The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1904-12-14

The famous selma Connection"
case. which has been pending either
before the Corporation Commission OF
in the courts for mere than wear
was decided in the Supreme Court
Yesterday in favor OF the Corporation
Commission as against the contention
of the Atlantic Coast Line that tie
requiremont Of the Commission that
At provide an afternoon connection
FOR its passengers from Eastern North
Carolina at Selsra II The afternoon
was oppressive IL the road and y h
out the power OF the Commission
TIE eject uf th5 decision IS 10
furnish 10 the large number Of p O.
ple m Eastern North Carolina 40
are desirous of going To the cerit.ti
or western pc. ton of the State ~ a.
sonably convenient schedule and " :
tern connection With the Souihe IN
Railway at Scima.
Il viii mean much TO Raleigh. Wnl.
has suffered to no small extent , !
reason of the inconvenience of travel
10 the capital city by people from
the eastern section of the state.
BRIEF statement OF the Case.
The contention as To the schedule
arose as long ago as the l1th day of
october. 1913. prior - which tiIae tn"
coast Line. had maintained for mum
bcr OF years Il connection With the
southern Railway al Selma at 100 IA
the afternoon. Fer Il year or SO neiofe
that date the connection between the
two roads had been very irregular ont
after that day the Southern road on
account Of the ad condition of lis
- ..I Sah al
IcDytng Coldsboro one half hour earl
ier. this breaking the connection NJ
Selma entirely and rendering tfaVel
nv the people Of the Eastern and Cen
trail portion OF the State TO fsalelSh ana
pointS Vest extremely snconNemeni.
ON the Sth of December, 1903. the
Corporation Commission made an ~
de, recurring the Atlantic Coast Line
10 run Il train which should reacn
Selma at s.35 in the afternoon III
stead of at $50 and requiring tie
Southern road to wait fifteen minutes
for messengers due on that tram on
netition 81 the \. c. l.. this order VI
suspended OH the lSth of December 10
give the two roads interested an op-
portunity 10 tie and argue exceptions.
'rhe matter was fully gone into hy
the Commission on January loth ~
this wear and on January 18TH the
Commission made another oroer re-
uuiring that Il train be run .froft
Rocky Mount Ia reach selma ~ Ia
I'm the afternoon and that the south
eru Railway should wait for passen-
gers for fifteen minutes when that
train should be late. This order was
made TO go into effect on January
26th. tsas aud the Southern Rail
way ti!ed ne exceptions. The coast
Line however, fled five exceptions, !.
that il was not practicable TO make
Inn At
tha run of either its Springhope u
plymouth train: :, that ii would he
unavoidable and a loss FOR II 10 mako
the connection by putting on an addi-
rional tlain from Rocky Mount -
Selna; Srd that the COMMISSION n9d
no lower to require II 10 put on eS-
ira trains. ith, that it MAS not nrac-
ficabIe tn make the connection VIII
out nuttinss on an extra train; 1nd
sth. thitt the order WAS unreaSoha9le
because. messengers from lsocNy Noun
could make connection ut Goiusoofo
~ 6;5H L. m or at Selma On aiS.lt
train over the Southern. or the% "outd
40 to Weldon and thence 10 kalei;,h
over me Seahoard road. l. was SHOWN
by the record that before the hrsaNli
81 The Selma connection at 2ssa, the
defendant road transported datiy =
passengers for the Southern at SeiAna.
and that after Il was broken the aver
age was only two II was also shown
that the average number was probably
largely IN excess of twelve pasSep-
gers.
THESE exceptions were heard upon
evidence by the Commission an the
End Of February and on the 18th me
Commission found that passengers
ought neither To be required to co n
much longer distance around hv Vel
don nor 10 make connection at ,lprca
sonehle hours al Cioldsbora (9.5n 2.
m.l nor To take night train oil u.
nIA connection at Selma when a fay
minutes .uickaned time would main
tain the connection which had been
made al Selma. in the early afternoon
Tor more thar ten years. The Com
mission also found that the defendant
cou'd make the connections II i
chose. oy offending the run If IT'S
SpiiaGhope train which. comm. down