| Annual Report of the Savannah, Albany &
Gulf RR |
| as of May 1, 1862, |
| Superintendent's Report |
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| Superintendent's Report
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| Savannah, Albany & Gulf R. R. Co. |
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Savannah, May 1st, 1862
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Hiram Roberts, Esq.
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Acting President
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Sir,
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I
herewith submit my Report, relative to the condition and earnings of
the Road, for the year ending April 30th, 1862.
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| Earnings for the
Year |
| For Freight by Freight Train West |
$31,250.11 |
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"
" " Passenger
" " |
12,778.01 |
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"
" "
Express
" " |
1,536.43 |
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| Total for Freight |
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$45,561.55 |
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| For Passage |
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80,511.05 |
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| " Freight and Passage |
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$126,075.60 |
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| For Freight by Freight Train East |
$25,580.06 |
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"
" "
Passenger " " |
6,033.06 |
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"
" "
Express
" " |
1,336.32 |
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| Total for Freight |
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$32,949.44 |
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| For Passage |
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80,202.08 |
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| For Freight and Passage |
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$113,151.52 |
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| Total Freight East and West |
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$78,513.99 |
| "
Passage "
" " |
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160,713.13 |
| " Freight and
Passage East and West |
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$239,227.12 |
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The earnings for
the Fiscal Year have b4een $239,227.12 for Freight and Passage, and
$8,641.76 for transportation of Mails, giving a Total Earnings of
$247,868.88, against $234,115.58 for the year
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The expenses of
operating the Road have been as follows:
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| Transportation
Expenses
Including the wages of salaried officers, and clerks at
Savannah Depot, Agents at Way Stations and in Thomasville,
Conductors, Train Hands, laborers at Savannah Depot and Way
Stations |
$29,892.14 |
| Incidental
Expenses
Including Advertising, Postage, Doctors Bills, Medicines,
and all other contingent expenses, not mentioned under either
of the other heads |
5,489.63 |
| Repairs
of Road
Including wages of Supervisor, Overseers, Negroes, cost of
Provisions, Clothing, Ties, Tools, Repair Cars, Shantys,
&c. |
60,303.77 |
| Repairs
of Bridges
Including wages of Supervisor, Bridge Builders, Negroes,
cost of Provisions, Clothing, Tools, Repair Cars, Shantys,
Spikes, Lumber, and all other material required on repairs of
Bridges |
23,456.42 |
| Improvements
Savannah Depot
Including grading in Depot Yard, repairs on Engine House,
extending Warehouse, erecting Sheds, &c. |
1,879.44 |
| Maintenance
of Cars Including wages of Master Carpenter, employees
in Carpenter Shop, cost of Oils, Tallow, Waste, Lumber,
Castings, and all other material necessary for building and
repairing Cars |
18,642.41
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| Maintenance
of Motive Power
Including wages of Master Machinist, Blacksmiths,
Engineers, Firemen and other employees, cost of Oils, Tallow,
Waste, Yarns, Castings, and all other material necessary,
Painting and other work performed on Engines |
39,866.89 |
| Stock
Killed
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4,017.12
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| Freight
Lost or Damaged |
1,152.10 |
| Printing
and Stationery |
2,701.03 |
| Total
Expenses |
$187,400.95 |
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| Total Earnings |
$247,868.88 |
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| "
Expenses |
187,400.95 |
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| Nett Earnings |
$60,457.73 |
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The expenditures for the Fiscal Year have been
$187,400.95. It no doubt would have been much less, but for the
scarcity and excessively high prices of Tools, Provisions and other
materials necessary for the successful operation of the Road, many of
which it has been very difficult to procure. It has also been deemed
advisable to lay in a sufficient supply of some of the most important
articles, such as Oils, Tallow, Waste, Iron, Provisions, Clothing,
&c., a sufficient quantity of which has been secured, and is now
on hand, to answer all necessary purposes for several months, all of
which has been instrumental in increasing the expenditures, a portion
of which, however, should be credited to next years account.
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During the past
year 42,718 passengers have passed over the Road, (not including the
large number of military associations that have been transported,)
against 25,179 for the year previous, being an increase of 17,539.
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The Receipts for
Passage for the year ending 30th April, 1862, have been
$160,713.13, against $78,268.34, being an increase of $82,444.79, or
105 per cent. The large increase in the receipts for Passage is
attributed to the number of Troops that have passed to and fro over
the Road.
