The free lance. (Fredericksburg, Va.) 1885-1926, 1910-03-24
NO RIVER BOAT
Md Del. & Va Ry. Co. Answer
Petitioners.
REASONS ASSIGNED FOR ACTION


Mr.. w. l.. Brannan. of this city. and
Mr.. Robt Beverley. Of Essex county.
have received from the Md, Del. &
Va Ry. Co. the answer TO petitions
praying for the establishment Of a river
boat presented through these gentle
men at a conference between represen-
tatives of this city and from along both
sides of the upper Rappahannock with
officials of the line held in this city on
March Sth.
We publish in this issue the answer
OF the steamboat company and also a
communication from Mr.. Robt. Bever-
ley on the same subject.
The letter of Capt. Thomson, man.
ager of the steamboat line. follows:
Maryland, Delaware and Virginia Rail
way Company. Office of Vice Pres't
and Gen1. Manager, Baltimore,
March IS, 1910.
Mr.. w. l.. Brannan. Chairman. Fred
ericksburg. Va.
Dear Sir-Upon mature reflection
and consideration of the petitions pre-
sented at the recent conference held at
Fredericksburg on the Sth instant. the
management finds itself confronted
with conditions which il realizes will
evoke complaint whichever way it de-
cides and leaves il only the alternative
of adopting the principle of 1.-THE great
est good for the greatest number in
helping it to decision upon the facts
The present schedule, admittedly the,
most popular ever run by shippers and
the travelling public for the whole river.
is the result of experience and pains
taking effort upon the part of the com
pany TO adjust the movement of its
steamers beteen Baltimore, the Rap
pahannock river and Fredericksburg
(295 miles each way. stopping at 80
wharves) so as to provide the best pos
sible transportation facilities over the
mileage traversed for freight and pas
sengers on its steamers.
Indispensable to the practical opera
ton of our schedule is the requirement
that only one steamer shall leave either
terminal, Baltimore or Fredericksburg,
on the same day To or from the Kappa
hammock river, nor should a steamer be
scheduled to reach Baltimore Sunday
morning, delaying delivery of like stock
and perishable freight until Monday.
Again, each steamer has lay day for
cleaning boilers, scrubbing paint and
effecting machinery repairs. Under
the present schedule this is done alter
nately in Baltimore and fredericksburg
above referred TO.
Baltimore with a population Of over
GOO. 600 is the principal market and
probably receives 95 per cent of the
commodities raised upon the Rappahan-
mock River county-produce, fresh fish,
oysters and game, etc. and ships about
50 per cent. of the merchandise and
fertilizer composing the return cargoes.
so large proportion that it will be
readily seen any curtailment of the
usual facilities in shipping would be met
by instant protests.
1t is necessary to explain that our
steamers leave Fredericksburg at 2 %.
m. to await through passengers ex-
pected by trains from Washington and
Richmond arriving here at los and :2S
p. m, respectively, and is the hour
best adapted TO the convenience of the
Fredericksburg shippers. This hour of
departure, p. m, brings our steamers
TO Leedstown at 3 p. m, which hour
the experience of many years shows is
about as late as our patrons will meet
our steamers to travel and ship freight,
so that the steamer ties up for the
night and resumes its journey the next
morning at a. m, arriving at Tap
pahannock : a m, and continues down
the river, arriving at Baltimore early
the next morning. Now il is apparent
that the four intervening wharves be-
tween Leedstown and Tappahannock
are passed at early hours in the morn
ing, which is greatly to be regretted
and is due TO their geographical posi-
ton. This condition might be improved
by either having the steamer leaving
Fredericksburg p. IN. lay over at
Laytons Wharf at night instead of
Leedstown. or by changing the hour of
departure from Fredericksburg from 2
p. m. TO u m, and run through to and
stop at Tappahannock for the night,
the early trains from Richmond and
Washington, 1929 a. m, and 1872 a.
m, respectively, making this practi-
cable for passengers.
l The petitions suggest that the river
be divided at Tappahannock. stopping
the Baltimore boats there, or that the
Baltimore service be curtailed. one
boat to Fredericksburg. substituting in
either case day boat between Tap
pahannock and fredericksburg. The
first suggestion would require a trans
fer or exchange of cargoes at Tap
pahannock from one steamer TO the
other, entailing great damage from
hasty handling and a delay Of many
hours to freight and passengers, which
is now avoided by continuous passage
to the natural terminals, Baltimore or
Fredericksburg.
The delays incident to fogs, ice, low
tide or freshets and machinery defects
on two boats scheduled to meet at Tap
pahannock would double the chances of
entire failure to reach the transfer point
(Tappahannock) and serious loss would
attend perishable freight, live stock,
poultry, etc, besides the great incon-