Litchfield enquirer., 1879-03-06
Shepaug Railroad Management.

| missioner Dutton, and for the term ef three years beginning next July.
 Shepaug Railroad Management. ED. ENQ.-Much has been written by your Washington correspondents refecting upon the management of the Shepaug railroad, for ''lack of ordinary enterprise &c. in not run ming special trains, and locomotives, to secure more prompt transportation of passengers and mails to Washington in cases of accident, caus- ing detention of regular trains. A few facts and figures may be of interest in this connec- tion. They must be cheerful reading to those l interested in the road, and should be of spe- cial interest to the enterprizing proprietor of the ''old stage line to New Milford" which your correspondent says, is to be put on, Eff a mail contract can be obtained" 1 say ''en- terprizing;" as suppose of course the Wash stage line" The receipts of the Shepaug compa ny from passengers to and from Washington, both on, and off the road at Hawleyville, were for the month of January, less than one dollar per day. The receipts from focal travel to and from Washington, both up down the road, were only about half that amount It must not be presumed that the company will allow such a lucrative business to slip through their fingers to a competing line, without nlak- ing some feeble efforts to hold it, either by re- trains.
 In all fairness, it should perhaps be stated that the above is about far sample of the entire passenger traffic on the line during the winter, and some of the spring months. Not long since the selectmen of several towns on the Naugatuck road petitioned the railroad commissioners to compel either the Naugatuck or the New York and New England road, to make certain changes, or run extra trains, to meet the requirements of travel going east 0ia Waterbury. The commissioners gave two full hearings, and the evidence showed that the amount of travel going East, when brought to daily average, was so very small as not to justify the commissioners in requiring either of the roads to incur any additional expense to meet it. The fact is, few passengers can make great deal of noise, while freight can- not talk, but moves along quietly, paying it's way. It is unquestonably true of all the greater mileage than they can afford on ac- count of their passenger business
 Now, few words in regard to the U. $. mails The company appropriate considera- ble space in car fitted up for that special ser vice. and transport the mails and route-agent, making two trips over the road each day, and receive for the entire service about four dol lars per day; and will add for the special satisfaction of grumblers. that even that com pensation is sometimes withheld, when there is failure to perform the service. In view of the fact that if the company were not In re- ceipt of more than one hundred dollars per day, from some source the road could not be maintained, or trains run at all, the managers | ought perhaps to be excused for giving some attention to other interests beside passengers and mails.
 | The time of delay to passengers and mails was greatly mis-stated by your correspondent, and there was an emission to mention the fact that there has been no interruption at all, in | making connections at Hawleyville, with pas 1 sengers and mails down. In fact the road has not failed from the derailment of cars in it's it's connections, for period of about three years, until the recent slight trouhle and de. lay to trains up, which has been made SC | @f la,s d.. of the public, and have every motive for doing all in their power to merit it, and increase its business as rapidly as possible. If any of its patrons has any good ground for complaint against it's agents and employees, and will in form it's officers, the matter shall have premp attention. These facts are given once fer all as set-off to all the slurs and false charge. which have been written and printed during several years past, in regard to the Shepau2 road, and it's management. c.
 The up train on the shepaug railroad or Monday of last week, failed to stop at the de pot for mails or passengers. There appeared to be a little difficulty between the train mer and the station agent, owing to his leaving some freight cars out on the main track ane the necessary switching them into place de layed the train already quite late. This troubl. offended those in charge of the train, and they chose to punish the public in consequence b! running past the station without stopping. =
 Washington correspondence .tor the Enquirer Feb. 27M.
 The .facts are as follows:
 1st.-There was no difficulty whatever be tween the station agent and train men.
 2nd.-The train did stop at the station anc delivered passengers and express.
 
 3rd.-The failure to put on the mail was no the fault of the train men, and was unknown to them until the train had left the station. The statement that the train was late
 true, it having been delayed by train on ar other road. c. H. PLArT, Supt.
 Litchfield, March 3rd