Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1869-08-14

through this portion OF The Valley oil 'H.
pinia. have collected few facts which
beg leave to submit:
|. Discriminate Against this tGHey
in It's Rates of Toll:
The charge Tor one first class Iicse'
from Baltimore TO HarPet's Ferry say
eighly-lwo miles, is three dollars, while
from Baltimore 10 Winchester, one hun
dred and thirteen, the charge Is iour DOL
lars and seventy, five cents The rate on
lhe main stem being 3 &c 100 cents per
mile, and tina, on The Winchester and To-
,omac branch Ga 100 cents, or nearly
fLro cents more per mile. The same IN
equality is observable in freight. Take
for example Coal. The charge per. ION
from Cumberland to Baltimore is 81 50;
from Cumberland 10 Winchester, iIIy-
one miles nearer, the charge is the same
while the charge to Charlesiown. which is
twenty-five mirs nearer than Nlnches
ter, and sevenly-lhIee miles nearer than
Baltimore, is SO 05 per ton. Finally,
the charge on Anthracite Coal from BsliI.
more 10 Charleslown, defiance Of, say
nine,y.one miles, and less than half the
distance from Gun berland TO Ballimore,ls
SO 30 per tor. The same On ust dis
elimination is observable in the transport
,ation Of produce, which by the carload
may be transported from Winchester 10
Baltimore ui3 miles, for thirty cents per
hundred pounds, while from Winchester
to Hsrper's Ferry III miles, the charge
is twelve cents per hundred, and TO inter
mediate points on The stem at the same
rate. The freight from Wheeling to BaI'l-
more is thrly-hve cents per hundred,
while from Wheeling to Winchester 1T Is
seventy cents, and from Baltimore 10
Winchester ,hirly.two cents; thus making
il f,oo cents per hundreG cheaper TO snip
freight from Uhseling 10 Winchester
ria baltimore Hicn by the direct route
ouer the same road
2. Violations of their Charter by the
baltimore and Ohio Road.
In buying on. the Winchester and Po-
tomac road, the Baltimore and Ohio Com.
pany are Of course bound by the provIs
ions and restrictions OF the charter under
which the former road was incorporated.
Upon examining their charter, Virginia
Acls of Assembly 1881, page 1877 | find
the following provision
.4ct Of Incorporation passed Hprtt Sh
1881.
SEC Is SO soon as section Of ten
miles OF the said road shall be completed,
and as often thereafter as any other Sec
lion of the like length shall be completed,
the said President and Directors shall
transport all produce or other commodities
that shall be deposited convenient to the
said road, so that equal and impartial JUS
iice shall be done 10 all the owners OF
produce or other commodities in the
transportation thereof by the company
Provided the owner Of the produce or
other commodities required 10 be trans
ported BY the said company on the said
railroad, shal! pay or ,ende: TO The said
company al their toll gate or gaiess, the
toll due upon such produne or other COM
modi.ies under this act and it shall be
lawful for the President and Directors OF
said company, and they are hereby au-
thoIized to erect on such section or Sec
,ions, toll gate or gates, and they shall
be entitled TO demand and receive tie
following rates Of toll. viz For toll and
trans poua,ion on all produce or other COM
modify which they may transport from
ives, to east, al rate not exceeding tour
cents per mile for every ton weight; and
for toll and transportation on al! produce
or other commodities they may transport
from cas-, to west, at rate not exceeding
six cents per mile per ton weight; ana
for toll and transportation OF persons
whether from ives, 10 east or from
east TO west al rate mol exceeding three
cents per mile for each person.
Ii strikes me, therefore, tina, in discrim-
mating between certain points on the
Winchester and Potomac branch, as for
instance in The transportation OF coal be.
tween Wincl ester and Chalestown; and
in making private contracts with indiVid-
uals to transport at different rates than
those established for lhe'pubic, the BalIi'
more and Ohio Company are violating
the charter under which alone they can
operate the stem road. As to their rates
OF toll. these being prescribed by the
charter, DO no, think them modified by
section 10, of chapter 6l. OF the the Code
Of Virginia. which is expressly limited 10
tolls ION railroad on which different
rates are not prescribed By law." !
have not been able TO find any law what
ever, authorizing the Baltimore and Ohio
Company 10 charge more than their pre-
decessoTs were limited to by The section
Of their charter above quoted. This limit
is three cents per mile for passengers.
The distance from Hsrper's Ferry 10
Winchester is. say ,hiriy-one miles, and
the charge is 81 rs. or a! the rate OF more
than fire and half cents per mile, be.
ing taco and q half cents per mile more
than the charter allows. believe that
the rate allowed by the charter is not be-
low the average charged on the other
roads. So in regard to freight. by the
car load OF 5000 pounds. or nine short
tons. the charge from Winchester 10 Har-
per's Ferry is twelve cents per hundred,
or 50 40 per ton. which is al the rate oil
seven and one quarter cents per ton per
mile, being three and one quarter cents
per ton more than The charter allows.
This is the charge by the CARLOAD IN
smnllGr CuantItIes the amount charged