Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1878-05-18
THE GRANGER RArLRoAp.


EDITORS CHRONICLE: / was SC
much pleased with the manner IN
which you and Riley conducted
yourselves ON our Red river excur.
sion to Port Royal, and the graphic
scenes depicted through your col
umns that L have determined to
offer you a free ride again not this
time on the peerless steamer Matt.
Gracey, but a veritable old-fashioped
two-horse tobacco wagon from the
city of GAINESVILLE to our sister city
HopkinsviIle. l would invite In
gram, but he is mad, dyspeptic, or
something else, and / know Sam.
Gaines would not enjoy his company
until he RECEIVERS his humor. Our
wagon train, more appropriately
styled the "Granger Railroad" is
composed of an indefinite number of
wagons, each supplied with ample
covering for the merchandise or to-
bacco to be transported. Frank
Madole, of New Providence, is the
superintendent, or wagon master,
and fills his position very well. The
train has made but two trips to
Hopkinsville, transporting to that
city about twenty loads of merchan-
disc and bringing back fifty hogs
heads of tobacco, demonstrating
that on a good pike road wagons
can not only transport freight
cheaper than railroads when they
are at loggerheads with each other,
but that it can be done for short dis
tances at any time. | was undeter-
mined for some days whether it
would be best to run the line from
HopkinsviIle to this place or direct
to Guthrie. DIR. Wheeler, President
of the Kentucky pike, and Mr..
Drane, Trustee of the Tennessee
pike, having an eye to the revenue
of their road, proposed to give me
half-rate toll on all the business en-
anating in GAINESVILLE for Hopkins
vile and in Hopkinsville for Clarks-
vile. This liberality on the part of
the pixies determined me to make
GAINESVILLE the terminus of the
Granger Railroad, and if the line is
met with liberal spirit by the citi-
zens of GAINESVILLE and Hopkinsville
it will continue to be the terminus
until the Empire road is finished to
this place. The City Board, with
their Characteristic liberality, met
the request for half-rate toll on the
Red river bridge with the same
spirit of liberality displayed by the
pike Presidents. / have heard that
one or two of the Board did not ex-
actly approve of the measure, but
in conversations with them since,
found them laboring underan entire
misrepresentation of what I asked
them to do. They supposed the
half-rate tolls applied to our transfer
business from New Providence,
which is not the case. We have
never asked for better rates of toll
than is extended to everyone, nor
do we now; but on the business
from HOpkinsville we did ask a
concession, for we could not have
used the pike without it. All the
money the bridge and pixies receive
from me on this business is clear
profit, and to the extent of the sum
paid by me at the bridge are we
nearer to a free bridge forever. The
Granger Railroad will transport |
from stores, wharf-boat or depot to
HOpkinsville, delivering to mer-
chants houses, free of drayage, all |
classes of goods for 20 cents per 100 |
pounds; returning, will bring to-
bacco for 81 per hid. After we have |
become more thoroughly organized !
1 think we can work % per cent.
cheaper than we are now doing.
Our pay train will come along every
and leave four or five
hundred dollars in the pockets of a
class of men that need it.
But enough about business; will
you and Riley go? I will have my
biggest float wagon arranged in
style, with Riley's jug of cred river
water" under the front seat. Yours
truly, F, P. GRACEY.