Spirit of Jefferson. [volume] (Charles Town, Va. [W. Va.]) 1844-1948, 1873-11-11
The Railroad Tariff Bill.
Icorre.pondence Of III. wh.elin, Reri,,er.1


ICorrespondenceo of the Wheeling Regis,er.l
CHARLESTON, October %. 1873 A bill,
considered by its friends to be OF great im-
portance, is the bill to establish reasonable
rate of charges for the transportation of
freight and passengers on railroads in this
State. 1t has passed the Senate aud is on its
secoud reading in the House. As it will
probably pass that body condense its pro-
visions for your benefit:
All railroads doing business in this State
are classified according. to- the gross amount of
their representative annual earnings per mile.
T Glass a includes railroads whose annual earn
ings per mile shall be SIC, 900 or more !; class
= those whose earnings are SIS, 600 and under
slu.O00'; class Q, over 81 900 and under
SS.Ou0 and class ID, those under 50, 900.
Railroads according to this classification are
limited in their passenger fares as follows .
Glass a, "a Gents per mile, for any distance
class b 33c., class @. do; class ID 53c
These rates are required to be kept cons
stantly and conspicuously posted in the vari-
Gus ticket Offices and depots Of the respective
roads, together with a table of distances be-
tween each and every station ON the road, and
statement showing the Glass to which the
road belongs. For violation Of any of these
provisions the party aggrieved may recover
the sum of $500 from the railroad company,
together with all costs of suit and reasons
able attorney fee.
Freights are divided into six classes, and
the charges for distances of over fifty miles
shall not exceed the following amounts: lst
class, 54c per ton, per mile; I'd class, 3ac per
ton; I'd class, 23c per ton; 18th class 20 per
ton; double lst class, TIC per ton per mile !;
one and one.half LIST class; $50 per tom
For shorter distances than fifty miles, and for
quantities less than one ton slight increase
over the above rates is authorized.
Many of the members of the Legislature
do not feel themselves we'll informed upon the
rates fixed in this bill, whether they are gen.
orally just to both the shipper and the public
carrier, whether reduction or increase in the
price OF freights will be the result; and they
would be glad it those who are posted on the
subject would favor them with proper infor-
nation. | would suggest that Communities
lions on the subject be forwarded to the Req.
aster for publication, and their suggestions
will thus be brought prominently before all
the members of both houses It has been
suggested to me that the fares for passengers
have been reduced by this bill, and that the
rates of freights are increased. IF so, / pre-.
sumo it was so arranged by the keen>witted
author, because every one knows the price of
passenger fare Us well as he knows the price
OF pound of coffee. but does not understand
any more about the rate per ton per mile on
freight classified in the most complicated man.
her, than he does the price of fancy goods or
turbelows. How this may be, I, for one, am
entirely ignorant.
MAJOR l. GREENE.-An article having ap.
peared in the October number of the Souls
erm Magazine, upon the subject of the John
Brown Raid, in which the writer failed to
take any notice of the part Major l. Greene,
of Berryville, played in that historical scene,
Captain VIM. N. Nelson, of Clarke county.
sent the following communication to the editor
of the Southern Magazine. correcting the in
accuraties' of the writer referred to:
Editor Southern Magazine "A friend
calls my attention to statement in the Oc>
tober number OF the magazine, page 446.
which is incorrect, and does Injustice to gall
lapt trend OF nine. 1t was and is SO noto>
r'ous tfat Major Israel Greene was the lieu
tenant OF marines who CAPTURED John Brown
10 the engine house a. Hsrpers Ferry, that
it is impossible to understand how an accom-,
could be given of that affair without any men.
tion of his name. l 90 not now recoilecs TO
have heard Of the name of Lieutenant Stuart
10 connection with it. Whoever may have
called on Brown to surrender, Major Greene
led the attacking party. I have frequently
spoken with him on the subject, and his &C.
enthusiastically and modesty eiren-was.
not that the door Was battered down by the
ladders in the hands of the assaultins party,
but that hole was made in the door, proba-
bly, panel broken in, through which he i'm
med'ate'y forced his way into tho engines
house; he struck Brown on the bead with
his dress sword, infiicting wound not very
severe, when Brown surrendered without fur
Their resistance. This corresponds with the
account current at the time. and long before
knew Major Greene. Major Greene lost
everything by the subsequent and better orr
gauized invasion of Virginia when he left the
United States Marines for service in the Com
federacv, and the credit of his gallant conduct
at the Ferry should not he taken from him.
VIM. N. Nelson.
PRospEcrlNa FOR CoAL-We had the
pleasure OF meeting in our city on Wedues-
day last, G. w. Chamberlain, ESQ.,, son of our
friend John CHAMBERLAIN, of Jefferson. who il
now engaged at the Laclede Iron Rolling
Mills, st. Louis, Mo. Mr.. c., in company
with other gentlemen, made visit to Meadow
Branch, in this county. for the purpose of ex-
aiming tho quality of coal which has been
discovered on the lands of Mr.. Sharff, and
others in that section of the county Mr.. c.,
secured number Of pure specimens, which
he means to carry with him to St. Louis. 1t
is his opinion that fine anthracite coal exists
in quite a large vein at this point, which only
needs proper development to make i. VAL
uabie.-Aurtins6urg Statesman.
Observation-Disclosures of those pleasant
affairs which show the good feelings which
exist between employer aud employe, took
place at the B. & o. R. r. shops, in this city,
yesterday (Tuesday) noon. The departure