Republican vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1857, 1854-03-20
Col. Fontaine's Letter.
0FFlcE Va c. RAILROAD Co.,
Richmond, March. IA, 1884 {

I
Col. Fontaine's Letter.
0FFlcE Va C. RAILROAD CO..
Richmond, March. IA, 1854
S. B. Browa. Esq,-Dear Sir II imve just
received yenr letter OH the subject Of HE dissal-
isiactlon III your county,, relation 10 the .rease
of the tariff Of laes OIL our Road, Which has
recently been m de by III. commi,t,e apo .nted
IL revise thrn. Mol being one of that commit.
Tee, was mol appfised Of the several rates adop-
ted, until my attention has been called 10 the
published table, AMI caonot therefore fully ex
plaia The REASONS which operated Oh hem
This duty oi making a table oil rates is most
lahofious and perficxiag one, requiring ex-
actress IN multiplicity OF calculations, as YOU
know In the graduation of different points, a
slight ernr IN the starting poiat ohll lie I'D TO a
-er@nns mistake. il carried through The line, as
distance Wis aided, with an increasing ralio -
SeH3e objectionable results may have been pro
ducd III this way. ! arknowl ledge that some
t OF The rates seem 10 be high, aud perhaps they
higher than | would have fixed them but
justice requires that proper consideration OF all
the iac,s should be made. s.szz-1
The public do nol, ] am sure. desire the Rail.
road company 10 carry freight al "A loss land m
confien that il The Boald hni lhatlhe present
fitts will Yield them mure than II iair com pensa.
lIon, OF, III any aillcles fyed higher than NAV
te found proper, upon ialr experiment, thai
they MEL BE- gedueed. The public, everywhere
are apt 10 eia,nof about The rates. because they
are not .atVrn as 10 he expenses OF transport
,a!iea.
1t is gs'at error to suppose that the rates
CHARGED OF liaili oa in one section oil the eoull-
try should he sguifie fol a9olhes. Where asail
road i, owned mainly BY The merchants Of an,
ely, ari1ss Of feehl are often carried below
u 4
cial business Of the city made profitable and if
there be- a very gr at travel on The TOAD, the pro-
fits OF the Railroad male from that sou,ce -
The Baltimore an1 Ohio, and the Western road
Of Massao hus Its age instances oil this kind
Again--il ioad has very low grades, aud
the company had ample means 10 BULL il with a
substantial snpersiia.,uie, and 10 stock it with
powerful locomotives,'he rates ought to be much
lower en- such a road, than on one with steep
grades, and lad with IA strap rail, requiring the
use o. light engta-s. The Reaeitg Road Of Pa
transports coal and all other lreighis TO PlilaJe
phia at extremely low rates, because the grades
are either descending or level. An engine on
this roaI, can carry mole loaded airs TO Phia
d, lphia than ii can lake back empty. wago-
uer going TO market over a road So bad al all
times thai he cailnol fake more than 10 barrels
OF Fioui, cah,ul aifjrd To recs i've as low price
as one wha aoes to another market over level
macalamizei load, On which he can haul from
80 10 30 barrels.
The reassns nntcli ( am Informed governed
the committee IN Raising the la generally on
the road are, lha, some oil The former rates, es-
pecially Guano, Plaster aud other manures, were
below aciul cost, When the rates were fixed,
and they we're geprlally rather low lol oui par
tlcular circumstance; but, they were right,
then. when labor ani iroysioas were low, ana
also iron, steel, Se., Which enter so largely into
our expenses, nor that t,.ese items, and others,
Which constitute yearly The whole OF The exps-
sta Of transportation, have advanced enormously,
The Iai'roa comp ny would be C mpelled. as
the wason,rs, and The carriers Oh The canal have
.,een, 10 make SINE addition 10 their raies 10
preven; actual loss. ! understand that RallrGa s
generally are raising their rates, at the North and
,SuHh. The increase in the actual egpensee of
transportation made general increase tect ssi,i
to soma extent, aud The extraordinary expenses
Of working he Temporary track, ~ h lis grade
Of 900 feet the mile, surely will be resire, as
il good reason FIR charging something more tlan
would be il We were passing through The Iun-
mel " here the glad, are only 70 feet.
Is il really fact that WAGONS can haul to
Richmond al The present rates Of the Railroad
Company! tfso, they must be too lilsh.
had supposed that even a, rs eeuis, which Is
only temporary charge, that on your $4,000
10 100000 barrels of Aour, there could be an an
nual saving to your eounty, equal to the v hole
county subscription. A saving Of % cents tt
the barrel oh $4,000 would be $40 900.
have called Mr.. Gls allention to those
points ON which you desire information, aud he
will write 10 ,uu by next mail. | teier yoa To-
MIR CARROTS statement Of tho annual proii for
the last three years, under the old Ia.es, and
will only add, Ina, understand the rates OH the
west side Of the Blue Ridge being regulated
with reference to The expenses Of Working the
temporary track, experience may show that they
can be safely rejnced.
Very Respectfully Yours,
81 E. F0NTAlNE, Prest.
The Dividend Of 10 per cent, for which the
bonds OF the Company were issued OH the 10Th
October, S53, Was on account Of reit profits OF
the Company from Is, January, 1851, 10 Isl
October, 1853, being period Of two years and
nine mon.hs-and less iran per cent per an
nuul. } GARREFr, Trs.
Mr.. ellis Letter
RICHMOND, March Is, 1854.
DEAR SIR My attention having been called
to all article in The 'Vmdicator' signed Angus.
la desire 10 explain to you Why il is inserted
in the table Of rates VI The Virginia. Central