| Annual Report of the Mississippi Central RR |
| as of September 1, 1865 |
| President's Report |
| |
| Office Mississippi Central Railroad Co |
| Grenada, October 2d, 1865 |
| |
| To the Stockholders of the Mississippi
Central R. R. Co. |
|
|
| Gentlemen, |
|
At the commencement of a new fiscal year, it is made the
duty of your Board of Directors, by the Charter of your Company, to
submit to you a full report of their official acts during the past
year, together with the present condition of the property of your
Company, and the state of its finances. This duty we now propose to
discharge. In accepting the position to which I was called by your
Directors, in October last, which had been filled by my predecessor,
W. Goodman, to his credit and your advantage, I was fully sensible of
its responsibilities. Yielding, after a month's deliberation, not to
personal ambition, but to the solicitations of the Governor of the
State, my predecessor, and many others, I entered upon the discharge
of my duties, with a firm determination to protect and advance your
interests, by every means in my power, calling to my aid as far as
practicable those whom you selected to direct the affairs of your
Company, and the officers whom the associated with me. This purpose
has guided and sustained me thus far. It is now for you on this
occasion to determine by your action whether we have discharged our
duty efficiently, and with fidelity to your interests. With your
endorsement we can go forward, with renewed energy and confidence, in
the repairs of your road, operating the same, and relieving the
Company from its present financial embarrassments.
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| At the time I took charge of
your road it was only in operation from Oxford to Canton, a distance
of 135 miles. The Superintendent, Capt. Frost, was a prisoner of war,
the road nearly run down, but four contractors getting wood on the
entire line, but one getting bridge timbers, and all with small
forces, wholly inadequate to our requirements; many sections without
hands, and none supplied with the requisite number; not money enough
in the Treasury to pay debts then due for operating the road and
paying the Confederate tax; the road and its rolling stock greatly
damaged, and much of it destroyed by numerous raids of United States
and Confederate troops. From Oxford to Jackson, Tenn., it was a wreck.
Notwithstanding these raids, we had in October last a respectable
amount of rolling stock and a limited supply of machinery, but between
that date and the first of January last, raids of the most damaging
character succeeded each other in such rapid succession, as to leave,
at the latter date, the road without a single engine in working order
south of the Yallabusha river. The bridge over that stream having been
destroyed, the only engine on the northern side was unavailable. The
machine shop was also destroyed by fire, and several trains of cars,
much valuable property along the line of road, including bridges and
trestles at various points, over a distance of sixty-three miles, and
the road bed in many places seriously injured. By prompt action and
the generous aid we received from citizens, who sent us hands and
tools, we succeeded in running a train from this point to Canton by
the last of January. These raids caused a suspension of the business
of your road seven weeks, consequently receipts were curtailed, and
expenditures augmented. At this gloomy period difficulties seemed
insurmountable. We however labored to overcome them, and today return
to you the trust confided to us in a condition far better than its
most sanguine friends anticipated at the commencement of the year. |
| ***** In November last I
appointed W. Whitmore, Esq., Superintendent, to act until the return
of Mr. Frost, whose report is herewith submitted. He discharged
efficiently the duties thus confided to his management. ***** During
the past year the most urgent appeals were made to the disbursing
officers of the Confederate Government to pay its debt, either in
currency or cotton, but without success. Small sums were paid, leaving
us on the surrender of this Department a worthless debt of
$545,237.47. ***** |
| A. M. West |
| President |
|