The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1878-04-04

lADJQURNED = MEETlSGs pFklIhEs Il SIOChs
HOLDERS oF THE FREDERICKSBURG
RAILROAD coMPANY.-A pRoPosITIoN
| FROM MR.. MoNCuRE ROBINSON TO RE
ESTABLISH THE POTOMAC STEAMBOAT
LINE; BOAT BY DAY, RAIL BY N1GHT-A
LoSG DIscUssroN INTsPRoMINENTLY
| BROUGHT oUT-THE MEETING ADJOURN.
sEp UNTIL. I2 O'CLOCK TO-DAY.
An adjourned meeting Of the stock.
holders OF the Richmond, Fredericksburg
and Potomac Railroad Company was held
at the conpany's office in this city yester-
day-Mr. e. Y. Cannon in the chair and j.
B. Winston, Esq, secretary. Nearly all
[ the stockholders were representative
State: by her duly-a appointed proxies; Mr..
Moncure Robinson, and the large Eng
lish and northern stockholders (hold'ng q
majority Of the stock) by Messrs. Conway
| Robinson and Thomas a. Biddle.
1t was pretty well known before business
! was commenced that it was the design OF
Mr.. Moncure Robinson and associates,
| through their representatives, TO offer q
neasureaooking to an important change in
the policy OF the company as to northern
connections.
When MFR. Conway Robinson arose and
offered the following paper he was listened
| to with eager attention:
ResOlUed, That in the opinion Of the
stockholders OF this company one Of the
lines for mail and passengers from Wash
ington to Richmond by way Of Fredericks-
burg should be in the day, and connect
with the line leaving New York at or about
9P. M.
ReSolved, That in the opinion Of the
stockholders Of this company there should
be an arrangement with the Potomac Steam.
boat Company to run by steamboat to and
from the wharf at .Quantico that part OF q
day line between Washington AID Rich.
mond upon the terms that the receipts de-
rived from passengers, the mail, and freights
by said day line from Washington to Rich
mond, and UiCe cersG, are to be divided be-
tween this company and such steamboat
company in the ratio in which such receipts
have been divided between this company
and the Alexandria and Fredericksburg
Railroad Company; and upon the further
| terms that as soon as practicable the service
shall be performed by an iron boat, or boats,
guaranteed by the builder to have an ave-
rage rate of speed Of eighteen miles per
hour, and built to run through ice three
inches thick; and that the steamboat COM
pany shssl have from this company no
Vided by this resolution.
ReseLved, That the stockholders expect
the president aud such directors as may be
appointed at this meeting to conform to the
preceding resolutions according to their
true intent and meaning.
REASONS FOR THE PROPOSED CHANGE.
MIR. Conway Robinson in support Of the
resolutions submitted to the stockholders a
lengthy argument. He maintained that the
present contract with the Pennsylvania
company for all-rail communication between
Ouantico and Washington was not promo
tive of the interests Of the Fredericksburg
company; that under it the revenues Of this
company had fallen of, and that by having
no day-trains it was losing business that
properly belonged to it, and which it would
otherwise command. Neither the public
good nor the interest of stockholders in this
company, he contended, is promoted by an
arrangement which depriyes persons on
the route between Quantico and Richmond
Of such q line as they formerly had in the
day to Richmond; neither is promoted
by an arrangement which, as to men, wo-
men. and children who are in Washington,
or would like to come thither from Balti-
more or farther north, does in effect say
that, however inconvenient and dlsagreea-
BILE it may be for them to travel in the night,
however strong may be the desire for going
to Richmond in the daytime, yet il they
travel thither from Washington in the day
they must 90 not by the short route,' by way
of Fredericksburg, but by the long and
circuitous route by way Of Gordonsyile. In
Washington city, at the depot at which pas
sengers obtain tickets and from which they
start for for Richmond, although there are
fo on the ({jroct
route by way of Fredericksburg, there are
trains to 60 IN the day or in the night on the
cSrcuitouS route by way OF Gordonsville to
Richmond. Although passenger might
be transported from Washington to Alex
andria locally for ten cents, yet for such
transportation, accompanied by the privi-
lege of selling, at the Baltimore and Poto-
mac depot, tickets for passengers to Rich
mond by the Gordonsyille route, the CON-
pany having that route has paid fifty cents
on each passenger. They paid the "teu0
roads alexandria and Fredericksburg
Railroad Company and Baltimore and Poto-
mac Railroad Company the past year about
fortu-tlco thousand d0LtarS."
Further, MIR. Conway Robinson argued
that, in view of the financial difficulties OF
the Alexandria and Fredericksburg Rail-
road Company, and the necessity OF having
a reliable and independent outlet, it was
proper and eXpedient to make the arrange
1nent for steamboat service referred to.
However unsatisfactory, said he, the practi-
cal result now is, there is reason to appre-
hend that it may become worse, IL, as to
passengers on the direct route between
Washington and Richmond, the sole re-
lance for transportation north or Quanhco
should be upon company wholly insolvent,
whose whole works and property have been
decreed to be sold to satisfy liens existing for
about million and half Of dollars, and for
which, after being duly advertised and ex-
posed to sale at public auction, only
100000 was bid. Under such DEGREES
as have been or may be made in the cause,
sale and conveyance Of that company's
works and property may be expected be-
fore long. Exactly when the same will
occur, what will be the course of the pur-
chasers, or for how long time transporta-
tion may be suspended on the railroad north
of Quantico, are matters which cannot yet
be stated with perfect precision; but against
inconyenlences and losses therefrom it Is
alike the interest Of stockholders in this
company and their duty to its bondholders
to endeaYor to guard. To this end, it
seemed to Mr.. Robinson, they have in day
line on the Potomac resource which it
would be extreme prodigality to throw
away, and which, he thought, could and
should be made available. now to advance
the interests, increase the security, and
promote the welfare OF the State and all
other stockholders in the company.
QUESTIONS.
Mr.. John p. Branch desired to ask OF the
president Of the company, Mr.. John NJ.
Pohjncon Tryhn ia nnt srnc0rnmGndinp the