Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1838-10-30
nos as IoCoMoTlYEs IN TnE clTY.


me President informed the Board that petition aao
lately been presented TO the Common Council, rom
some Of the citizens Of Richmond praying that inc use
Of locomotive engines be prohibited upon Inc suees
Of The CITY, and that resolution had been .ePo'eot
the Co,,mon Council, by lis committee, ascia.Me y
expedient and proper to make sueh P loniu''o
Sberrp,n X. solred, That acommittee DC appointed
Ia ey,,ui,s into the rights of this company and consi-
,irr what course it becomes the company 10 pursue
touching the subject. And committee was accord
;oqIy APPOINTED Of the President and MIR. Mills.
Monday, October 22d, 1888.
The following lie port was received:
The comnl:tee 10 whom was referred petition OF
anne Of the citizens of Richmond, praying the Common
Council TO prohibit the of locomotive engines upon
the streets of the city, and resolution reported to the
Common Council By its committee declaring II exPedi'
,pt and proper to make such prohibition by ordinance
with instructions 10 examine into the rig hts OF this
pany and consider what il becomes the company
pursue, touching the subject have performed the duty
assigned them, and respectfully submit the following
REPORT:
The railroad from the Roanoke to Petersburg had
been pleed and locomotives used upon IL TOT inc
purpose of transportation al the time OF the passage OF
the Incorporating this company Their was con-
icmpa,sd upon this railroad, and the General Assem-
bly, gave es foil power 10 them as haa oeeh gwen
10 The Petersburg Railroad Company line a1h section
of the charter uses this broad language Inc rtes''
dent and Directors, majority OF them, snail nave
mower 10 purchase with the funds OF the company, and
place on the railroad constructed by them under this
act oil machines wagons, vehicles carriages ana leans
OF sry description whatsoever, which they may deem
proper for the purposes OF transportation
Undoubtedly by this clause the power was given The
President and Directors if they deemed 1t necessary
or proper for the purposes Of transportation TO place To-
cornotives on the railroad constructed under the act
By the first section Of the act it was PROVIDED mat
the railroad should be made from come point within the
corporation of Richmond TO be approved by the Com,
mon Council 10 some point within the corporation OF
Fredericksburg If instead of leaving the point within
the corporation to be approved by the Common ounc
the General Assembly bad itself fixed the point, and
provided that the railroad should be made from that
nf ~ ckekt
and Directors place the railroad all machines which
they deem necessary o. proper Tor the purposes OF
transportation 1t is perfectly clear mat IN such case
the President and Directors Sht have had The trans
roriaon done by locomotives from the designated point
to Fredericksburg. And when the General Assembly,
instead OF Itself fixing the point leaves the point 10 be
approved by the Common Council, then so soon as
partic u,ar point ia approved the effect is exactly the
if that particular point had been liked IN the
act itself The railroad necessarily from the point SO
approved, and the President and Directors have the
clear power Of transporting from TO Fredericksburg
by locomotives.
Such is the state of the in regard the power Of
this company to transport by locomotives from the depot
CHI Il street.
At meeting Of the President and Directors the
22d Of December 1884, preamble and resolutions were
adopted, by which, after recitng that by the act ncor
psratng this company it requisite that the point al
which the railroad was TO terminate within the corpo.
pora.ion Of Richmond, should be approved by the Com
mon Council it was set forth that 1t appeared to the
hoard moot expedent TO conduct the from the Rich
nond Turnpike along street, to point at or the
intersection Of the said street and 9Th street, and for the
present 10 terminate the Same by suitable connections
with the contemplated warehouses and workshops Of
the company lots No. Az and I7S-and the appro.
baton Of the Common Council requested 10 this
plan. The point within the corporation proposed by
the board, approved by tbs Common Council-and
the Common Council accordingly adopted resolution
spproving the location Of the railroad and the termna
ton of the same described in tho resolution OF the
board and authorizing the prosecution of the work with
Limits If hat Tor
solution had been adopted, the company, having clear
right to do SO, made its railroad from the point within
the corporation OF Richmond approved by the Common
Counc and erected extensive depot at that point
Shortly before the railroad opened for ansporta
ton, meeting held by some of the residents
Shockoe Hill at which resolutions adopted declar
ing as the opinion of the meeting, that the Railroad Com
pany shonld not he permitted 10 use locomotive power
for propeliirg their cars within the cy-GeC.cng fur
ther, that the Railroad Company should be required to
90. scc ~ good order, free and easy
and passing at all points from the side Of
the other, and appointing a committee to wait on the
Common Council, and communicate 10 them these re-
solutions with request that they adopt proper and e
}ectual measures for their execution These resolutions
being submitted to the Common Council, referred
TO the Street Commissioners, with iDstructions-ls To
ascertain what injury had been done to street by
son of the laying down railroad on the sreet-and if
there DO any injury, 10 report its extent its character
and the remedy therefor; 2dly. To confer with The Pre-
sdent and Directors Of the Railroad Company, for the
purpose eft ascer,anng what to be their future plans
road street, and TO report 10 the Hall what injury
would probably result TO the citizens resident and
ing property sad street by the execution Of the plans
anG operations Of the company.This resolution Of the
Common Council laid before the board the 18th
of February, 1896, the day which the business of
transportation was commenced and in reply thereto the
President and Directors made the following eommunica
ton:
"fhe railroad having been made along street from
point approved by the Common Council the President
and Directors under power given by the act of incopo
ration, have purchased and placed the railroad To-
conceive engine and other machines proper for the pur
poses CT transportation Their plan, far the
relates 20 the travel said road street, have
the cars drawn by locomotive 1t has occurred 10 them
that 1t might no, be prudent for The locomotive to go
fast within the corporation it will after leaving the
city-and accordingly they have adopted a resolution
directing their engineer not to suffer the locomotive,
while in the city, proceed at rate exceeding three
miles per hour.
"1he Presden. :au Directors are unable to perceive
ue, sny injury will result TO the citizens resident and
owning property on street from The execution the
plan Of the company. Their road upies about five
feet in the centre Of STREE is feet wide and there is
OF course, '.::y large space each side between
the :.road and side walk. If the street each side
it is intended to answer, the President and Directors
have supposed that nothing else could be desired
cept facilities for crossing the railroad at convenient
points. Their engineer has been proceeding 10 make
crossings opposite the streets, which have been
opened along II street, and i, is believed, that at these
places the street will be in much better condition than
it before the railroad made But the Presi-
dent and Directors perfectly willing that their fell
low citizens street should have Increased facili
ties for crossing the railroad provided they do seek
to make the railroad common highway. 1t lis very oh
vious, that IN street which 10 unpaved and extremely
muddy if the track Of the railroad constructed
10 admit Of carts crossing a. oil points, the road
would be apt to be used by going up and down. in
preference 10 keeping the street ITSELF which would
be an interference with the rights Of the railroad
Pany, injurious to their road and be productive of dan
ger. While would be Objectionable in these respects,
to make the railroad passable at all points, il is thought
that every facility which at all desirable for crossing
tbe rood be 8nrded nv of addition,