Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1914-10-02
TRAINS NOS. 7 and 8

Messrs. Jno. G. Richards, G. Nc
Duffie Hampton and Banks L. Caugh
man, railroad commissioners Of Soutf
Carolina, came to Yorkville yesterday
on petition Of the Yorkville Board .
Trade, to hear testimony in the matter
as to whether or not the C. & NV
railway authorities should be allowed
to discontinue passenger trains Nos
7 and s in South Carolina.
General Manager l. T. Nichols
Mr. G. H. Kearsey. Jas L. Davidson
c. B. Crosby and other officers Of th'
railroad, were present to give testi
mony. ]. H. Marion, Esq. genera
counsel presented the case Of the rail
road and Messrs. w. w. Lewis anc
John R. Hart represented the Yorkvill,
Board Of Trade. There were probab
ably a dozen citizens present at thu
hearing, which was held in the tenn
porary court room.
The testimony of Manager Nichol:
and the other witnesses, was to the ef
feet that trains Z and had been rur
at a loss during each of the twelve
months they have been in service
The trains had not paid because the
business was not to be had. The two
trains, according to the general man
ager, had caused a loss Of about SIS,
900 to the road.
Freight business, he stated, had de-
creased in South Carolina since the
trains were put on. Business Of the
road decreased twenty per cent last
month.
Mr. Nichols went on to say that il
the trains even made expenses he
would not take them off. They were
not near doing so. The whole railroad
was in bad shape financially, and was
now making every effort to reduce ex-
penses. Members Of the office force
were being dismissed and expenses
were being curtailed at every point.
The manager said he knew when the
trains were ordered on by the railroad
commission twelve months ago, they
would never pay. He had hoped
however, they would pay better than
they have.
Upon question Of Mr.. Hart as to
whether trains Nos. and 8 would
continue service between Gastonia
and Lenoir if they were taken off the
southern end of the line, Mr.. Nichols
stated they would be continued. Only
III per cent of the passenger traffic
comes from South Carolina, he said.
Although there are a few manufac-
tories between Chester and Gastonia-
at Yorkville and Clover-the business
derived therefrom is small, whereas
between Gastonia and Lenoir business
conditions warrant a double daily
passenger service.
Mr.. Nichols testified that where
trains Nos. and might be paying,
others were not. Receipts from al
trains are credited against expenses
for all trains and totals show that the
road is running at loss.
Mr. Marion contended that the road
was each day running at loss. Fig
ures Of the railway officials showed
Nos. and to be running daily
loss, and the trains were heavy bur-
den. The question was: Does the
railroad commission propose to make
the railway add to it's loss by forcing
it to run double daily service between
Chester and Gastonia, when trains
Nos and 10 can easily take care of
the business?
The contention Of Messrs. Lewis
and Hart for the Board of Trade, was
that Nos. and were Of great ad-
vantage to Yorkville people, since
people of McConnellsville, Guthries-
vile, Glover and other places do their
trading here instead Of going to Cas-
tonia and Charlotte. a freight ser
vice was unreliable and undesirable.
They believed business warranted the
double service and could not see why
the trains should not be continued
from Chester to Gastonia, if the rail-
road people proposed to still maintain
them between Gastonia and Lenoir.
The railroad commission, of which
Mr.. Richards is chairman. stated that
they would announce their decision in
a few days. In the meantime Nos. I
and 8 have been discontinued.