Spirit of the age. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1849-1865, 1857-04-01
@8sG. s.
- lhe sniril Of Ihe Age.
To IPu. WhOleval- ESQ. R,ss IL ne
ID n.lEnrd,s T.nnara.rfnlin,l IL III ". @

10 I'm. WhOlcsai- ESQ. Res II ne
d. aakard's transportation %, 81 ~. q
DEAR SiR; noucad IN tho Age 4 the
18Th, your hatttering report Of the condition
OF the improvement over which you have the
honor 70 preside. and my attention was
particularly arrested by the enormous profits
paid - tho Stockholders.
A. we nave a similar improve ment N Nir.
GINA which ~ continually costing tho TAR
gest aud only r%espOnsi le Stakeholder THE
state OF Va. large sums annually to keep IN
repair, we would he obliged to you for some
suggestions as % your management. We
thought our. road was doing n ine business {;
i.is indeed doing y suashtog business. fully
equal ", It's. eapaelty. aud hut for the iDciden-
tai expenses, which you seem 10 avoid, would
pay handsomely. We notice rs ~ appendix
% ypur report that. You do not. hold YOUR
selves responsible either for property OF per
son travelling on your road, while here in old
virginia they hold US responsible to some
extent for both.
we have been trying 10 evade this respon-
slohltaRbut 70 NO purpose. Where we take
through passengers without families, we have
generally beer able to escape paying dam.
ages, butn large proportion If our passenger
are men Of families and while they take
through tickets for dion -ires. their wives
and children only 20 as far as + norhousevipp
and there the law compels US 10 provide for
their neeessi.s1s, because. forsooth, we .ook
the rhd fathev ~ tos atty Of Destrs :.
tont - LAX afa7kwA as ..Batr4y az
mnuh, II not more, than conductor License
collects. Besides, we nave another heaxy
item OF disbursement which is not mentioned
in your report. Many of our passengers,
though they have through tickets, get very
u~nmanageable, and frequently in the absence
OF our officers murder or MAIN each other
and as these little di f~iculties must be settled
We have to leave the offenders ut Prisonburo
the hrst station before we get to Justice Hall
These two last named stations are very ex
pensiye, also. At P~risonburg we were com
PEELED to erect very strong buildings for the
satekeeping Of these our unruly passengers,
and pay for their board besides. At Justic,
Hall we had to erect large and costly bull
dings, and there we have a Judge, a LAWYER
CLERK, &C., in our employment, whose sala
RES amount to considerable and then Their
Is the pay of jurors and witnesses, togeth
or with all the expenses Of the Crimina
chamber in Justice Hall SO that if conduc
Tor License brings in enough to overpay tn,
expenses at Poorhouseville, this takes, it all
and leaves as largely on the debit side Of tn,
account.
There are many other incidental expense,
TO which we are subjected, which, togetheI
witt those above enumerated, 90 to swell GU,
annual Indebtedness, and our private stock
holders in consequence have thrown tn,
whole burden on the State, after having
few years since made an unsuccessful attempl
to reverse all the engines and tear IN th,
track. The State then being the laroes
stockholder controlled the road and determin
cd to ken 1t no, Whatever cost might attend
at Since that IL has been, like yours. doine
a smashing business but by some fatality
It's expenses seem to increase even in a grea
ter ratio than it's receipts, and the more bust
ness we do the deeper we find ourselves in
debt.
Dur President and directors, as well as the
representatives Of the State, (who regulate
oil our m%ovements) will be pleased to have che
benefit of your wisdom and experience in
conducting your road and any communi
cation on thesulject addressed to me, win be
promptly laid before them at their next regu.
lar meeting.
Very Respectfully,
Your ob't Servant,
j. STiLLH0USE,
Sup. Of transportation
Va. and City Of ID. r. r.
Richmond Va. March 23rd 1857.