Nashville union and dispatch. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1866-1868, 1867-07-18
AaiSu and Bispatrh
THURSDAY. SULY Is. 1897.
largest Circulation in city sind State.
AND CHATTANOOGA
RAILROAD.
President Harms Comparative Report
Dlsseefed.

| To the Stockholders Of the Nashville ana chat
tanOOga Railroad Company.
MANcHEsrEK, TENN, July Is, 1867
/ charge that NJ. Burns and w. p. lines,
in the face Of an expressed wish Of the
stockholders that no more locomotives
should be turned into coal burners until
a committee be appointed TO test the rela-
tive cost of coal and wood as fuel, have, re-
gardless Of the above mentioned wish, gone
on changing wood burners into coal burn,
efs, by which usurpation Of power the
STOCKHOLDERS have lost large amount-
not less perhaps than one hundred thou
sand doliarH.
charge that Burns or hines, after they
had adopted the use Of coal, contrary 10
the expressed will of the stockholders, did
pay twenty COZ cents per bushel for coal,
when they we're offered as good an article
al fifteen (15) cents per bushel, thus taking
a large amount chi Of the pockets OF the
stockholders and giving 1t 70 their ia
vurites.
l charge that Burns and Innes, in disre-
earding the order of the Board in regard
to the Running Water" bridge, have
caused the company to lose an actual sum
Of about $4,000 in putting up a tempo
1 EdEN lIEEllts anu UAt lOl llAG DlUN
| washing away Of the Tennessee bridge,
about seventeen days afterwards, it
would have cost the company further loss
of at least $4,000 delays in freights, etc.
| This, as above stated, was in direct opposi-
ton 10 an order of the Board, contrary to
the warnings Of a resolution introduced in
the Legislature in regard TO this bridge,
contrary to the report of our resident en-
| gineer, who examined aud reported the
structure unsafe. But because the report
| Of our salaried Engineer did not suit Col.
/ lines or Mr.. Burns purposes, he or they
| procured an engineer from Michigan, or
| somewhere else, TO examine and report it
perfectly secure. What this engineer got
| for this report do not know, but ! do know
that it was not many hours-or days, at
most-until the structure had given way,
and long before the big rise in the Tennes-
see river.
] charge that Col. lines transcribed his
authority as Superintendent in contracting
| for the Tennessee river bridge without
even consultation with our resident En-
| gineer, whose special duty it was to have
made this and all similar contracts. art.
l3 of the bylaws Of the company says the
resident Engineer shall take the direct
charge Of al The work on the line of the
road.)
! further charge that in making this con-
tract with a fayorite Chicago company,
| shipping an inferior article Of lumber all
the way from Chicago, by rail and water,
at heavy expense, when he at the same
time had an offer from a responsible home
company to build the bridge Of far SUPERB
or timber, yellow pine,) in a great deal
less time and at great deal less price, the
company has lost large sum. This tran
saction, in contracting with bridge COM
pany away up in the extreme North, for
the building Of wooden bridge in Ten
nessee- especially when he had a more
| favorable proposition from a reliable home
company, to be built of yellow pine, (which
| experience has proven will last twice as
long IA northern pine il not only heavy
pecuniaTy loss to our company, but in my
opinion is disgrace TO the company, and
an outrage upon an Impoverished people.
| / charge Innes and Burns with discrimi-
mating in favor of the Northwestern rail
road in the prices of freights--and in the
machine shops, and in other WAYS amount
ing TO many, many thousand dollars loss tC
our company. ! charge that Burns and
| Inues' foreman i'm the machine shop re.
quired engineers on wood burners to report
from one to five cords of wood more thar
they really used in a round trip, alleging
as a reason therefor that they had purchased
| an amount Of wood from the government
aud that il was not likely TO hold out, bu
the real reason being by false reports, t.
make IL appear TO the stockholders thai
coal was cheaper than wood,
| charge that officers Of the road, Burn,
and lines, or they by their subordinates
threaten to turn off employees for speaking
in favor Of the use of wood instead of coal
and for not reporting more wood than wa;
consumed on the trip; and further, thai
the employees of the road are not allowed
by the officers TO speak of any mismanage
mcnl, or anything whatever that they
may see going on wrong, and that il in
their best Judgment preiudicial to the in
terest of the stockholders; and in this they
the officers, are sustained by majority o
the preseat Board, whom you elected tC
look after your interest, as will be shown
by the following resolution which / Offered
at the meeting of the Board in April, to-wit
Resolved by the Board, That i
is not only the privilege, but tn,
duty Of employees Of this company wher
they see anything IN the management, o.
in any way going wrong, which, in theil
best Judgment, is detrimental TO the in
terest of the stockholders, to speak of it t.
the officers, directors or stockholders, a
the case may be; and be il further
Resolved, That it is not proper or RICH
for any officer of this road to turn OF, o.
threaten to turn of, any employee for thu
exercising this right or duty.
The above resolution was killed, oni,
three voting for it.
Thus You see, gentlemen, what contro
the President has over the present Board
| amounting, in fact, to no Board at all $
far as controlling the road is concerned
, | Whatever he has asked for has been granite
IS | him, apparently without troubling them
selves 10 examine and investigate for them
| selves. | do not wish 10 be understoo
here as charging any Of this Boar
with doing anything INTENTIONAL
wrong-not at all-so far as controlling ia
road is concerned, bat simply charge ther
with being too conhding, trusting too niue
TO one man. and that man will not do I
RELY upon. He has been tried and foun
!, wanting. | of course allude 10 Mr.. Burn
President of the Nashville and Chats
nooga railroad company. That man lac
/. c0rding TO his own estimation of himself
whom Governors, Congressman, President
Kings and potentates would delight
honor-yea !, mere pigmy, compare
% with this great man, will show you tn,
this mans words as President, etc, wi
not DO to rely upon. / will prove il by h
friend will prove il by his enemy; wi
DrOue 4 b. himself, than whom there can
none greater-he himself being the judg
a. 20 greatness.
Now, 10 show you the influence or II
control Mr. Burns has over the presel
:, Board, | will only instance one case. la
q year Mr.. Burns stated 10 the Board thi
!. he was going to take trip up North, an
=, got the Board 10 pass a resolution 70 th
IT effect Resolved by the Board, that Pre-
ideut Burns be allowed TO use on his ri
II quote from memory, not having the res,
luton before mel one hundred thOusau
dollars (SlO000O) of the company's none
N and no questions 10 be asked him as
what he did with said money" AT the fir