Martinsburg gazette. [volume] (Martinsburg, Va. [W. Va.]) 1833-1855, 1835-03-26

N Al 40 such necessity, nor even she semp'snSe
~ such necessity, even for moment exisseo.
1rhe mail from baltimore did, il seems by ne
schednle arrive at Chambcrsburg at o'clock =. |
M Holm Findlay, (doc. no. "a the Postmaster
=, rhambersburg tesifies that the fast mail from
when il FIRST ran, came there about
10 o'clock, p. M. il was then changed ana ar
rived from to in the morning. Inc earhess
ho.r Of its arrival was, therefore, one hour ~
ter than the Baltimore mail before the supposed
order for the increased expedition 50 that no
change YVES first necessary in order 10 connec.
with the rapid line and indeed, aiier : shoI'
time though the precise date g not ~ tne Posl
.ession az the committee, the Philadelphia mar
ala moi arrive at Chamborsburg until or ~
hours after the required arrival Of the ba.ino.a |
mail IA by the original contract. Ihero ~aa ~
reason, therefore, for paying iargs eA.'a
crease of speed. Rccs,de, IN ms tcs'ilhohy ~
fore the com,aittec, on the zls. =. 1. made
out very different case from that wnicn ~ maae
hv the files Of the department. Instead OF START
~, fron, baltimore at the same hour, and so ex-
,sssa;,;n1 as 70 arrive at Chambcrsburg al +. nj
as il there represented, he says:.
!. we were ordered, instead Of leaving Balti-
xoo,c a, 3 in The morning, to hold back until 2 in
The evening, which made an increase OF four hours
our arrivals at Chambersburg continuing nearly
ths same. The reason why we kept back till
o'clock was, that we might form q connexion
with the Washington city line, by means Oh
which the mail from that city 10 Pttsourg gam
ed one day"
So that Reside, In his testimony, reverscs the
order entirely By the order Of the department,
IL in truth any ever issued, he was to leave BAL
timorc at the usual time, and arrive SIX hours
earlier at Chambcrsburg, to perfect connchion
with the rapid line from Philadelphia TO Pitts
burg Reeside swcars he was TO remain four
hours later at Baltimore, for the purpose oil Tor.
ming conncxion with the Washington city mail
and that he was so 10 expedite as 20 arrive nt
Chambcrsburg at the usual hour. But TINS ~ al
-. .lann M nrr ~
dition appears to have been made in any way or
manner upon that line (doc's. no. rs, II, Oh, I'D
From the evidence it appears that the time oil
departure Of that mail from Baltimore was very
irregular during the first six months OF the year
1882 In the latter par. Of July or the beginning
OF August, it became regular, leaving Baltimore
at o'clock, A. NJ, and it has continued TO set
out about the same hour since that time. But in
stead Of arriving at Chambcrsburg at +. M as
is said in the papers filed in the department, or
at TOP. M. as stated by Reeside in his testimony
its average hour Of arrival has been from III to
IL o'clock at night, making in fact the same
speed as per original contract, that IS, through
in is to II hours. John Findlay the Postmaster
mt Chambcrsbneg says; 81 am not certain as to
the arrivals in 1892 but from the first Of 1888, it
has averaged IL at night, or over, sometimes be-
FORE often later, at 9. and again as late as q
And Thomas Lindsay who was sub contractor
on this line at the time Of this alleged increase OF
expedition, testified before the committee that
Thus il appears that the reason which was as
sumed for increasing the expedition on this line
did not exist, and that in fact the expedition was
not increased; nevertheless James Reside has
received Of the funds Of the department from the
lst of January, 1882. TO the lst OF April, 1884,
S3,53575 for that assumed increase OF expcdi-
ton.
The above route is noticed in the report Of
your committee of the 9th Of June t(pp. l2) as
one in which the additional service was not
worth its cost to the public. But there was, in
fact, no additional service rendered by the con-
tractor, and your committee was led into the err
ror Of surprising that there was some actual in
crease OF expedition on that line. and by the tes-
timony of James Reside, above referred TO. A
strict examination into the true circumstances OF
the case, have enabled them to correct that err
ror.
Route from Philadelphia to Pittsbwg.
The route from Philadelphia to Pittsburg was,
in 1927, let out in three divisions. The first
from Philadelphia TO Harrisburg, the second TO
Chambersburg, and the third TO Pittsburg, the
wohlc distance to be run in about sixty hours,
exclusive Of the time that the mail was detained
at the towns Of Harrisburg and Chan,bcrsburg. -
But in consequence Of an imperfect connexion o
the lines at these two places, there was about
three days and ten hours spent on the way. In
the early part Of the year 1891 the western stage
company, who at that time had the contract ofthc
whole route from Philadelphia 10 Pttsbnrg, put
on second line of coaches and carried in il the
mail from city TO city, which was opened on the
way only at Chambersburg and by carrying the
heavy mail in lhe old line, the new one perform
ed the whole 4 dance in about sixty hours from
city 20 city. This establishment of second
line Of coaches, the separation of the mail, so as
10 carry the principal mail in one coach and the
way all in another, as also the increased speed
Of the time Of the coaches carrying the principal
mail, was the act Of the stage company alone,
aud done for their own benefit II was an ar
rangement made by men acute TO discover fheii
own interest, and prompt to seize upon every
occasion 10 advance it. il was probably render
Ell necessary by the competition for passengers
which existed between them and tho company
established on the national road from Baltimore
and Wheeling, who have stage line parallel 10
theirs, and nearly equal in its advantages that
travellers would generally be determined in
their choice of routes by the expedition and ac-
comod alton afforded on the respective lines. The
manner in which this line from Philadelphia to
Pittsburg has been run since the LIST of April,
1881, is shown by the testimony Of VIM. Thomp-
son, the agent for the stage company at Cham
bersburg. He says, (doc. no 49,
" There was but one daily mail from LIST of
January to the LIST of April, 1881: then there
was an additional daily line called the Good In
tent, which continues 10 the present time. From
the LIST of April, 1891, the average was about 60
hours from Philadelphia to Piitsburg, for the
fast line; the slow line most of the time takes
three days and half, carrying the way mail !;
there has been no permanent alteration OF the
expedition Of the fast line since 1881, April |.
Sometimes il ran through in less time than
others"
Preparatory to The lettings in October 1881,
after the mail had been carried for about six
months precisely in the manner that il was af-
forwards thought fit 10 carry il. and in which il
is now carried, we find 1t advertised to run thro'
on that route in three days and nine hours, in
stead of two days and about twelve hours, as il
was running at the time the advertisement was
made. Thus the actual time that was allowed by
that advertisement for the mail TO go from Phil.
adelpha to Pittsburg was but about one hour
less than the speed allowed in 1927. But the
speed required by that CT 1881, was by no means
equal TO that which was required in 1927, for il
will be observed that the mail was DELAYED at
Harrisburg six hours, and at Chambersburg II
hours, making delay by the way of II hours
so that the mail in fact advertised in 1881 TO
be carried more slowly on this route, il we de-
Cxha.., -. 81.