The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1921-12-15
OKLAWAHA VALLEY
UP AGAINST 1T

The Star the other day had an in
terview with Mr.. A. Christensen, re-
ceiver of the Oklawaha Valley rail-
road, and received from him some in
formation that may dispel lot of err
rors in the public mind about the
road.
Mr.. Christensen is not mixed up in
any of the complications that resulted
in the road going into the hands of a
receiver and its subsequent troubles.
He is practical railroad man, has
ben employed on the government road
III Alaska and several lines out west,
and everything he has to do here is to
Try and Strengthen out the O. v. and
put it in condition to enable it to
live.
Mr.. Christensen says he finds the
road about to fall to pieces and loaded
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 Seaboard and
the Coast Line for terminal facilities
and considerable number of people
along the line for wood and other sup
Plies. 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 lot
OF bunk about new material and inn
provements in the last year or two,
but Mr.. Christensen finds that the
rolling stock is almost down to the
VANISHING point. Two of the engines
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 dangerous to
the engineer and fireman to try to
make steam. The road has been pay
ing the Rodman Lumber Company $40
a day for the use of an engine. The
track is in bad condition; unless thou
sands of dollars worth Of new cross
ties are soon procured and put in
place, these now IN use viii fall loose
from the rails. Even the typewriter
and adding machine in the railroad
Office at Rodlnan are in such bad order
that it is almost impossible to operate
them
The impression prevails that Mr..
Cummings will nave 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 certifi-
Gates did not come from Palatka, tho
that town wept to high heaven about
the injustice of shutting down the
road The Rodman Lumber Company
paid some of it and the remainder was
raised in Savannah.
Mr.. Christensen is making a brave
struggle to put the road on its feet,
Oh 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 Dozier, to
help him try to -straighten matters
out. He says that ii the people win
give the road the business that the
road will live; if they don't, it will
have to quit.
1t is obvious that the business win
have to come from Ocala and Palatka
ard points beyond There are not q
thousand people living along the line
of the road between the two towns,
and it is not necessary to argue that
so few people can't possibly supply
the traffic to keep the road up. The
business of the Rodman Lumber Com