Dodgeville chronicle. [volume] (Dodgeville, Wis.) 1862-current, 1865-11-09

ward to Charleston, and another northward
into western North Carolina. This great
easterly and westerly road was the artery Of
the Confederacy. When Sherman seized
Atlanta, he grasped the end of it; when he
swooped down on Columbia, he cut it in mid
length. This is about all Sherman did
thoroughly cut the great cross-line. Stone
man struck the arm reaching northward from
Kingston in several places, and destroyed
two or three important bridges. There was
method in the work Of these two officers.
On the other hand, Hardee and Bragg acted
like wild men. Thus, they burned all the
bridges east of Kingsville on the cross-line,
and all those on the coast line between Will
mington and Charleston-why asks Yankee
and rebel in unison. 1t certainly was not
done to prevent pursuit by Sherman, for he
was not pursuing. In word, our forces
destroyed Railroads, and the rebels burned
bridges. 1t was much easier for Sherman
to build temporary bridge than to lay
railroad, so the rebels did not adopt the sur
list way of preventing his pursuit It is far
easier for the railroad companies to lay
track than to build bridges, and so Shermans
method not only broke up the rebel use of
the roads, but left them in such condition
that their respective companies could more
easily put them in working order Hence,
the cursing one hears from Southerners-
and there is great deal of it's not Of
Sherman who destroyed track and accom-
plished a military purpose, but of Hardee
| and Bragg, who senselessly burned bridges
and accomplished nothing
The destruction of our army is nearly
! overcome--not obliterated, but so far over
come that travel is resumed on the several
roads. At this writing, | believe there is
less than forty miles out Of use, and on this
forty miles, work is progressing with COM
mendable rapidly. Of the bridges burned
by Stoneman, only that on the Catawba be-
tween Winnsboro and Charlotte remains I'M
impaired. On the other hand, the destruc-
ton of the rebel army will not be overcome
for dozen years. Thus, Wade Hampton
burned the magnificent bridge at Columbia.
It's loss delayed Sherman about twenty-five
minutes. South Carolina cannot rebuild it
unaided in this generation. Bragg burned
the bridges at Wilmington their loss work
ed us no serious injury, but they cannot be
rebuilt under year. Hardee burned the
| great bridges over the Santee and Great Pc
dee--their loss wasn't Of the least conse-
quence to us, hut every passenger and every
pound Of freight on this great coast line of
road, now crosses these rivers IN fat. boats,
and will continue TO cross so for at least six
months more.
Of all the roads in the two states, the
| North Carolina Central is the only one in the
two states which runs two passenger trains
per day, and this it does only over a short
section of the route. On two roads there is
daily passenger train, and q daily freight
train with passenger car attached On all
other lines there is single train per day
each way Of course-consisting of one or
two passenger cars, and from two to eight
| freight cars. The rate Of fare ranges from
five to nine cents per mile, with an average
of about six and quarter cents. The act
ual running rate, including stoppages, is
from ten to seventeen miles per hour, with
an average progress, including stoppages, of
about nine to ten miles per hour. OF
course at such a rate of speed, there is next
to no danger Of accidents, and travelling is
reasonably safe, even if it is exceedingly
uncomfortable.
This slow rate of speed is necesstated by
two causes, bad condition of the road, and
bad condition of the cars and engines The
road-bed is generally in passably good order
and could be put in first class condition at
comparatively small expense The rails,
however, are literally worn out, and before
any great amount Of work can bedone on
any road, every mile must be relaid with
new iron The wonder is, considering how
much these two main lines were used by the
rebel government, that it is now possible to
use the roads at all The chief difficulty,
however, after all, is in connection with the
rolling stock. OF this there is very little
left, and what there is, is in the most
wretehed condition generally, imaginable.
Except on the North Carolina road, their
passenger cars are inferior to those on Sec
ond-class emigrant trains at the North-in
need alike of the painter, the glazier, the
upholsterer and the scrubber. Even all
these could not be able to restore more than
three out Of the ten. Three more of the ten
might, perhaps, be put in serviceable order
by thorough overhauling at the shops. The
remaining four, are utterly worn out, and
would long ago have been condemned but for
the absolute necessity of the situation. |
have ridden in dozen SO far gone that |
actually feared they would fall to pieces if
q speed Of sixteen miles an hour was attain
ed The box freight cars are, generally
speaking, in somewhat better condition than
the passenger cars. The engines on all the
roads, without exception, are, so TO speak,
on their last legs, and most Of them must
soon be replaced by new ones. | rode with
the engineer for ten miles on the Manchester
road while he ran at the rate of mile in
three minu tes and q half. | am sure / shall
not repeat the experiment and doubt if he
will with that engine. His average rate IS
ten to ten and half miles per hour.
The labor on the road is mostly done by
negroes The conductors, engineers and
station-masters are, SO far as [ observed,
white men, as are about one third the fire.
men and brakemen But two-thirds Of the
fremen and brakemen, and nearly all the
numerous hands employed at the various
stations along the road, are negroes and
no complaint is made but that they do the
work well enough when they are promptly
paid. It is q fact however, that they refuse
to make long engagements. The station
men very rarely remain more than two or
three weeks in O place-Then their craving
for novelty possesses them, and they are off
for a new point, very likely to engage IN
the same business.
have found almost everywhere that the
roads had all the business they could do
The passenger travel is small--seventy- five
persons per day on most Of the roads, is
above the average. The lines centering in
Wilmington and Charleston are burdened
with cotton-indeed they cannot carry al
that is seeking transportation. In one place
and another, | presume / have spoken
with forty men or more who were urging
shipment. AT OrangebuTg we're men
owning from fifty to one hundred bales,
who had been dancing attendance upon
the railroads for q month, At Florence,
MARTY the same state nf things eYia4ed So