| From the Daily Picayune (New Orleans, La.) |
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| October 5, 1861 |
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| Memphis & Charleston Railroad |
| We find in the latest received number of
the Memphis Appeal, a long statement, signed by the President of this
road, Samuel Tate, Esq., in reply to the communication in this journal,
of the 26th ult., from Robert McRee, Esq., in relation to the detention
of freight, and the bad treatment of freighters by the agents of the
Memphis & Charleston Railroad and also commenting on our incidental
remark that if such things do really occur in the transmission of
freight over that road, the Government had better interpose to prevent
it. |
| Mr. Tate denies the statements of Mr.
McRee explicitly, and moreover says that the officers of the road know
of no misunderstanding between them and the New Orleans and Jackson
Railroad, unless it has occurred on the part of the latter, about the
detention of freight at the Junction, within the last few weeks. "They
seem," says the President, "to thin that the Memphis & Charleston
Railroad ought to receive and transport freight promptly from them,
whether the roads at Chattanooga take it away from us or not. There
never has been one-third as much freight detained over at the Junction
at any one time as we have had for weeks detained at Chattanooga, and it
is simply ridiculous for a railroad man to expect a connecting company
to receive freight from him, and forward it, beyond the amount he can
get taken away from him at the end of his road after he has transported
it. The facts," continues Mr. Tate, "are these:" |
| For several weeks past there has been
great difficulty in getting freight promptly transported over the roads
in East Tennessee and Virginia, owing principally to the transit of
motive poser and cars on the East Tennessee & Virginia Railroad. This
company has assisted them in every way it could. They now have three of
our best engines and over one hundred of our cars between Chattanooga
and Bristol, and one hundred and twenty more cars loaded at Chattanooga
to go east, and have not been able for the past week to get over five to
ten cars a day taken away from there. The Government has taken from us
forty to fifty cars and carried them to the Nashville and Louisville
Railroad {Louisville & Nashville RR}. This
ties up over one half of our cars, yet we might get along even with half
our cars, if connecting roads would receive freights from us and relieve
us promptly at Chattanooga, but it is impossible for us to transport
freight and no one to receive it from us on delivery at the end of our
road. Our depot and side tracks at Chattanooga are now all filled and no
one to receive it from us, and we are compelled to refuse freights going
in that direction for either individuals or connecting roads. |
| The government freight we give preference,
and transport it daily as they give us privilege at Chattanooga of
sending around by the Augusta route. We send this freight forward by a
day and night express, without delay. We have ample machinery and cars
to do all the business promptly that is offered to our road, and would
do it daily, if other roads would take it from us promptly, but we
cannot do it while we have to furnish one half of our rolling stock to
other roads, and then cannot get what freight we carry with the other
half taken from us promptly. |
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