The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1906-03-07
LATE TRAINS ON THE G. & G..
CONGRESSMAN Aiken Takes Up the
Matter with Vice President


trains and has written to Col. A. B
Andrews, vice President of the South
ern. One OF the main kicks seems II
be on train No. II. which Mr.. Aikel
claims is always late between New
berry and Greenville and especially be
tween Greenwo cd and Greenville, us
ually missing connection with trair
No. SO from Atlanta to Washington.
One point which he makes is that
No. II ia held under orders as long al
six hours at Columbia to make con
nection with train No. l3 from
Charleston, but that the mail from
this train does not compare with tina
taken up by No. II for No. SO. H'
saws the bulk of the mail from Char
lesion comes up on No. Is, leaving tina
city ats. 80 a. m.
Still another thing that Mr.. Aiken
wants is heavier rails and better en-
gines on the Columbia & Greenville
division.
His letter follows:
Washington Feb. 30
Col. A. B. Andrews,
Washington, D. G. :,
NV Dear Colonel: You may recall
our Conversation last week concerning
schedule on train NJ. IL, west bound
on the Columbia & Greenvile division
of the Southern railway. AT tha
time you suggested that 1 write you,
letter about the matter and 1 take
pleasure now in writing you.
have several dozens of letters o.
COMPLAINT from people living along the
line of the C. & G.. road, especially
from Newberry to lGreeDville, and
more especially from Greenwood to
Greenville. I have been urged time
and again to take this matter up with
the postoffice department t, but think
| il n othing but right and fair that l
call attention of the railroad company
to the poor schedules on this train be.
fore saying anything TO the pos1omce
authorities about 1t.
Train No. II is never on time. In
fact, doubt if that train has been on
time six times during the past two
wears, and it almost Invariably fails to
Connect at Greenville with train No. 3S
on the main line from Atlanta to
Washington, which train carries the
mail. and of course this mail from doz.
ems Of banks. business houses and cot
ton mills Is delayed at least IL hours
! in it's transit north. Train No. II
misses connection at Greenville about
half the time with No. 40 on the main
line going north and if people desir-
ing to 70 north over the Southern
want to catch either one of those trains
they are almost compelled to 60 to
Greenville on the morning train and
lose five or six hours there waiting fol
the train from Atlanta to Washington.
The result is that as many az can con.
veniently conpect with the Seaboard
at A pbeville or Greenwood or Clinton
90 over that road. These many fail
ures to make connection have worked
q great inconvenience and loss of time
and money to the travelling public al
almost every point in upper South
Carolina, and l do think that the
ISouthern might be little more con-
|siderate of these good people and lei
their connections below Columbia 60
because the bulk of the travel and busi'
ness on this train Is furnished by the
people who live In the q. q G. terri
tory.
1have been reliably informed thai
the conductors on train No. IL have
orders to wait as long as six hours al
Columbia on No. IS from Charleston
and I hear, too, that 1t is on account
lof the mail on that train, but the mai
that they get at Columbia from No. Il
does not begin to compare with the
mail that the G. g. g. No. IL has tc
handle for No. 38 at Greenville, to say
nothing of the other connections al
Greenwood and Greeenville. It looks
to me that the Southern management
are straining at gnat and swallowing
q camel about this No. II schedule. II
ia almost impossible for any one In thai
section to leave home In the afternoon
and catch No. II on the main line 60
ing to Atlanta, either at Greenville Of
Seneca.
The bulk of the mail for upper
ISouth Carolina from Charleston and
that section below Columbia gees tc
the up country on train No. Is out o.
Charleston, which leaves there abou
$50 q. M, and the mail accommodating
for No. .13 from Charleston, 7.3O a. IN.
Ia 80 small that it does not amount tC
much, for people do not mail anything
between $50 and 7.3O a. m. worth
lspoakipg Of. =,
/ have been informed that No. II
frequently has orders to wait in Co.
|lumbia for No. as from Charlotte and
also for q Branchyille connection on
Charleston road, and it does seem te
me that the people in the section oi
country who almost keep up the G. 4
G. road should be treated with little
more consideration than they are now
receiving. There Is no complaint about
trains No IL, Is and l8, because their
schedules are generally we'll main,
tanned: but No. II is simply awful. ]
speak from experience, becanse, time
and time again have missed all con,
nections at Greenwood, Greenvllle and
Seneca, and have been greatly incon.
venienced thereby. 1t is great won
der to me that some Of the travelling
public do not enter suit against the
road for advertising a schedule thai
they never maintain.
trust that you will bear in mind
that am friend of The road and am
not kicker, but If you and the good
people who manage this property had
to suffer the inconvenience of travel
caused by the daily delays of No. II to
men, women and children, old and
young, sick and well, l believe that
YOU would take steps Immediately to
correct this unbearable state of affairs.
Whatever you may do for US will be
Ieverlastingly appreciated and will be
gratefully remembered.
no NOT you think it about time that