Palatka daily news. [volume] (Palatka, Fla.) 1919-1994, 1921-12-17
RECEIVER FOR 0. Y.
SAYS ROAD IS IN
A BAD CONDITION
Christensen Hopes For
Aid in Keeping 1t
Going
IS UP TO TWO CITIES
Palatka and Ocala Can
Prevent Its Being
Abandoned

Receiver A. Christensen, of The
Ocklawaha Valley road, has given
out statement relative to the con-
ditions as he finds them on the road,
and expresses the hope that Palatka
and 0cala business men throw as
much business in the way of the line
as possible that it may pay its taxes,
upkeep and operating expenses.
The statement was made to The
0cala Star, and follows:
"The Star the other dya had an in
terview with Mr.. A. Christensen, re-
ceiver of the Oklawaha Valley rail-
road, ard received from him some in
formation that may dispel a lot of err
rors in the public mind about the
road.
"Mr. Christensen is not mixed up
in any Of the complications that re-
suited in the road going into tthe
hands of a receiver and its subse-
quent troubles. He is a practical
railroad man, has been employed on
the government road in Alaska and
several lines out west, and every
thing he has to do here is to try and
straighten out the o. V. and put it
in a condition to enable it to live.
"Mr. Christensen says he finds the
road about to fall to pieces and load
ed down with debt. In addition to
the $4,000 in receivers certificates,
there are this years taxes, nearly
| $1,000, due; the road owes the Sea-
board and the Coast Line for termi-
nal facilities and a considerable num-
Der of people along the line for wood
and other supplies. He has had to
put his section men to work cutting
wood because the road already owed
so much for fuel that the people are
reluctant to furnish any more until
back debts are paid up.
"The people have been handed a
lot of bunk about new material and
improvements in the last year or
two, but Mr.. Christensen finds that
the rolling stock is almost down to
the vanishing point. Two of the en-
gines are no better than scrap iron;
and the third had to go into the shop
this week because the boiler tubes
are in such condition that it is dam
gerous to the engineer and fireman
to try to pseke steam. The road has
been paying the Rodman Lumber
company 500 day for the use of an
engine. The track is in bad condi-
tion. Unless thousands of dollars
worth of new crossties are soon pro-
cured and put in place, these now in
use will fall loose from the rails.
Even the typewriter and adding ma
chine in the railroad office at Rod
man are in such bad order that it is
almost impossible to operate them.
"The impression prevails that Mr..
Cummings will have to repay the
money obtained to pay taxes by the
issuance of receivers certificates.
Mr.. Christensen says the road will
have to pay back the money-if it
can. Strange to say, the money paid
for the certificates did not come from
Palatka, though that town wept to
high heaven about the injustice of
shutting down the road. The Rod
man Lumber company paid some of
it and the remainder was raised in
Savannah.
"Mr. Christensen is making a
brave struggle to tput the road on its
feet, or rather on its wheels. He
works night and day, and goes back
and forth along the road constantly.
He has obtained the assistance of
that veteran freight agent, John Do
zier, to help him try to straighten
matters out. He says that if the
people will give the road the busi-
ness that the road will live. If they
don't it will shave to quit.
at is obvious that the business
will have to come from Ocala and
Palatka and points beyond. There are
not a thousand people living along
the line of the road between the two
towns, and it is not necessary to ar
que that so few people can't possibly
supply the traffic to keep the road !