The daily Madisonian. [volume] (Washington City [i.e. Washington, D.C.]) 1841-1845, 1843-11-02
saS6s ACKNOWLEDGMENT OF THE


/ ne JUN ult-, OWING to--urfuUS cMcut ~ U.s.
engine on The road Now, as the Postmaster
General has employed no less Than seventeen
steamboat and rail companies, with nobody
knows how many engineers and locomotives
| between Boston and New Orleans, is il no.
passing strange that, with all this power in hi
,ervice, single failure should ever happen
| True they result from great variety Of acci-
| lents, both by "a flood and hed;" but might he
not stipulate against cows lying on the track,
and against breaking axles and stove pipes
| But what is he 10 do with the minds ana
stOrnis2 For even the Astronomer in Rose
las was forced to admit that he could not con
| troll them? He could regulate the weather and
distribute the seasons. The sun itself listened
TO his dictates and passed from tropic to tropic
by his direction. II have restrained" said he,
% the raging Of the dog star, and miligated the
| iervors OF the crab. The YindS alone, of all
the elemental powers, have hitherto refused my
authority, and multludes have persisted by equi-
| noclaI tempests, which found myself unable
| TO prohibit or restrain" 1t has been suggested
| that the Postmaster General should appoint Mr..
| Espy as one Of his Assistants; but his discove-
ries extend only TO the power of prsgnosticd-
tion-nol prepention-of storms.
Between Weldon and Charleston, coming
and going, in the month Of October, the connec-
ton was broken eight tin,es-and tina, is bu
one route out Of seventeen on the line How
easy TO blame The Department for all these
failures. BY doing SO at once, all trouble VI in
| quiry is avoided, and that natural propensity is
| INDUCED, which leads US TO abuse SOMEBODY
has happened. In the meantime the Gauss Of
| failure have been satisfactorily proved to the
| Department TO have been caused by "ligh
| winds" and STEAMBOATS, running aground
The following list, obtained at the DEPART
ment, gives view of the causes of the last
| failure on each Of the routes where they nave
| occurred, on the main line between Boston and
New Orleans, in the month Of October
Ne,o Brunswick 10 Philadep ha-The mail failed to
connect at Philadelphia on the 9th October, o43,
caused by breaking one of the journals Of The beceen
| Trenton and Princeton.
.Nsio York TO Sonington, Conn.-The mail faied to
connect at New York with the Southern mail On the
Sound.
Baltimore to Philadelphia, Pa.-The mail faai to
connect at Philadelphia with route 1901 the27th
October, lS43; severe storm.
Same route failed at Baltimore on the goth Ccto-
Der cause, accident 70 the Engine on the railroad.
Petersburg, Va. to Wtlfon, NJ C.--The mail failed
to connect at Petersburg, Va with the Northern nail
the 9th October, 1s43 cause breaking steam, ppe
Weldon, NJ C. TO Charleston, S. C.-The mail hill
ed TO connect at Charleston S. C. with the Southern
mail on the 9th of October, 1913 cause, strong so-
eastern gale>
Columbus Ga. 10 Montgomery, .4la-The mail fai-
ed to connect at Montgomery Alabama, with tr
Southern mail, on 10th and 18th October lS43; 10
cause yet given.
Mobile TO Neio OleanS--The mail failed to conned
at New Orleans the 10Th October lS43; cause,
steamboat aground,
The mail coming North failed at Mobile, Alab,-
ma, on the Goth October, ls43; cause, steamboat
aground,
Now, it is very easy to reason, that the Post
master General ought to cut all connexion with
these companies, because they let cows lie on
the road, and the fogs rise and the winds blow
He might say 10 the Weldon and Charleston
Complny-why don't you get Capt stockton
to build you boat like the Princeton-prooi
against wind, tide, shot and shells-me that
nil go ahead all the time and they might an
swer-lst. Because Erickson himself could not
prope large sea boat over Cape Fedr riuer
baT-and, secondly, the travel and all your mail
pay would not indemnify the cost of building
and navigating such a boat. Il canno b, de-
med that there remains to him the alternative
TO take the mai from the rail roads and steam
boats and send them by stages as formerly, and
what mould be said Men2
After all, may it not be fairly presumed that
the strong motives which these companies all
have to conclate the public favor, is a sufficient
stimulus TO vigilance and activity, with which
the mere apprehension Of fines can bear no
comparison And yet they are fined whenever
there is semblance Of ground for it, and, as
they contend, sometimes when there is none
The same reasons which are here given
to show how many failures happen from causes
beyond the control not only Of the Postmaster
General, but Of all human power, apply with
more or less force to all the other mail routes
over the Union, on which the transportation in
the course of the year amounts to nearly
100000 miles
Instead, then, of vague and angry general
complaints, justice would seem to demand that
droidable failures should be specified, which
have been overlooked or excused by the negli-
gence or mistaken lenity of the Department
Let them be specified.