Cheraw gazette and Pee Dee farmer. [volume] (Cheraw S.C.) 1838-1839, 1839-01-02

so material, that the Southern Rail Road
Companies expressed perfect willingness
to nke The mail for he $237 SO CTS. offer.
ed by the Department, fit were carried
by them in the day time.
The criterion Of compensation fixed on
by the Post Master General was the aver
aye cost Of transportation on the great mail
line wes'. That average he said was 500
per mile, 10 which adding 25 per cent.
made the 1927 so offered by him. The
Companies thought ir would be fairer to
take as criterion The cost Of mail trans.
porIation seven miles an hour, in the same
section Of country with The rail roads, in.
stead, oftnking as guide the pay in the
western country. But they SAID further,
that ilthe western lines were resortcd 10 as
guide, they thought that portion of it
should be looked 10 on which The expedi.
ton was greatest, and for which the com.
pensatiou was highest Between Freder.
ick and Cumberland, a distauce of ninety.
one miles, the compensation was 1921 per
mile, and if TO this were added the 25 per
cent. for the difference in speed between
seven and twelve miles, it would make 1851
mile per annum, instead Of $500, the
sum charged.
Besides the qucstio ion lis 10 the particular
rate Of compensation, there were o:her
questions in regard to the connections for
the travel. An important line of travel 10
the South, TO wit: That from Charleston
by way of Wilmington TO Gearysburg near
the Roanoke has not hitherto been a mail
! line. Gearysburg is the point at which
! the Portsmouth, iutersccts the Petersburg
road TO this point there are two competing
rou:es for the travel from Baltimore one
by the Bay STEAMBOATS, and Portsmouth road,
and the other through Washington, Freder-
icksburg, Richmond ard Petersburg. AS
it was important to the companies that the
travel should get from BAliimor. by this
route abou, as soon as by The other, and
the travel could GO no faster than the mali,
/: was deemed important lIIa, the mail
should not BE- detained at the post Offices on
this rou:e any longer than might be neces.
sary to assert. II was therefore asked that
the mail should moi be detained in Washing
ngton city more Than m hour and half
nor in FREDERICKSBURG or Richmond more
than half an hour, nor in Petersburg more
| than an hour. 1t was stated however that
if the department were 10 contract
with the Wilmington company tor a
ialy mail between Gearsburgh and Will
mington, any sltpulations IN regard to The
time of detentons might be dispensed With,
for in that case the Wilmington company
would have to connect with Ibis line for The
mail, and connecting with it for the mail,
would Of course connect with it for the lrav.
el.
| While the department objected to making
the s!ipulatons which were asked, it has in
fact, made contract with the Wilmington
Comp ny for daily mail from Gearys.
burg to Wilmington. and thus removed the
greatest obs acle in the way Of an arrange
ment. Since that contract the Rail Road
Companies have been wiling 10 refer the
mere question Of compensation for The mail
service to arbra,ors to say VIII .cr the
compensation should be $500 pr mile, or
$237 so, or an intermediate sum. Bu, be-
ing informed that the department would be
not willing to refer the question, aad the
great Inconvenience that the public would
sustain if deprived of the mail facilities that
the Rail Roads offered, being strongly
urged upon them, they have under the in
iluence Of this consideration agreed TO ac-
cept the sum Of S237 so offered by the de.
partment, provided the connections for the
travel can be preserved. On this subject,
he only difficulty now existing is between
Fredericksburg and Washington. In Sep.
enbcr last, a new stage and steamboat
company was formed, which purchased out
The properly of the former company a: val.
uation. This new company has at very
considerable expense put upon The line a
fine steamboat aaG new stages and has
contracted for an additional omnibus at
Washington, and made other arrangement
for having good line. This expense has
been encountered under an expectation of
connecting with The rail road for the travel,
and there are strong considerations otprop.
ricly to induce the company TO preserve
the connection with them.-ln this there
would be great awkardness, ifthe mail were
carried in coneection with different COM
pany. 1t appears, however, that while the
contracts between fredericksburg and the
Roanoke are kept open, that between
Washington and Fredericksburg has been
closed, and given TO two Individuals who
state It 10 be their purpose to establish a
new line. 1t is hoped that arrangements
may yet be made by which The present
stage and steamboat company may get
the contract for The mail between Freder.
sburg and Washington at the price which
the department formerly offered them.
Should this be done, the companies have