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The receipts for
Freight have been $78,513.99, against $146,993.38 for the previous
year, showing a decrease of $68,479.39, or about 40 per cent.
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By comparing Tables
Nos. 5 & 6 of my last Report with Tables Nos. 3 & 4 of the
present, it will be seen that there has been a regular though
continuous falling off in the freighting business, increasing
gradually as the business season advanced, showing the falling off to
be proportionately much larger for the months of November, December
and January, 1861 and 1862, than they were for any previous months.
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It is scarcely
necessary for me to refer to the causes that have produced this effect
upon the Freighting business. Suffice it to say, that two of the most
important articles of Freight, viz: Cotton and Lumber, have been, in a
measure, entirely discontinued, as will be seen by reference to Table
No. 5 of my last Report, and comparing it with Table No. 5, of this
year. During the last year 30,212 Bales of Cotton and 9,842,209 feet
of Lumber were transported over the Road, against 1,768 Bales of
Cotton and 1,163,806 feet of Lumber, a falling off of 28,844 Bales of
Cotton and 8,648.403 feet Lumber.
{The Bales of Cotton do not add up.}
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It is not to be
expected that the business will be renewed or fairly opened, so long
as our Ports remain closed. However, the large amount of material that
is stored through the country, must eventually pass over the Road. It
therefore behooves us to be prepared, as far as practicable, to
perform the work which will be offered, in the event of our Ports
being opened. In view of which a slow schedule has been adopted, in
order to favor the rolling stock as much as possible.
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The Rolling Stock
consists of eleven Engines and two hundred and one Cars. For further
particulars relative to the condition, and services performed by the
Engines and Cars, you are respectfully referred to Tables Nos. 9 and
10, by which it will be seen that the work performed by the Rolling
Stock has been unusually severe. One Engine has been disabled the
greater portion of the year, another has been engaged on the Gravel
Train, filling in the Trestle over the Rice fields of the Great
Ogeechee, a third, the Tattnall, an old Engine, has rendered little or
no service, throwing the entire burden of the business upon eight
Engines, which have been compelled to perform not only the legitimate
business of this Road, but have frequently, for the purposes of
expediting military stores and troops, been compelled to double the
Road, and in many instances were required to extend their operations
over the line of the Brunswick & Florida Rail Road.
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In my last report I recommended and urged the necessity
of increasing the Rolling Stock. The unfortunate condition of the
country, however, has rendered it impossible. I will again urge the
necessity of procuring additional Engines and Cars as soon as
possible, as those now on hand are not only much in need of repairs,
but are actually insufficient to perform successfully and promptly,
the large business which must be offered so soon as the Ports are
opened. The want of machinery to perform the necessary work is much
needed, and would, no doubt, have been in successful operation ere
this, but for the disorganized and unsettled condition of the country.
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The Round
House, Machine, Blacksmith and Carpenter Shops, were sufficiently
completed at mu last report to receive the Machinery, all of which had
been ordered and was ready for shipment when the Ports were closed. A
few pieces however, two Lathes and two Smiths Forges, had been
previously received. The two Forges have been placed in position, and
are in successful operation. The Lathes have been turned over to the
Confederate authorities, to be used at their Armory in Augusta.
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The Road bed is in
very fair condition. Portions of it require ballasting, which is
designed being done as soon as the rolling stock can be spared and the
necessary arrangements made.
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Some few bars of
iron on the first fifty miles of road are considerably worn and much
laminated the remainder shows but little signs of wear. During the
past year 48,045 cross ties, at a cost of $10,479.90, have been place
in the road between Savannah and Blackshear, No. 8, but few being used
west of that point, showing an increase of 4,754 over that of the
previous year a much larger number will probably be required the
ensuing year. 560,206 feet of lumber, at a cost of $7,052.02, has been
consumed in repairs of bridges. For a more minute detail, relative to
the repairs of bridges, you are referred to tables no 7 and 8.
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In my last report I
recommended filling in some of the Trestle Bridges. It is a source of
pleasure to be enabled to say that the filling of the Great and Little
Ogeechee Trestles have been completed.
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The Trestle Bridges
are in far better condition than they were at my last report. The
contracts for extending the Lattice over the Altamaha River, and
rebuilding the main Bridges over the Great and Little Ogechee Rivers,
has been let out to Mr. Samuel Papot. It will require twelve months or
more to complete the work, and when finished will contain some 360,000
feet of Lumber.
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Gasper J. Fulton
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Superintendent
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