The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1904-04-28
A. C. |. Officials Say Or
der is ImpracticabIe.
SLIGHT TILT IN COURT
Expert Smith Would not Say if Av-
erage value of Locomotives, $3,-
100, in Tax Returns, was
Correct or not. New Ones
Will Cost $4,000.

Yesterday was solid day of expert
testimony in the Selma Connection
case. The Atlantic Coast Line put on
General Superintendent E. Borden,
Assistant to General Manager r. E.
Smith and Traffic Manager H. M.
Emerson. Mr.. Borden was on the
stand the entire morning and for a
few minutes after recess. The bur
den of his testimony was that it would
be physically impracticable to run the
new train to Selma from Rocky Mount
as ordered by the Corporation Com
mission, but he admitted that the
breaking of the connection was due
at least in part to the repeated fail
ure of the Atlantic Coast Line to ar
rive on time at Selma to connect with
the Southern westbound train. Mr..
Smith testified that it would cost
$43.01 day to run an additional train
from Rocky Mount to Selma and back
again, or 75c. mile. The estimated
cost of operating the entire system, he
stated, was $1.02 mile per day, but
he was unable to reply to Mr. Busbee's
! questions asking for the items that
went to make UP that figure. 1t was
obtained, he said, by taking the whole
cost of operating the road and dividing
|
! Smith was able to answer very few
! of Mr.. Busbee's questions. Mr.. Emer-
/ son was called shortly before court
| adjourned for the day and testified
as to the passenger rates and the
amount of truck carried to the New
| York market and the rules of that
! market.
/ Just before court adjourned Judge
| Brown announced that he would con-
| slider as admitted by the order itself
| of the Corporation Commission the
| impracticability of No. 39 the ATTAIN
! tic Coast Line through southbound
| train, making the connection at selma.
| Immediately after court convened at
/ half past nine o'clock yesterday
morning, the Corporation Commission
! offered the official report of the earn
! ings of the road from passenger traf-
| 'fc The railroad objected to that be-
/ ing read, and objected to it as eVi-
| dence. Judge Brown TOOK the mattef
under consideration.
The General Superintendent.
| Mr.. E. Borden was called first by
! the railroad. General superintendent
| of Transportation since 1891, head
quarters at Wilmington. Would 1T be
! physically practicable to run the new
| train as ordered by the Commission?
| No. Before leaving Rocky Mount,
| they must wait for 40, which reaches
! Rocky Mount at 1880, but it has been
usually 10 or Is minutes late. IT.
starting point is Norfolk, where 1t has
| boat connection with the Cape Charles
route, the New York route. If they
| did not wait for that train, the new
train would not do the people on the
road from Norfolk to Rocky Mount
| any good, or from Rocky Mount to
Selma. Even if the new train should
! leave Rocky Mount on time, there
would be many difficulties. They
would have to figure from Elm City.
or the speed from there TO Selma
would be too great, The new train
would meet two passenger trains be-
tween stations and the southbound
would have to wait. Then there would
be at least four freight trains. New
train would meet first passenger train
at Elm City at 1:31, and could not
! leave Elm City till after that That
leaves 81 minutes to go the remaining
| 81 miles At Micro meets No. 4O,
northbound mali. That has not
been on time always, and under the
rules the new train would have to
wait. No turntable at Selma; would
/ have to go to Selma, four and one-halt
! miles away. Would meet 2l2, freight,
! i'm or sections between Micro and
! Kenly. No. 212 would have to wait at
| Micro, and then be too tate to meet
! No. SO at Kenly. This would apply to
! all sections No. 212 and No. 208 must
meet the conditions of the markets,
else it would be disastrous to the ship
| pers The delay at Micro would be 40
minutes or more. Truck train reaches
New York at about or in the even
ing. Market closes at one a. m. An
other road has the right to run trains
between Rocky Mount and Selma. The
piece OF track from Contentnea To
Rocky Mount is the most congeSted
piece of track witness knew of IN
North Carolina. Farther on to Selma
it is a very busy track, also.
Mr.. Borden, at the request OF MI
Pou, explained to the jury diagram
of the trains and track from Rocky
Mount to Selma.
In all, between Contentnca and
Rocky Mount, there are about so
trains day during January. February
and March. The cost of building
turn-tab would be about SO 500. An
engine could be turned in about five
minutes. To make the connection for
Spring Hope they must get back TO
Rocky Mount by 1855. Passengers
that had bought tickets at points on
the 4. G.. l.. for points on the South
ern from March Goth to April goth,
averaged about II day.
Several times during Mr. Pou's ex-
animation of Mr.. Borden, counsel for
the Commission objected to the
method of examination, saying 1t was
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