The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1913-05-24
VOX POPULI.
Mr.. MoUARRIE COMMENTS
ON RAILROAD SCHEDULES

Editor Pensacola Journal.
Mr.. Barney's letter in your columns
| the other day regarding the train SER
vice the L. &c N. is giving Pensacola is
true and to the point, and / would like
to follow this letter up and go more
into details than he did as to what
Pensacola needs and must have in this
matter of train service to give 1t the
pace among southern cities its bust
ness and location deserves.
There are thousands of persons
every year kept away from Pensacola
because Of that change of cars they
are compelled to make at Flomat ton.
This could be avoided by running a
Though train each way daily from
Nashville and New Orleans to Pensa-
cola and there is business enough be-
tween these points to make such a SER
vice profitable.
There should also be a daily local
from either Mobile or Selma Cor both)
every morning to Pensacola, getting in
about ten and leaving about four or
five in the afternoon.
THE present Mobile local that leaves
Pensacola a seven in the morning is
the means of diverting thousands of
dollars worth of business from PenSa-
cola merchants to somewhere else. AS
the train schedules stand at present,
very few of the people living north Of
Cottage Hill do any business in Pen
sacola, as 1t is so easy to take that
early train to Mobile and get back in
good time in the afternoon, whereas if
they want to do business in Pensacola
they have to get up between four and
five in the morning and if they cannot
make the twelve thirty back they have
to wait till the ten-thfrty Cor later) at
night, getting home at a very incon-
Venient hour.
1.-The complaints in that territory
bordering on the L. & n. is loud and
deep about the present deficient ser
vice and it seems to me poor business
policy to ignore such complaints.
The c., F. & A. gives a far more
convenient schedule and they are grad
ually getting away a lot of business
from the L. & N. territory, and would
suggest to them that they give us a
more reliable schedule for the early
morning train and delay the afternoon
would increase their passenger bust
ness very much.
Pensacola has the poorest train ser
vice of any city Cor even town. in the
state. Gainesville, an inland town,
with about fourth of the population
of Pensacola, has eight trains north
and the same number south every day.
''Ocala, about the same size as
Gainesville, has five trains north and
six trains south every day. Orlando,
about the same size as Ocala, has the
same service.
THE Atlantic Coast Line runs a local
every morning from Ieesburg to Jack
sonville, a distance of about one hun
dred and sixty miles, giving passengers
about six hours in Jacksonville. The
same road runs a local every morning
from Ocala to Tampa, giving passen-
gers Ave or six hours in Tampa. They
also run morning loca. from Sanford
to Tampa, giving people about the
same time as the others. Now, the
territories covered by these local trains
are not any more populous
or have larger towns than the territory
covered between Mobile and Pensacola
or Selma and Pensacola.
Nov ii seems to me poor business
policy on the part of the L. & n. to
treat Pensacola the way they are doing.
The old 'has-been's' policy must give
way to more modern business methods
and better train service, which will
mean great benefit to all concerned.
C. K. M'QUARRIE.
Pensacola. Fla, May 23, 1913.