The news and herald. (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1877-1900, 1879-12-30
About the Railroads.


ton Of the railroads.. 1t contains
much information of interest Oh the
subject. He first shows that the rail
roads of the State, under the financial
pressure upon tho business Of the
country, have been to great extent
run down and several arc in tho hands
of the courts and receivers. Dulipr
the past year, however, they have
greatly improved, and the Commits
sioncr believes that they arc in fair
way to become prosperous. All of
the roads have willingly submitted to
inspection, and have generally COM
piled with tho requirements.
Three of the Roads, the South Caro-
lima, the Wilmington and Columbia,
and the Charlotte, Columbia and Au-
gusta, arc limited by their charters to
certain rate for heavy articles and
Tor articles Of measurement. Other
companies claim that there is no re-
strction. The Commissioner recon-
1nends the adoption Of some uniform
maximum rate by the Legislature.
The question Of chasing cotton has
arisen, and the Commissioner has de-
ctded that it must be rated by weight.
This question is now in the courts,
but the Commissioner suggests to the
Legislature to make this provision OF
the law as to weight and measurement
more definite.
The greatest trouble arises in tho
regulation OF through and local rates
OF freight. AS terminal charges arc
the same for long and for short dis
tanccs it can be seen that the greater
the distance the less the cost per mile
tor hauling. Bat the complaint of the
public is that the roads make I'D on
local trcights what they lose on
through rates. This is grave prob
lem and has engaged the attention of
tho ablcst minds in the United States.
One thousand three hundred and
1oftv-ninc miles Of railroad arc rc-
ported as in operation in this State,
OF which one hundred and siAty-flvc
arc III branch lines. The Spartanburg
ana Ashcvillc, and the Chester and
C!icfaw did not report. All the roads
have paid tlcir assessments for the
commissioners salary, except the
south Carolina Road, which being in
the Cnited States Court refused to
recognize Commissioner Bonhams
warrant. This delinquent assessment
is ono-fourth Of the whole salary, and
its retention causes grave cmbarrass-
mcnt.
The recommendation Of Commits
sioncr Bonham arc that all the roads
should be accurately measured and
posted, with warning boards at cross
1hgs, and warnings Of approach should
DC given at least four hundred yards
from any such crossing. Also that
the roads should publish their rate
OF freight, through and local, and post
them ut their dcpots, and that the
Commissioner be authorized to call on
the attorncy-gcncral and solicitors for
counsel and assistance.
~ list Of the accidents occurring in
the past year is given. The most
serious one, not causing death, was
that hear Ridgeway on the 18th of
August. Commissioner Bonham is
satisfied with the report made by Col.
a. Is. Palmer as to the cause of this,
and he seems to conclude that the acci
dent was ono Of those remarkable
ones that cannot be prevented. We
regret extremely that Commissioner
Bonham should have been satisfied
with these cc paate statements.
Charges of gross negligence were
made by all the passengers, and were
reiterated by TIE News AND HERALD,
and yet Commissioner Bonham never,
as far as VIC know, inquired into the
facts from any but paid officials of the
road, who arc bound to say that the
accident was unavoidable. We think
that Commissioner Bonham should
have made more diligcnt inquiry than
he did. Cumulative evidence eoino
to show rccklessncss in this case, is
found in the fact that besides this nc
cident five persons were killed at diff
tercnt times during tho year by the
Charlotte Road. There arc fourteen
roads IN the State, and thirteen per-
sons were killed on Them last year. OF
these ono road killed five, and the
other thirteen only eight altogether.
Most of tho deaths on otnor roads
were OF intoxicated individuals, but
not SO on the Charlotte Road. Twcn-
ty-sevcn failures to connect, five
homicides and one upset, ought to be
enough cumulativccviden to cause the
commissioners to seek for information
further off than at railroad hcadquar-
tors. In all accidents reported, if of
serious nature, the Commissioner
should repair to the spot and examine
d'slnterestcd witnesses, and, if ncccs-
sary to elicit tho truth, should insti-
tute proceedings against tho roads.