The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1903-03-17
Raleigh Committees Confer
With Road Officials,
"SH00FLY"F WELDON
General Passenger Agent c. B. Ryan and ST.
perintendent Hicks Give Great Encourage
ment 10 Representative Business Men
of Raleigh Who Met Them.

1hiS Shoo Fly Is 10 come from w el-
don, reaching Raleigh between nine and
ten o'clock each morning and returning
in the afternoon.
1t is a train that the people along the
line are anxious to get as well as the
people of Raleigh 1t is a train that It
needed and if indications are anything, 1t
looks as if the need will be filed
A body of Raleigh business men, com
mittecs from the Chamber f Commerce
and the Merchants Association of Raj
eigh, met by appointment yesterday Mr.
c. Il. Ryan. of Portsmouth, the General
Passenger Agent of the Seaboard and
Superintendent Hicks, of the First Divi-
sion, and presented to these gentlemen
the need of this train.
After full discussion of the subject,
and as the meeting closed, Mr.. Ryan made
this significant remark Il will submit
this matter to General Manager Barr
with recommendation, and 1 hope to
meet your wishes.
The Joint committee met with the Sea-
board officials at the Halifax street office
of the Seaboard Air Line, Mr.. Joseph p.
Pogue being made chairman. The COM
mittee from the Merchants Association
was Jos. F. Ferrall, chairman; George F.
Hunter, Walter Woollcott, John r. Fer
rail-, Sherwood Higgs, N. A. Dunn, t. i.
Jerman and Lynn Wilder, while the COM
mittee from the Chamber of Commerce
was Joseph f. Pogue, chairman; Jesse G.
Ball, Sherwood Higgs and c.. B. Hart.
President +. T. Ward of the Chamber
of Commerce and President e. l.. Harris,
-. leo,
with the committees. Thee was also
present Prof J. B. Carlisle and Mr.. ID. e.
Gill, of Wake Forest, representing that
place.
The members of the committee being
presented to Messrs. Ryan and Hicks BY
Mr.. Sherwood Higgs the opening remarks
OF the conference were made by Mr. ].
T.. Pogue. He spoke of the interest the
city took in the Sea board system and ey-
planned to the Seaboard officials that the
committee present in its requests repre-
scented the entire city of Raleigh, having
on it men prominent in the business
world, large shippers over the road
He purged the practicability of the
train asked for and called attention to
the presence of Prof. Carlisle and Mr..
Gill. who had with them petitions from
five to six hundred people along the Sea-
board line between Raleigh and Norlina,
asking for the train. He told of a similar
train run years ago by the old Raleigh
and CASTOR, and said that the develop
ment of the territory and the road since
that time meant that it would be even
a greater success now
In closing he alluded to the fact tina
the Seaboard had been through a cru
chile but had grown to be a great sys-
@l.0t 1t,
cent legislation, would soon be Greater
Raleigh" with larger business and an
urgent need for the train which it was
seeking
Mr.. Sherwood Higgs next spoke most
effectively. He presented the petitions
brought by Prof. Carlisle and Mr. Gill
and said that Raleigh's petition was its
city directory. He said that the in
creased local business in passenger traf-
fc by means of the train would mean
large freight business to the Seaboard
and presented data showing that the ter
ritory for which these trains were asked
embraced 10000 people Raleigh. be-
cause of its size and its friendly interest
in the Seaboard, should have these trains
He also presented data showing the
large amount of Seaboard receipts here
as indication of the interest the bust
ness men of Raleigh had in the Seaboard
He presented the needs for the new train
admirably.
Mr. T.. L. Harris, president of the
Chamber of Commerce, next spoke. He
said that it was embarrassing to discuss
the. matter with men who were the
masters of the situation and who knew
of the matter of the train paying them
as an investfent. He dwelt particularly
h., e r.;
that Raleigh favored the Seaboard, and
was its friend. If the Seaboard did not
show its appreciation for this, he said
that the people here would grow indif-
fercnt. Il am satisfied he said, that
the people of Raleigh are for the Sea-
board and that they viii give you all
the business possible" The great diff
Guilty the road had in securing freights,
he told them, was because of the fierce
competition of the Southern and urged
that the interest shown in Raleigh ny
putting on this train would aid the Sea-
board
continuing he said that if nothing more
imam a trial of this train was made that
IL would help that the people would not
want the road to run it at a loss and if
TINS proved so the road would not be
urged to keep it going
Frot. carlisle was next heard He
SPOKE OF Wake Forests interest in the
Seaooard and of the fact that Wake For
est was the only male college entirely
on the seaboard Air Line. His people
wanted this train and the town of Wake
Forest had grown, making it an impor
tant point. In 1890 it's population was
put at SEQ but now with its mill village
il reached about 1900. He expressed his
conviction that the train would greatly
Increase business and said this would be
fully 80 per cent. He told of the pat
ronage Of the road by the people of
Wake Forest and by the students of
Wake Forest College. saying in CLOSING