in use more than enough to put the stock back upon
the road except the freight cars and put it in as good order as when it
left here.
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The following list of Engines, cars & material was left
in the companys premises in Memphis
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| Engines & cars in disabled condition I
understand all was taken by the U. S. Government |
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{end of document in the archives. It was clearly
written by S. B. Jones, Superintendent.}
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