| Annual Report of the New
Orleans, Jackson & Great Northern RR |
| as of March 1, 1861 |
| Superintendent's Report |
| |
| Office General Superintendent |
| New Orleans, Jackson &
Great Northern Railroad Company |
| |
|
New Orleans, March 1st, 1861
|
| |
|
Major H. J. Ranney, President
|
| |
|
Sir,
|
|
I herewith submit report of the operations of the Road
for the year ending February 28th, 1861.
|
| The earnings have been as follows,
viz: |
|
|
| For up through Freight |
$111,022.40 |
|
| "
"
way " |
180,478.41 |
|
| "
" station to station |
22,002.83 |
$313,503.64 |
| For down through Freight |
$198,046.19 |
|
|
"
"
way
" |
127,725.36 |
|
|
" "
station to station |
10,323.85 |
336,095.40 |
| For up through Passage |
$123,648.74 |
|
| " "
way
" |
132,360.28 |
256,009.02 |
| For down through Passage |
$140,817.80 |
|
|
"
"
way
" |
123,797.78 |
264,615.58 |
| For Mail service |
|
62,400.00 |
| Total earnings |
|
$1,232,623.64 |
| |
|
|
| Which , compared with the earnings
for the year ending February 29th, 1860, stand as follows, viz: |
| Earnings for the year end'g Feb'y 28, 1861, as
above |
|
$1,232,623.64 |
|
"
" "
"
"
" 29, 1860 |
|
1,077,753.26 |
| Increase |
|
$154,870.38 |
|
|
|
| Total earnings for
twelve (12) months ending February 29th, 1860, were one million
seventy-seven thousand seven hundred and fifty-three 26/100
($1,077,753.26) dollars; for the corresponding twelve (12) months
ending February 28, 1861, they were one million two hundred and
thirty-two thousand six hundred and twenty-three 64/100
($1,232,623.64) dollars, showing an increase in favor of the twelve
(12) months ending February 289, 1861, of one hundred and fifty-four
thousand eight hundred and seventy 38/100 ($154,870.38) dollars. |
|
Gross earnings for 12 months ending Feb'y 28, 1861,
|
$1,232,623.64
|
| Amounts charged on the Treasurer's
books to the different accounts during the same period, were
as follows, viz: |
| To maintenance of way |
$251,109.28 |
|
| To motive power |
212,772.80 |
|
| To conducting transportation |
187,873.47 |
|
| To maintenance of cars |
59,100.76 |
|
| To overflows of October and November |
27,327.39 |
|
| To stock damage |
9,277.58 |
|
|
$747,461.28 |
|
| To which add am't outstanding, chargeable to the
above accounts |
28,106.66 |
|
| Total |
$775,567.94 |
|
| From which deduct amount paid during the year
for debts contracted prior to the year ending February 28,
1861 |
98,378.24 |
677,189.70 |
| Nett earnings |
|
$555,433.94 |
|
| The above accounts
include all the extraordinary expenses caused by the violent storm of
October 2, 1860, during which upwards of three and three-fourths (3
3/4) miles of crib-work between Bayou La Branch and Pass Manchac, were
thrown from fifteen to thirty feet out of line; eight thousand two
hundred and twenty-six feet of track floated off the embankment on
Frenier ridge, and a large quantity of drift-wood, in many places
piled five (5) feet in height, lodged on the road bed, the clearing
off of which cost nearly as much as the re-laying of the three and
three-quarter (3 3/4) miles of crib-wood. During the storm, a one
story and attic house, standing an eighth of a mile from the track,
was floated from its foundation, and lodged on top of the track. |
|
On the 27th of November, the Tangipahoa river rose twelve
(12) feet in less than six (6) hours, overflowed and washed out, in
different places between Tangipahoa and Magnolia, eighteen hundred and
fifty feet of solid embankment, of from six (6) to fourteen (14)m feet
in height; and, that there should be as little delay in the
transportation of passengers and freight as possible, we were
compelled to put up temporary crib-work, a part of which was displaced
during the storm of February 2d, 1861.
