Year: 1875

FAST MAILS SOUTH.


Now that the Post Office Department has
arranged for rapid mail transportation for
the North, Northwest and Southwest, can
not something be done in the same line for
the South Atlantic and Southern Statesf
We see that Colonel A. S. Buford, Of the
Piedmont Air Line railway, has just been
elected president of the extending line to
Atlanta. As he is one of the most enter
prising railway managers in the South, we
shall be disappointed if he does not shortly
make propositions to the Department for
rapid schedule from Richmond to Atlanta,
which, in conjunction with connecting
lines to Mobile and New Orleans, will
shorten the present time from Washington
10 New Orleans at least twe,ty-four hours.
That such schedule is practicable once o
day, without interference with way traffic,
there can be no doubt 1t can be effected
simply by slight increase of the present
rates of speed, combined with rare and short
stops. This fast mail train should be linn
tied to certain number of palace-cars by
day and sleepers by night, taking only such
passengers as may be willing to pay the
extra cost for superior accommodations.
Such an arrangement will prevent crowd
of local traffic from encumbering the train.


There is an opening presented now for
the several South Atlantic lines to secure
their full share of the travel from New
Orleans to New York by competition with
the Western and Southwestern routes, If
they have the energy and enterprise equal
to the occasion. The Postmaster General
stands ready to do all in his power under
the law to encourage the enterprise,
and is anxious to second the efforts of
the railway companies for the rapid inter
change of communication between the
various sections of the country. His ef-
forts thus far have not only proved re-
markably successful in respect Of speedy
interchange of mail communications, but
the railway companies have found their
limited express trains wonderful stimu-
lants to first-class travel.


The economy of two days time
on the road between New York and
New Orleans and return, combined
with the additional comforts and con-
veRiences provided in the palace and
sleeping cars, would induce many to make
the trip who now forego it. There is no
greater bore to the traveller who is anxious
to reach his objective point than the con-
slant halting at way stations for the con-
venience of those who could be practically
advanced just as well by local train. As
there is no real advantage gained to the
local traveller by the detention of those
whose interests and comfort alike require
greater celebrity Of movement toward their
destinations, and for which they are quite
willing to pay an extra charge. it would
seem worse than folly to compel them to
linger on the road.


The only question remaining is, will
limited express mail trains pay the COM
panies on the Southern routes? This
question can only be solved by,,experiment.
But is it not an experiment worth the trialf
With all commercial and professional
travellers ''time is money" Some put
much greater value upon their time than
others. The most modest would scarcely
value their presence at Whatever point
their business most demands it at less than
twenty dollars per diem. 1t is reasonable
to calculate that they would gladly give
one fourth or more of this sum to the rail-
ways for that accelerated speed which the
limited express train affords. 1t is ques-
ton with the railway companies, then, as to
how many limited express passengers they
can command daily at the advanced rates.
Six months of experiment would deter
mine this matter. 1t is our. firm belief that
such division Of the through from the
local business would prove both popular
and profitable in the South. By this we
dc not mean to undervalue the local traffic
of the roads This is traffic that is to be
carefully fostered and cherished as the
very life-blood of all railways. 1t is
trade which responds heartily and promptly
to all encouragement, and which once
built up cannot easily be diverted. But
we simply mean that its accommodation
requires slow rate of speed and frequent
stops and low rates of freight and pass
age. The through business requires
celerity of movement, rare stops, and will
pay accordingly. This is the real differ
ence between way and through traffic,
and these are the reasons why we believe
there should be wise discrimination be-
tween them. If the railway managers of
the South.Atlantic and Southern States
coincide with these views and are willing
to try the experiment we may soon he
within two days of New o rleans.