The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1904-01-01

For several years the c1uZenS Oh
Wilmington have endured the in
adequate freight and passenger ser
vice given this city by h Seaboard
Air Line railroad. 1t has been ex-
officials of the road would change
their policy and give this city better
accommodations. Instead of the
facilities being improved they have
constantly grown worse until thew
have reached a point at which the
public says a change must be made.
A meeting of the Chamber of Com
merce has been called for $3.50 this
afternoon at which meeting a formal
protest will be entered against the
Seabeard Air Lines policy towards
this city and that followed by neces-
sary action to insure the proper
service.
The of the Seaboard in
this city nave fallen off nearly SO
per cent. within the last five years
n this has been due 10 nothing else
than the inadequate service given by
the road.
1HS lIdChS VI Tie IOdu III I0dIy
places are in ar awful condition and
ther,. are il to he several side
tracks in this ii ' which IL is dan-
gerou to run an engine over.
A few days g a representative OF
The Messenger interviewed Mr.. Will
hanson, the genera1 agent of the
Seaboard in this city, and hat gen.
tieman stated that he thought the
facilities adequate to handle the bus
Einaoo fpn-o TVilroinnfaD Tbo h,,cinnco
men say the facilities are not
adequate, and they know from ex-
perience whereof they speak.
There is a law in this state re-
curing a railroad company to get
permission from the corporation COM
mission before they can discontinue
a flag stop which has been observed
for more than twelve months. Some
time ago the Seaboaru, without get
ting any permission whatever from
the corporation commission, issued
an order discontinuing many of the
flag stations between here and Ham
let Some of the stations had been
established for more than twenty-five
years. The Chamber Of Commerce,
OF this city, several weeks ago in be-
half Of the citizens along the Sea-
board road, asked the corporation
commission to issue an order COM
pCAlll6 LIIC ~
these stations. The matter is now
before the corporation commission
and an answer is expected at any
time.
1t Is said by leading shippers that
the greatest Indifference prevails as
to the shipment of freight. Goods
shipped to points just north of Ham
let are said to be en- route anywhere
from one to two weeks, when it
L- g. &c., Nh
freight service is not the only griev-
ance. The passenger service is equal
~ bad or worse. At the present time
there Is only one passenger train on
this road. IT reaches here from
Charlotte at about 1 o'clock in the
afternoon and returning leaves here
at ais p. m. What the people want
is another train. One that will leave
here early in the morning and return
in the afternoon. There is a mixed
train which Is u to reach here at
700 o'clock in the morning. but it
is never run on schedule time, gen
orally reaching here anywhere from
one to five o'clock in the afternoon.
The same thing is true of the mixed
train returning to Hamlet
When n railroad is granted a char
ter in a state it is under reciprocal
conditions. The railroad agrees to
give Unc puOiIC. dlOnS It's EouIe SdtiS-
factory service, and in return for this
the state agrees not to grant a char-
ter to an opposing line which. will
conflict with the roads business.
Many think that the Seaboard should
forfeit its charter as the service main
tanned by that Dad IA been any
thing M adequate.
Wilmington voted $780, 600 to assist
in building the Carolina Central road,
ut present controlled by the Sea-
board. md in view of this the citizens
think that they at least should be
given q reasonable service and their
rights no entirely ignored.
Now that the business men have
decided to take some action in re-
gard n this matter it is sincerely
hoped that they will enforce their
demands. which it is in their power
facilities for handling their ship
ments. The public wants better pas
sengcr ~~erviCe, and the people liv-
ing along the route Of the Seaboard
from H~Ua 70 Hamlet. wish not only
better freight and passenger service.
but tho want discontinued flag sta
tions re~-established. 1t is no more
thar right that the railroad should
grant these concessions, but they are
not really concessions, they are the
peoples rights.
The - sting this afternoon will be
an exceedingly important one and
all the ~aembers of the board are re-
quests1 - be present.