The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1904-01-12
EFFORT MADE
Ua Get Pennsylvania System TO hun
T,zfus Out OF New York 50 Alh-
EarIter-PostOlnce Authorities
objected-southern Maintains That
r,er Farmer Schedule Was Dan
-erou-Matter to be Heard Be
fore the Corporation Commission
Tuesday, January 12u-

The corporation commission has
named Tuesday. January the 18TH a.
the date for a hearing from the
and Atlantic Coast Line Of
fciais az to the Selma connection.
Tt will be remembered that the
Southern changed their schedule
several month Ago., making their
westbound train, No. 135, leave
Selma thirty minutes earlier than
the old schedule. The southern
claimed tina they made this change
for the safety of the travelling public
and to make certain their connec-
tons at Greensboro with southbound
trains
The Southern maintained hat the
old schedule required the trains be-
tween Selma and Greensboro to make
so miles per hour.
After hearing the assertions made
by the Southern the corporation COM
mission communicated with the At
lantic Coast Line officials giving the
proposed schedules as arranged by
the Southern. The communication
was accompanied by the following
letter from Mr.. H c. Brown. clerk
of the corporation commission:
"ThiS proposed change in the
schedule of the trains of the South
ern railway appears to the commits
sion to be reasonable, and 1 am di-
rected to ask if you can not have
your train 80 q~uickened so as to
reach Selma at 2:25 p. m. instead Of
2:56 p. m. in order to make the con
nection with the Southern railway
ais at present"
The Coast Lines reply TO this COM
munication was that the matter would
be considered. On December 9Th the
officials OF both roads were ordered
to appear before the commission.
Rhe authorities of both roads ap-
peared on the day named and the
S was argued. The result was the
issuing of an order by the commits
sion requiring the Coast Line to ar
range their schedule SO that their
afternoon train would reach Selma
at 1925 instead of $50.
The Coast Line filed exceptions to
this ruling and the matter will be
heard again next Tuesday.
An official of the Atlantic Coast
Line was interviewed by a ~represen-
VI IN "SSSOh6SA -
to the connection. 1t was
learned thai the present schedule OF
the train under discussion Is more
40 miles per hour and that
under the existing conditions it is
impossible to arrange the schedule
that the train will each Selma
at 2:25 instead of 1850.
This is a through train running
from New York to Florida n it is
stated thai it would be impossible
to cause the train TO reach Selma
unless it started from New
earlier. The train comes via
York and representatives Of the
Line recently conferred with
the officials of the Pennsylvania sys-
tenn in regard to arranging their
so that the train would
New York 80 minutes earlier,
owing to objections on the part
OF the p~ostoffice department and the
express company, the schedule could
be changed This train is one
the heaviest mail trains coming
South and the ~postoffice department
has to be consulted before the sched-
1ie of q mail train can be changed.
1t is we'll nigh impossible for the
Coast Line to maintain their present
schedule. Records of the arrival of
SO at Selma from August LIST to
10th, show that it averaged
being late "a minutes daily.
The present schedule of the Coast
Line has been in effect for the past
ten years and it is said that II has
been found extremely difficult to
maintain the existing schedule under
most favorable conditions.
The Southern's train, No. 135, has
- -- C1I-,a FOR SnuprQl wears
lnder the old schedule and 1t has
never proved dangerous. nor has this
often missed connection at
with the southbound
trains. At the present time the
Southern has very poor equipment on
road running from Greensboro
to Goidsboro and 1t is not so mucn
a. matter of a dangerously fast
as it is one Of inadequate
This road is one of the
best feeders the Southern has. II
Southern had engines or the
proper capacity there would be no
trouble in maintaining the former
schedule, but most of the engines
,se6 are too small to pull the heavy
trains.
The Southern has had fewer accf-
dents TO their passenger trains on the
p Observation-Disclosures Line than n 9TH
er road they own. That is according
TO the number of trains run daily.
the past few years there have
only two accidents to passenger
trains and both OF these happened
when the trains were running at a re-
rate Of speed
The connection under the old
schedule was not entirely satisfactory.
but still IL was far preferable to the
present arrangement Their Is no
reason why the Southern should not
maintain its former schedule.