| Annual Report of the North-Eastern RR |
| as of March 1, 1866 |
| Superintendent's Report |
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| Superintendent's Report |
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| Superintendent's Office, N. E. R. R. Co. |
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Charleston, February 28, 1866
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Mr. A. F. Ravenel
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| President |
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Sir,
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Two years have elapsed since I last had the honor of
reporting to you the condition of matters pertaining to this department.
Within that time three distinctly marked periods have occurred; the
first embracing nearly the whole of the fiscal year of 1864, and up to
the cessation of active operations by the road; the second, the
succeeding three months, during which an entire suspension of business
occurred; *****.
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The first period opened with an unusual demand upon the
capacity of the road, while its ability to respond was greatly
impaired by the severe service of the preceding two years, and our
inability to repair the injury resulting therefrom. With a road-way
composed of wornout rails and rotting timber resting upon a bead
which, for want of proper drainage, had in many places almost lost its
sustaining power; with trestles very far decayed; a stock of engines
reduced from 13 to 5 in actual service, and they fast consuming our
slender supply of repair-materials; and a stock of cars valuable
principally for the old material they contained. In this condition we
entered the first period referred to, while the intense pressure for
transportation had to be met as best we could. Deeming it our duty to
regard the general welfare in preference to the immediate interests of
the Company, we yielded to the public demands and struggled on,
becoming daily more exhausted, until finally passing safely through
the trying period of the evacuation of Charleston, when the road a
abandoned by the Confederate authorities, we found at Florence a place
of refuge for or shattered machinery and cars. Such is the condensed
history of the road for 1864: its details have now lost interest, and
I pass them over unrecorded.
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The second period was one of repose. Gathering around us
a Florence what was left of the Company’s property, with the few
employees who had followed the fortunes of the road, we endeavored to
re-organize and to turn to advantage the idle time at our disposal, by
repairing our engines and cars; but in this we only partially
succeeded, and very little was really accomplished, our principal gain
being in the time it afforded for considering plans for future action.
Thus was spent the three months preceding the close of the war.
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*****
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Upon the retreat of the Confederate army along the line
of our road, they burned the following bridges, viz: the Santee river,
Black river, Lynch’s creek, Goose creek and Santee canal; and the
following trestles, viz: Voses, Rice Hope, Moten, and Laws swamp. The
track was nowhere injured; and our depots (with the exception of the
freight and passenger depot in this city, which was accidentally
burned the day following the evacuation) fortunately escaped. Of
engines, we lost none; and of cars, some 15 freight, 2 passenger, and
1 second-class, were overtaken by Sherman’s army on the Cheraw road,
and burned. *****
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| One of the largest items of
expense incurred in restoring the road is found in the cost of
rebuilding the trestles. During the last years of the war it was
impossible to obtain timber in sufficient quantities to keep them in
more than safe condition; hence, we had the accumulated defects of
several years to repair. ***** |
| Among the losses sustained by
the Company was that of the Santee bridge. The superstructure was
burned by order of the Confederate general, and one of the piers
afterwards destroyed by the Federal gunboats. ***** |
| Respectfully submitted. |
| S. S. Solomons |
| Superintendent |
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