The news and herald. (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1877-1900, 1879-07-19
Those Cubic Feet.

simultaneously with the decision in
the trial Justices court in Wimsboro
against the Charlotte, Columbia and
Augusta Railroad, comes the all
nounccmcnt that Commissioner Bon
ham has rendered decision that cot
ton must be rated by weight, and not
by measurement, for railroad trans
portation in this State. ....
The Commissioners decision has
been communicated to the committee
OF merchants here, in the following
letter to Mr.. j. II. Cummings, the
secretary Of that committee:
COLUMBIA, July 10, 1870.
DEAR SIR: L have this day replied
to Col. j. b. Palmer on the question
embraced Ill your letter Of the 18th
ult., as to whether balcd cotton ship
ped by railroads shall be rated bv
''Welgllt' or by ''mcasurcmcnt, :" and
decided that the same must be hv
weight" aud not by measurement.
If the Road continues to make the
charge. upon proof furnished nc, with
a bill OF freight, will proceed, through
the Attorney General, to apply for an
injunction.
This plays havoc with the new
tangled arithmetic introduced in the
past mouth or so by the G.. G. IL a.
railroad, and "thosc cubic feet" about
which SO much has been said. arc IN
danger Of disaster. 1t is well. The
attempt to gauge the symmetry Of Il
cotton bale, especially after The end has
bccny knocked out, or six-inch hole
made in its side by al insatiarc COW,
would have speedily sent the employees
OF the road to the lunatic asylum. 70
inca sure accurately the cubic contents
Of the average bale would require a
profound knowledge Of the rules Of
calculus, the prismoidal formula, the
gaugcr's formul9, hydrostatics, and
every other mathematical method that
has yet been invented for the bctcvil-
mcnt Of the human race. j.......
Suppose, again, that the Road had
been permitted to charge by tho cubic
foot, what would be easier than for
the shipper to challenge the accuracy
OF the calculation, and demand a care
1ul measurement Of each bale? The
task would be endless. The Road
makes two points; one that it has; fora
long time, estimated by measurement,
tho other, that chr cannot be loaded
to its full capacity with cotton. AS
to the i!rst, it need only be said that
until recently the Charge was fixed
for Il bale "weighing 45O pounds or
lcss," with extra freight for extra
weight. If two bales Of cotton were
shipped, packed on the same screw,
and containing the Same number of
cubic feet, yet differing in weight, cacl,
exceeding $50 pounds, the churycs
were different; while on two bales,
differing in size, but not in weight, the
charge was tho same. How can this
be explained OH the hypothesis Of csti.
mate by measurements?
AS to the size Of the cars. WHO ever
told the road anyhow to make it's cars
Of q certain size and carrying capaci.
ty of20,0O0 pounds? TO make the
charter conform to the arbitrary size
Of tho cars would be to make the tail
wag the dog. Let the cars conform to
tho charter. IF tho Company sec fit i,
can construct cotton cars either larger
or lighter than those it now has. It is
estimated that an empty car weighs
half rs much as ono loaded. If load
Of cotton is but ten thousand pounds, q
ten thousand pound car should carr,
1t; and two Of these light cars loaded
would weigh no moro than one hcav,
= one, besides damaging the track less
AL railroads accommodate themsclyc,
to their carrying trade, 1t would b,
folly for q road iii the lead or iron o.
coal regions to make cars as largo a.
i those owned by this Road. They hay,
small and very strong cars. Adm
tho principle that a road can rcgulat,
its charter to suit its cars and it ma,