Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1860-06-19
For the Spectator.

- For the Spectator.
"A STATEMENT of Facts Relating to the Deten.
non OF Passengers at GoTdonsvilie.
All persons travelling on the Central road
DOH east and west, have for several years beer
SUBJECT to disagreeable detention at Gordons
VIE, waiting for the Aleyandria train. al
complained OF it as grievance which they Dor,
with but little patience. The officers Of tn,
Oentral Company have tried te remedy it b,
Urging the Alexandria company to arrive earlier
but the history of the connection shows tha
they made it later and later every YEAR. unit
recently the prolonged detention not only addet
greatly to the discomfort of the regular trave
between the east and west, but was likely to di
VIDE the Springs travel to other lines.
Inc effort OF this company to palliate the irk
some detention at Gordonsville in tile hot SUI
OF the summer, has been resisted by the othe
company, and has caused some persons returnin,
to Saunton to be left.
10 De lett midway on your journey home
wards Is very well calculated to exasperate AM
one; put the question is, on whom should TIL
blame rests 1t is true that it is in the power
OF either party to prevent it, but that one should
be censured who has failed to do what nigh
reasonably be expected, and which they have a
greed to DO. 1t should not be expected that ont
party should make all the concessions and al
the saorifices and the public ought to be willing
to submit to some temporary Inconvenience
rather than countenance course fagrantly i'm
proper.
What are the facts?
When the Alexandria Road was first con
structed to Gordonsville to connect with thu
Central Road, which had been in operation ives
ct the Blue Ridge for several years, feeling tina
It was their duty TO conform to q state of things
n existence before their road WAS projected
their trains arrived at Gordonsviiie at the same
| time with that OF the Central, viz: at 1915 A
NJ, and thereswas no detention to passengers 60
| ing either way.
After some time they asked for an extension
of the hour of arrival in spirit of concession
it was made 1870, and this continued to satisfy
| them for year. The result of this was, tina
all passengers were kept waiting for their ar
rival, and those destined to the Springs had t.
| travel in stages at night much later in conse
quence.
Again, in the Spring Of 1859 they demanded
another extension of time The subject wa
maturely discussed and examined, aud what wa
! supposed to be final compromise was agreed
on, that they should arrive punctually at 1O-45
this being another addition of fifteen minutes
Last year they did run by that schedule, ant
frequently arrived as early as 10 40, as the rec
ord shows. The Baltimore train arrives ii
/ Washington not later, perhaps FIVE minutes soon
or, than formerly. Why can they not reacl
Gordonsville this year at 10 45, as they agreed
to do last year, and was done? 1915 is al
now required of them, and required because i
was solernnly agreed to last year, and was sup
| posed to be q final settlement Of the difficulty
II 10 into ,r,I,o
all others, became rough and when the ice il
the Potomac drove them to the use of the shor
railroad between Alexandria and Washington
requiring several Transfers of baggage, a ten.po
rdry farther extension of time was granite,
by the Superintendent, without consulting thu
Board. After the reasons for this temporar,
i extension ceased to exist, the Board gave then
full notice that after the first of une they woult
be expected to resume the compromise schedule
of last year.
If they refuse to resume that schedule. .delib
erately agreed to and &C ed on, and passenger
are left, who is to blame2 They cannot plea,
the heavy travel and their baggage. The South
western, as we'll as the Springs travel was thel
carried, aud If report is true, they are carryin.
less Southwestern travel now than when i
passed by Richmond. II they have embarrassed
themselves with carrying freight--as they Cal
it, express matter-that should be no reason TO
delaying mail and passengers.
I As a farther proof that 1t is not unreasonable
to ask them to arrive at Gordonsvlle at 1o-45
an examination of the Postmaster Gsneral'
schedule at Gordonsvlle shows that such is pre-
cisely the hour fixed by him several month
since for arriving there, viz: 10 Is, A. NJ, an,
but for the forbearance and liberalty of tb
4 Central Company, they would long since hay
incurred the complaints, if not The penalties U
failing to make required mail connections.
j Surely, no considerable friend of the Contra
road, or any dsinterssted person, ought to asl
greater sacrifices than have been made, yea. ant
are being made. They now lose one honr !,
starting from Richmond, and nearly an hour
Gordonsville, ali for the sake of harmony. bu
in vain. Ii these two hours were applied t,
running on their road, their passengers woule
be saved from night travel, and their business
would be increased thereby.
! But the great necessity for returning to las
Summers schedule existed in the fact, that with
out change, ourSouthern Spring travel woul(
have been driven On the South side in returning
home, unless we cbuld have gotten rid of q dav'
detention in Richmond. Prior to the LIST q
June only II Minutes were allowed 10 transfe
passengers and baggage from the Central to The
Petersburg road. No one supposes that pas
! sengers.going South of Petersburg. or to Peters
burg, would have come this way under those
circumstances. The arrival of the Central trair
in Richmond (ani that at high speed) was SO
, too late for tie transaction of business witt
banks, brokers or lawyers, and compelling {
large number o. our passengers to spend two
nights in a hota, instead of one.
This PLAIN statement ought to convince ever,
one that it is tie Orange and Alexandria Com
pany which shsuld be blamed tor failing to dc
what they agreed last year to do, and which
was just as east to do now as it was then.
/ Much Misrepresentation existing in this COM
munity, | yieldto the suggestion of some friends
ia requesting you to insert this statement II
your next issue Very respectfully,
l E. FONTAlNE.
President Va. Central r. R.
| A BRUTAL AFFAIR IN R1cHMoND mar
named Edward r. Cooper, living in Richmond
I Va, made an attack upon his wife and son viii
| hate bof