Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1921-08-26
scndoff, as they knew there was virtue

sendoff, as they knew there was virtue
in his medicine.
The first railroad agent was named
Collins, or to more fully express it.,
Charles Henry Bollingbrook Collins, Of
Columbia, S. c. There was nothing
notable about him. He was small OF
stature. had black hair and sported a
huge mustache. After the depot was
located there the postof6ce was locat-
ed in this and the agent ran both. For
some time after the completion Of the
railroad there was no Sabbath day
traffic, either by passenger or freight
trains The passenger trains made
the trip from Columbia to Charlotte
and vice versa every day except Sab
bath day, leaving Columbia about half
past eight a. m, getting to Charlotte
at five p. m. The stops were more and
longer, viz, at Winnsboro and Chester
the stop was 90 minutes. At stations
like Blackstock, minutes; Cornwell
was the dinner house and 1t made
stop there of 25 minutes. don't think
they had any connections to make at
either terminal One Of the conduc-
tors was named Fowler and 1 think
was from the Feasterville section OF
Fairfield county. I can't recall the
other. There were no ticket agents.
The conductor collected all fares from
passengers, which was five cents per
mile, or two dollars and fifty cents
from Columbia to Blackstock. The
engineer always blow his whistle twice
before leaving q station to give the
passengers warning that he was going
to start. At Columbia half an hour
before leaving the engineer would
blow what was known as the long
blow" to warn those who expected to
get aboard that the train would leave
in thirty minutes. The train was
composed of first and second-cla5s
coaches, or rather coach in which
ladies and their attendants, such as
husband and wife, brother and sister,
or gentleman and lady, as travelling
companions were only admitted. The
other coach was reserved for stays, or
gentlemen not accompanied with
lady. There was no colored travel,
except nurses to look after children
and they rode in the ladies' car as this
coach was called-also a combination
coach for the baggage and such. The
conductors had authority to give re-
turn tickets, for example If passen-
ger wanted to go to some place and
return the same day, he would tell the
conductor and he gave him a return
ticket. The road was originally known
as the Columbia and Charlotte rail-
road where were the terminals of it.
The extension to Augusta was not
built until 1870 The stockholders
consisted to a great extent of persons
living in Columbia and Charlotte and
citizens of the counties through which
the road ran. And prior to the Civil
war always paid the stockholders a
seven per cent dividend. The annual
meeting of the stockholders was usu-
ally held in Columbia and all stock
holders and their families got free
rides to the place of meeting. Some
families increased considerably on
these occasions. These meetings were
not mere formalities. but the officers
had TO come across and make every
thing clear to those rural stockhold-
crs. The president, superintendent,
treasurer and directors, the latter two
from each county through which the
road ran, were at these meetings.
When Shcrman's army passed
through South Carolina, they destroy
cd the road as far as Blackstock. Att
or the war the stockholders bonded the
| road and rebuilt the torn-up part, but
owing to the high price of material
and construction and the poor traffic,
both in passenger and freight business
it soon defaulted in payment of inter-
est on bonds, was sold and thus pass
cd out of the hands Of the original
J builders and owners.
! S. =. Latham.
Chester, S. c., August Is, 1921.