|
| On the 1st of
February, 1861, during a storm of almost unparalleled violence, on the
upper end of the road, there were three culverts washed out, between
Jackson and Canton, and the Pearl river rose so as to cover over a
mile of the track to the depth of twelve inches. The places washed out
have been piled and bridged, leaving an abundance of water way; yet,
in my opinion, it will be necessary to raise the road bed through the
Tangipahoa and Pearl river bottoms at least two feet, after which many
of the openings can be filled with perfect safety, saving the expense
of keeping the bridges in repair. |
|
In addition to the extraordinary expenses incurred in
repairing the damage done by the storms, and the amount paid for the
charter of steamboats and barges, there has been the following amount
of extra work done, the cost of a large portion of which has been
charged to road expenses, while it more properly belongs to
construction account:
|
| Laying 5078 feet new side track, New Orleans |
$3,000 |
| Between New Orleans and Kentter -- Five miles
fencing |
2,000 |
| Kenner -- 300 feet side track |
250 |
| Walker's Swamp --- Raising 10,500 feet
embankment |
1,875 |
| Bayou La Branch --- New Division House |
1,550 |
|
"
"
Brick cistern |
150 |
| Bayou De Sair --- Making 900 feet of embankment,
4 ft. high |
800 |
|
"
" Laying
900 feet side track |
600 |
|
"
" New
Division House |
1,275 |
|
"
"
" brick cistern |
150 |
| Pass Manchac --- Filling 2664 feet crib-work |
2,000 |
|
"
"
" 635 feet embankm't for side
track |
750 |
|
"
"
Raising 1848 feet of bridging, to lessen the grade going on
the draw |
1,500 |
| Summit --- Grading and putting in 700 feet side
track |
1,600 |
| Bogue Chitto --- Grading and putting in 700 feet
side track |
800 |
| Brookhaven
---
"
"
" "
500 "
" " |
390 |
| Crystal Springs ---
"
"
" "
985 "
" " |
2,000 |
|
"
"
New Division House |
1,000 |
| Byram --- Grading and putting in 800 feet side
track |
1,975 |
|
"
Station Engine House |
300 |
| Madison --- Cotton platform |
800 |
|
"
1175 feet side track |
1,875 |
| Calhoun ---
475
"
" " |
600 |
|
"
addition to depot |
300 |
| Canton --- 2600 feet side track |
1,500 |
| Between Stations --- 4475 feet side track |
5,000 |
| Additions made to platforms at different
Stations, 50,000 ft |
1,000 |
|
$34,990 |
|
|
Stock of lumber, wood,
cross-ties, etc, on line of Road, paid for and charged to Road
Expenses: |
| 10,000 |
|
feet 3 inch plank |
| 2,250 |
|
" 1 1/2 " " |
| 9,881 |
|
cords of wood |
| 7,758 |
|
cypress ties |
| 9,703 |
|
pine " |
| 60,773 |
|
feet cypress lumber |
| 14,668 |
|
"
pine " |
|
| |
| Machine and Carpenter Shops |
| The books in these
departments not having been posted, and not being able to find any
memoranda of the working of the shops for three months preceding May,
1860, we can only make a correct report of the work done in these
departments for nine months. [See statement I.] During the year,
twelve (12) engines have been thoroughly overhauled, four (4) new
baggage cars built, eleven (11) first-class passenger, three (3)
second-class passenger, five (5) baggage, seven (7) box and two
hundred (200) flat cars re-built. |
| Stock on hand
belonging to the departments, twenty-five thousand seven hundred and
four dollars. |
| |
| Rolling Stock on Hand |
| 45 |
|
Locomotive Engines |
| 37 |
|
Passenger Cars |
| 10 |
|
Baggage and Express Cars |
| 503 |
|
Freight Cars |
| 57 |
|
Gravel and Hand Cars |
|
| Accompanying this
report, are tabular statements showing the operations of the road in
detail. |
| Statement G --
Earnings from all sources for twelve (12) months |
|
" H --- Earnings from
passage, and miles traveled. |
|
" I --- Character,
condition and mileage of the different locomotives. |
| By reference to
Statement H, it will be seen that there have been one hundred and
sixty-five thousand six hundred and seventy-seven (165,677) passengers
carried on the cars during the past twelve months; and I will add,
that not a casualty of any kind has occurred by which a passenger has
been injured. |
| Amount received from sale of through tickets |
|
$264,466.54 |
|
"
"
"
"
way
" |
|
256,158.06 |
| Total passage |
|
$520,624.60 |
| Earnings from through freight |
$309,068.59 |
|
|
"
"
way
" |
340,530.45 |
649,599.04 |
| Total earnings from
freight and passage |
|
$1,170,223.64 |
|
| Total number bales
of cotton, 181,509. |
| |
| Comparing the
foregoing report with those of previous years, it will be seen that,
notwithstanding the shortness of the cotton and other crops in the
section of the country through which the road runs, the earnings have
been steadily on the increase. |
| The track is in
good order. We have had no trouble with the marl cuts or embankments
on the upper end of the road; though several of the cuts the trunking
has been taken out, cuts cleaned, and the track ballasted with red
sand; and I would suggest that two steam excavators be purchased, one
of which should be placed in the sand pit near Crystal Springs, for
filling the trestle south of Jackson and Terry, and ballasting the
track from Byram to Canton. The other could be used for filling the
crib-work between New Orleans and Ponchatoula. |
| There are
sufficient accommodations at all the stations for both passengers and
freight, excepting Kenner, Osyka and Terry, and I would recommend that
depots be erected ant these three stations as soon as practicable. I
would also recommend that a depot be put up at Canton, at a point
convenient, to transfer all freight to or from the Mississippi Central
Railroad, and for the better accommodation of passengers. I am fully
satisfied that the Company would, in a short time, save the cost of
the building, from the amount paid yearly for loss and damage. |
| I am indebted to
the officers and employees of the Road for their cheerful
co-operation, and for the industry and fidelity with which they have
discharged the duties assigned to them. |
| Respectfully, |
| T. S. Williams |
| General Superintendent |
|