The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1891-05-05
RAIL AND CaOssrIE.

Soliciting Agent Lane Of the Central rail-
road was up from Americas to help the boys
out during the May week rush.
The work a. the st. Marys end of the
Waycross Airline, which was suspended a
short time, has been resumed under the
direction OF the chief engineer instead Of the
contractor.
The New York Herald says the FIRST
mortgage bonds of the Alabama Midland
railroad, amounting to 90, 800 900, have been
defaulted upon, and have been purchased by
President II. B. Plant, Of the PlaDt system.
The interest on the bonds, amounting to
$500 payable by the Metropolitan Trust
Company of New York, was due last Fri
day. When the representatives of the bond
holders presented their coupons at the trust
company's Office payment was refused and
they were sent to Mr.. Plants Office for the
interest. The coupons, of course, were
cashaole at their face value, but when
cashed by Mr.. Plant we're not Cancelled, but
were held by him as a lien against the
property. The issue involved, which,
the Herald says, is 10 come up in the courts,
is whether first mortgage bond is really
at law lien on the property that it is sup
oosed to be. 1t is claimed that the proceed
ing is to effect scaling down of the interest
ON the bonds from per cent. TO DER cent.
This is what the Columbia State says
about the South Bound: "The South
Bound railroad will be completed by the
middle Of next September, and now is the
time for Columbians to stir themselves and
build fine winter hotel for the northern
tourists to Florida. All the grading and
track-laying on the Georgia side of the Sa-
vannah river is finished, and within the
next ten days that portion of the road
thlrty-six miles-will be ready for traffic.
All the depots and stations will be COM
pleted along this portion by May Is. The
l,.sIz 4. A.. Il
| completed by Aug. l at the latest.
The construction force of expert
| bridge builders are hard at work,
| and thestructure is rapidly assuming its
| handsome proportions. In South Carolina
he grading Of the road for twenty six
| miles is finished and Is ready for the mails
| The track is now on seven miles of it, and
| the remaining nineteen miles of the Sec
| ton will be laid by June l. The balance of
| the grading in this state is in such an ad-
| vanced condition as to warrant the state
| ;nent that by July ninety miles of the
| line will be finished. The remaining fifty
miles will be in such condition as to per-
| nit of steady laying from that time on.
| All depots aud station houses are being
| erected as rapidly as the track is laid, so
| that there can be no possible delay in oper-
| at:ng the road. Now, when will Columbia
| be ready with hotel accommodations for
| those who may be inclined to stop over in
| Cardinals capital9 And this question ia one
| that should be answered. The road is
shorter than any other, and the trains will,
| no doubt, bring the largest proportion of
| northern visitors. Columbia capitalists
| should consider the matter at once"
The Age of Steel has this to say Eof rail-
road charities: Railroads, in general
sense, are not supposed to be gilt-edged in
| their morals and methods. Popular pref
udice declines to expect that anything good
can come out OF the railway Nazareth. The
Importance of railroads in the economy of
modern civilization cannot easily be over
| rated, and the science of management is
one of the most critical and complicated of
any business in modern times. There are
LIS of these railroad corporations in the
| United States they control $50 900 miles Of
road and have a pay roll of $50, 912 persons.
| Of these us roads, about 600 practically
| control the freight and passenger traffic of
the country; 149 of these furnish houses to
| trackmen, watchmen and section hands; 10
maintein beneficiary institutions for their
| employees; Is contribute to outside institu-
tions; 20 to branches of the Young Men g
Christian Association; 81 to hospitals; l has
| system of pensions for old and disabled
workmen; some have reading rooms and
some provide meals for their men on the
basis Of cost. In the matter of temperance,
375 roads prohibit the use of Intoxicating
| drinks These facts are scarcely consistent
with the general notion that soulless Shy
lock presides in railroad management and
the devil is engaged on pay-rolls and
time tables. In the morale Of Che employees
there is an evident move up the ladder.
They are helping themselves by thift and
foresight on a.broader scale than is 'gener-
ally imagined. The life insurance depart
ment of the Brotherhood of Locomotive
Engineers has paid 81, 500,0 900 to widows
and orphans, and has done some good
evangeizing work by insisting on temper
ance and expelling during last year 375 men,
bers for intoxication. The Order of Rails
| way Conductors is as admirably and strictly
managed. Swiochmen have their organi-
zation, and in t0ct every brauca OF railroad
service has its benefit association. w hen
we consider the vastness Of railway inter
ests, and their continual distribution, and
their almost enfI1sss ramidoatious into every
accessible area Of the hemisphere, the facts
we have stated are 70 their credit, and no
| invalidated or second hand influence in the
nations good, in economies, morals and
business.