The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1903-07-16
Among the Railroads.

A Saluda correspondent of the Asheville
Citizen gives the following graphic ac-
count of the railroad wreck on Sunday
morning on the Asheville and Spartan
burg division of the Southern:
"At clock Sunday morning, near thir-
ty-three mile post, eastbound freight tram
No. so jumped the track, completely de-
molishing engine 440 and thirteen coal cars
loaded with coal and derailing three box
cars loaded with cotton and eggs. The
train ran away down Saluda mountain,
and when it struck a curve about fifteen
yards west of Joel's branch trestle and
about one mile and half east OF Saluda,
the engine took to the woods, plough1ng
through trees and earth, making great
ditch as it went. The engine lies com
plete wreck fifty yards from the track.
The tender was thrown ten feet from the
engine, the bell and throttle were torn
from the engine and were found fifteen
feet away. The air drums We're stripped
from the engine and scattered in all direc-
lions. The coal cars are nothing more
nor less than splinters. Trucks, coal, wood
and masses of iron are heaped upon each
other like a great scrap pile and makes
one think of some great destruction OF an
cient times. One wheel was seen lying
off to one side with the axle bent double
One pair Of trucks is lying on the bank
of Joel's creek rs yards from the track.
Along the track between Saluda and the
wreck the roadbed is swept as clean as II 1T
had been swept with broom, and where
the tender rolled away from the engine
several locust saplings are trimmed up
from bottom to top and are bent over and
remind one of a great crowd weeping
for some lost one at the grave. The train
started to run away from top OF Saluda
mountain, caused by it is supposed, some
tramps cutting the air out from the cars
Just before the train pulled over the top
of the grade at Saluda and after train
pulled over grade Engineer Ballew applied
the air which had no effect whatever on the
cars, and after several applications of the
air with no good results Engineer Ballew
and Fireman Dougherty jumped from the
engine and let her go, followed by all
the brakemen except one who stayed on
the train with Conductor Erwin. Con
ductor Erwin showed himself to be a man
of great presence OF mind.
There is a marked disposition to place
companies In a class by
themselves for purposes OF taxation and
regulation. And to this has been added
within the last year or two, decided
tendency to provide for general assess
ment of these properties by central
board, rather than ~ numerous local as
SCISSORS The upholding of our franchise
tax law, with its valuations by the State
Board of Assessors, is, OF course, the
most notable instance of this KIND. In
Colorado. also, the courts have declared
valid the assessment of the property of
railroads within the State made by the
State Board OF Equalization, though dis
puted by the corporations on Constitu-
tional grounds. Iowa has a new statute
requiring railway companies to report
earnings to an executive council "a State
body, upon which the duty of assess
ing the property of transportation COM
panies is imposed. Similar statutes have
been passed in Minnesota, Mississippi,
and Rhode Island.-New York Evening
Post.
The preliminary statement of the opera
ton of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad
Company for the fiscal year ended June
80, 1903, shows that the past year was the
most prosperous in the history OF the
corporation. and bears out the optimistic
predictions of Messrs. John K Cowen and
Oscar G. Murray, who piloted the proper
ty through the receivership and estab
lished it upon sound and modern basis.
The total revenue from traffic for twelve
months exceeded $63, 499 900, which is more
than S., 100000 in excess of the figures for
the corresponding period year ago. Net
earnings exceeded 1878, 900. an increase
of more than 1929, 900. This is, indeed,
a fiattering showing for system which
a few years ago was hopelessly bank |
rupt.
Wingate now has a good depot which
is convenience that town has greatly
needed for a long time. In surveying the
railroad near Camden S. c., the com
pany came in contact with trouble in get
ting the right-ofway across the land of
an old lady She stubbornly refused to
give the right of way unless the rail
road company built depot on her land,
which they finally agreed to do, and
the depot was built in the woods-on her
land. And there it stood alone for about
year. There was no earthly use for it.
and never had been-except to get the
old lady's signature to the right of way.
Even the shavlngs were never swept out