to the expediency of his adopting your suggestions. Still, being anxious to serve you, we determined to make the effort. Yours very respectfully, M. L. BONHAM, Chairman Board Railroad Commissioners. KINARD'S, S. C., March 30, 1883. Hon. M. L. BONHAM, Chairman Board Railroad Commissioners. DEAR SIR: I will agree with the railroad authorities that a depot and an agent, to be paid a salary, would not pay at this place. I have no desire for the railroad company to put a depot here, but we need a side track and agent accommodations. I am told, and do know, that the old side track was put here at the expense of Kinard and the iron was took away since the Clyde Company bought it. The railroad company no doubt think that I am wanting to be the agent, but they are mistaken. I am only representing the welfare and interest of our neighborhood. I am able and willing to pay my passage and freight bills, but not willing to be extorted upon. The passage before the war was 65 cents to Newberry and return the same day. Since rebuilt, 80 cents for three days' ticket, given by conductor, to return. The present the Clyde Syndicate, which has created such a stir among the citizens and legislators, charge only the small amount of $1.15 to Newberry and return. I think from the mile post they have to Newberry it is about 12 miles as they state; 4 cents per mile would make 50 cents to Newberry, but they charge 55 cents, and on returning 60 cents, making $1.15 for the trip, when it should be one dollar for the trip. Don't mention Martin's Depot; the people will not go there from here only when compelled. They have applications for depot and agents at all flag stations. You can't see the point. If the railroad would let the conductors issue tickets as they use to do, you would hear no more of these complaints, and the conductors could collect freights; it would give more satisfaction and the railroad would make more and be of use to the people. They stop at flag stations to take in passengers and charge them more and no return tickets. Why do they take in passengers at these places if they don't treat them as they should be? There is no satisfaction in such, and never will be in their present arrangements. (The Commissioners stand between the railroad and the citizens. You are looked to for redress. Something will have to be done. You will have to act to the satisfaction of the people.) · Yours respectfully, H. O. HENSON. OFFICE OF RAILROAD COMMISSIONER OF SOUTH CAROLINA, COLUMBIA, S. C., April 5, 1883. Messrs. A. A. GILBERT, H. O. HENSON, W. W. SUMMER, AND OTHERS, Kinard's, S. C. GENTLEMEN: We are in receipt of a letter from Mr. H. O. Henson, (one of the signers of the complaint of the citizens of Kinard's,) dated the 30th ult., in reply to ours of the 27th and 28th of March, all of which, we suppose, have been submitted for your consideration. Mr. Henson says, in the letter referred to above, "I have no desire for the railroad company to put a depot here nor an agent to be paid a salary," whereas the complaint asks that we secure for complainants "depot accommodations" and cites "such accommodations are rendered desirable and indeed necessary," and that the "gravamen of the difficulty lies in the fact that all goods shipped for this point must either be freight prepaid or else they stop at Newberry." To overcome the difficulties complained of, a depot or building should be erected at and an agent appointed for your station, and this (as we said before) we do not deem under the circumstances expedient. To require the railroad authorities. to comply would necessitate similar accommodations at all flag stations. from which such complaints may come, and this might force the railroad companies to abandon flag stations altogether, and thus deprive the citizens contiguous to such points of the limited conveniences they now enjoy. We have given due consideration to the suggestion that "conductors issue tickets," and do not feel that we have authority to require it. To the closing paragraph of Mr. Henson's letter, "The Commissioners stand between the railroad and the citizens. You are looked to for redress. Something will have to be done. You will have to act to the satisfaction of the people," we beg respectfully to say that under the law creating the Board it is our duty to do justice to the public and railroads alike, and this we are endeavoring to do. MY DEAR SIR: Enclosed I send you a petition from the citizens of our town asking for an accommodation building as the law requires. I do hope that your Commission will act immediately. Respectfully, H. I. EPTING. To the Honorable Board Railroad Commissioners, Columbia, S. C. We, the undersigned, citizens of Williamston, do hereby petition your honorable body to have an accommodation building erected at the depot of the Columbia and Greenville Railroad at this place. We have no accommodations here, while our sister towns lying along the same railroad line have ample accommodations for their passengers. We have in our town a flourishing female college and male high school, and have long felt the necessity for the building asked for. We beg you to take action on this matter at once. H. I. EPTING. C. E. HORTON. J. G. CLINKSCALES. H. R. BARMORE. J. W. CRYMES. COOLEY & WILLIAMS. G. W. ANDERSON & SON. G. H. MAHON. DACUS, DUCKWORTH & CO. S. J. DUCKWORTH. B. C. MARTIN. D. D. ROGERS. D. A. DACUS. A. F. WELBORN. J. B. ROGERS. R. V. ACKER. DAVIS & WILKINSON. HAMMOND & WILLIAMS. M. B. WILLIAMS, JR. A. M. GUYTON. BERRY WILLIAMS. J. WILSON. W. L. PRINCE. S. LANDER. F. WAGNER. ROBT. A. GRAY. JAMES H. GAINES. THOS. CRYMES. ALLEN W. CLEMENT. JAMES EPENKIE. OFFICE OF RAILROAD COMMISSIONERS, Messrs. H. I. EPTING, DACUS, DUCKWORTH & Co., C. E. HORTON AND GENTLEMEN: The petition of yourselves and others, asking that an accommodation building be erected at the depot of the Columbia and Greenville Railroad at Williamston, has just been received and will have the prompt attention of this Board. We will inform you of the result as soon as definite action is had. Yours, very respectfully, OFFICE OF RAILROAD COMMISSIONERS, Hon. A. C. HASKELL, President C. & G. R. R. Co., Columbia, S. C. We request your attention to this matter, and beg to hear from you at your earliest convenience. Yours, very respectfully, M. L. BONHAM, Chairman Board Railroad Commissioners. PRESIDENT'S OFFICE, COLUMBIA AND GREENVILLE R. R. Co., To the Board of Railroad Commissioners of the State of South Carolina, Columbia, S. C. GENTLEMEN: In answer to your letter of recent date asking reply to several letters heretofore received by me. * * * * * With reference to the complaints from Williamston and Kinard's. As to the first, I must ask leave to await the Superintendent's return and get accurate information. I believe, however, that there is a passenger shed partially enclosed, located on the track, which, in conjunction with the proximity of the school, &c., gives reasonable protection to the passengers. It is true that there are better arrangements at other places, and the railroad company have made these improvements recently, and at a cost far exceeding its ability to pay. We have been forced to retrench expenses and to move with more caution, but as soon as we have the means the petitioners may feel assured that they and others in like cases will be accommodated to our best ability. * * * * I have the honor to be Very respectfully, your obedient servant, A. C. HASKELL. PRESIDENT'S OFFICE, COLUMBIA AND GREENVILLE R. R. Co., To the Board of Railroad Commissioners of South Carolina, Office at State House, Columbia, S. C. * * * * GENTLEMEN: In response to your letter of 23d inst. I would add to what I said about Williamston, that material was placed there several months ago to erect passenger rooms, but, owing to heavy financial pressure, such work had to be suspended. The order has been given to proceed with it at an early date, as had been intended independently of the petition. Very respectfully, your obedient servant, OFFICE OF RAILROAD COMMISSIONERS, Messrs. H. I. EPTING, DACUS, DUCKWORTH & Co., C. E. HORTON AND GENTLEMEN: Referring to our letter of the 17th instant, acknowledg ing the receipt of complaint of the citizens of Williamston respecting passenger accommodations at that place, we beg to say that we have received from President Haskell a letter on the subject, from which we extract as follows: |