Mower County transcript. [volume] (Lansing, Minn.) 1868-1915, 1873-01-09


rails, or over rotten ties," as BY him
alleged.
1con6dently assert that you will look
in vain for like case OF exemption
from fatal accidents Oh any road in the
United States Of equal length aud bus;-
ness for the same period Of tune, yet
the article in question represents tho
road as wholly unsafe and to be avoid
cd by everyone having any regard for
the preservation Of his own life. The
suggestion that road-master has re-
signed because the company would not
furnish h'u, material to repair the road
is without a shadow Of truth to support
1t. All road-masters have been in
structed to use all the ties and other
material necessary t" put their several
sections of the road in proper repair,
and in no case have they been restrict.
ca in this respect. The road-beJ is in
good condition, the ties are sound. and
the company arc now carrying over to
mex: year more than %, 900 ties on the
lines Of the road in this State, which
were not needed for repairs this season.
The rails are in good condi,iun, but
::ith such winter as We have had thus
tar-l7 days with the thermometer be-
lov zero and some Of the time from 20
to ~ degrees below, it is impossible to
prevent ties from bsin:, thrown up by
the frost and rails from breaking, and
consequent accidents to trains. But
that wo are having more Of these ac-
cldents than other railrods situated rs
far norsh and Going as much business
as as VIC are, most cmphatically deny
The unusual severity Of the weather
has operated more unfavo:ably upon
our track than had expected. But to
remedy this difficulty I Laye made
arrangements fer an ample supply Of
ne" iron to replace all bars which may
eho" any signs Of yielding or giving
ont, and the Rolling Mill ut Milwaukee,
has been for somc time engaged in roll
ins this iron for US and will CONTINUE to
DO so as long as we have any occasion
for its use. Every precaution which
human foresight could suggest has been
and will b. taken to overcome the
difficulties which are inherent in rail-
reading in this climate and to guard
against the accidents which must neces-
ssr,!y occur, occasionally, from these
difficulties.
l observe in the Sentinel Of this
morning III article taken trpm the La
Crosse Lea;|er, signed G. s., the last
paragraph Of whic!, is as follows:
The road is not in tho condition that it
should DC, as overy one knows; and no con.
o"et"f' engineer, cxpressman, .,nail.agcnt or
passenger can deny it uccds repairs, aud in
many places entire restoration Of ties, cul.
verts. bridges and rails. General Mansger
'AeErl'l' who was the first conductor who ever
ran railroad train in Wisconsin. knows tho
road is not what it should be; and ho cndeay
ored to get an appropriation Inst spring Of
S50O,OOO to repair and renew the road : hut
tho avarice and greed Of the non resident aris
tocrnts in New York who own the road. denied
the request.
This statement is not true. I have
already stated that the road is in good
condition, and DENY entirely that Gin
many places the road needs entire re-
st'ration Of ties, cuI:erts, bridges, and
rails" | have already spoken in re-
gard to the ties, and now say that no
road in the Northwest is better tied
than the road from Milwaukee to La
Crosse. The culverts and bridges arc
sound, safe, and in good repair No
accidents have occurred from defects in
either, and no road within my &C.
quain'ance is more aafe or in better
condition as to culvcrts and bridges
than the one in question. The state
ment that endeavored last spring " to
get an appropriation of S500.0O0 to
repair and renew the road. but the
avarice and greed of the nonresident
aristccrats in New York. who own the
road deaiea the request" is a pure
fiction OF the writer's brsin, that never
had an existence in fact. or senltlanco
Of truth to support it. The Directors
have never restricted me in making
such repairs and renewals as deemed
necessary for the security Of al! per-
sons using the road and the proper
transaction Of its business.
Since have been in charge Of the
Company's property as General Mana.
ger, have hadthe whole charge Of
the road and used NV own judgment
and discretion as to making rapairs aud
renewals, and have never failed to do
all that l believed the safety Of tho
travelling public and business Of the
road required You will observe that.
both Of the attacks I have felt com.
pcl'ed to notice appear in the daily pa.
pers Of La Crosse, the citizens Of which
place are at this time engaged in an un-
friendly and bitter contest with this
company in relation to the location of
our bridge across the Mississippi River
at that city. How far this feeling has
been allowed to influence the action Of
these papers in their unfricndly and
unjust attacks upon our business shall
leave to others to determine. Regret
ing the necessity which has compelled
me to notice them, au, respectfully
&C., s. 5. MERRILL,
General Manager.
-lMHwaukec Sentinel Dec. %.
Crr1vrN of R.lc>,J N,,,., w.: