The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1907-07-02
!ransportation Lines Con
fess Inability to DO SO
and Plans Upset.
SHARP CRITICISM
AT MEETI NC HELD
Committee Will Look Into Mat
ter Of Bringing independent
Boats Up River-Mayor
Will Not Declare General
Holiday Yet-Much
Dissatisfaction.

Reports submitted and discussed at
Bn important meeting Of city officials
md business men held yesterdnyl AFTER
noon in the Chamber of Commerce re-
vealed n condition indicating that the I
transportation lines between this city
and Norfolk have failed utterly in theirj I
efforts to meet the demands Of the
exposition year, with probably dis
astrous results to the proposed Rich
inond Day celebration.
SO acute has the situation become,
and SO inadequatcare the facilities that
the three companies operating lines
q between Richmcnd and Norfolk can
not undertake 10 carry more than
seven thousand people from Richmond
to the exposition and back In one day. |
Even this unsatisfactory Point can be |
reached only by the use OF night boats. |
on which there is state:oom ac-
coinmodation, and by running excur-
sion trains over the Chesapeake and
& ONO Hallway with only ono ferryboat
three trains may be takcn down. the
big ferry Callahan Will be held at
Newport News until all are In and
about twenty-five hundred people will
be crowded on one boat for the trip to
the Exposition Grounds.
Ful. knowledge OF this remarkable
situation developed at meeting OF
the Joint committee of the City Coun-
oil and the Chamber of Commerce ap-
pointed to make arrangements for the
observance Of Richmond Day, July
18th. at the exposition.
No sooner had the committee ASSEM-
& bled yesterday afternoon than it was
1igaeen that the expectation Of having
Il great celebration at jamestown, will,
possibly 10000 Richmondcrs on tho
grounds. and with a. general holiday III,
the capital city for the day, was ut
4At 4 tro,, ~ Il
adequate railroad facilities and the
apparent lack OF energy on the part
OF the railroad and the steamship
lines
Meeting OF the Committee.
4 ~ rs,Eic joint committee met In the hill
OF the Chamber OF Commerce at 5
o'clock, With Mr.. Robert Lecky in the
chair. Mr. Irwin Welsiger. the gem
era manager OF the Virginia Nayiga-
tion Company, was present, and was
called upon TO say what the steam
ship company operating between RICH
inond and the exposition could do .sin
the way of transportation. Mr.. Weisi-
ger stated that by taking the Po-
St cahontas off her regular run, and lcav-
x ing Richmond about P. NJ on the
night of tho 18th, reaching the exposI-
ton pier early the following morning.
the company could carry 1.40o or l,5O0
people. The Pocahontas has no state
s rooms, however, and those taking this
trlp would be up two nights. with q
single day at the Exposition Grounds
Continuing MrNVeisiger said he wa
IN negotiation for the use5of a day boa
TO go down on "Wednesday the sev.
enteenthi and come back on Friday tn,
nineteenth, spending two days on tn.
river and one at the exposition This
BOAT, OF which he was practically as
sured, can accommodate about Nv.
hundred persons. The rate on th
might boat. without meals and state
room. would be 500 for the round trir
and on the day boat s1.5o for th
round trip. s s E n
In the absence or Mr.. NJ. C. 8Patter
con. chairman OF the committee O.
tran ansportation, Mr.. Lecky ma de a state
ment Of the results of the negotia
tons with the two steam roads be
tween Richmond and the Expositio
Grounds TIE Chesapeake and Obi
officials reported that they could handl
in one day but 2.40o people betwee
here and Newport News: and that tn
ferry steamboat Callahan had a Ii
cense to carry $500 across Hampto
Roads 1t was explained that, eac
train of ten coaches would seat abol
eight hundred. and that the roa
"a could furnish coaches for only thre
trains. and that the ferry would hav
"a
loads from all three trains
Suspend Movement of Freight.
The Norfolk and Western otlicia
reported that they could furnish cal
and transportation facilities to carr
three thousand people. and that the
trains would be taken to the Expos
ton gates.
The trip by this route, howeve
going around Norfolk. and the shiftir
necessary to reach the entrance to IL
grounds, will take nearly four hour
and in order to get there in time f
the exercises the trains would have
begin to leave Richmond at NJ a,
run ever fifteen minutes thereafter
order to handle three thousand peop
from Richmond to the exposition al
return. the Norfolk and Western a
9thorities reported the road would
compelled to abandon all freight ca
q of CreWe from the night iof the II
to the morning of the 10th. Similar
tho Chesapeake and Ohio people stat
that the excursions proposed, even wi
tho limited number Of people-on
P4oo--would SO cripple their line frc
s here to Newport News, that they cou
S handle no freight for a period of TIVE
" tyrfcur hours.
u In addition, It was reported that
have this small crowd on Richmo
HI Day. it would be necessary to bri
empty coaches from as far West
Cincinnati
Members OF the COMMITTEES freely c
pressed the opinion that the railro
and steamship lines have made
genuine effort to handle the expo
ton business, and much dissatisfacti
was evident over the fact that
crowd on Richmond Day would ha
to be so severely. limited
May Hiring independent Bonts.
e The committee on transportation "
Instructed to .nquiresin Norfolk a
q other places with reference to the fel
ibllity Of bringing several largo4stea
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