at this time to execute their wishes; that the bills payable and accounts, as they are aware, exceed $250,000; the over drafts are over $13,000, and the losses on this month alone from reduction of rates will probably exceed $20,000. Under these circumstances, if they desire to press me or institute legal proceedings, I shall be forced to close the depot at Prosperity. Very respectfully, your obedient servant, A. C. HASKELL, President. OFFICE OF RAILROAD COMMISSIONERS, COLUMBIA, S. C., Nov. 8, 1883. Hon. A. C. HASKELL, President C. & G. R. R. Co., Columbia, S. C. DEAR SIR: The Board instructs me to acknowledge the receipt of your letter of the 31st ultimo, and to say in reply that unless advised by the 15th instant that work on the rooms for the accommodation of passengers at Prosperity will be commenced at an early day they will have to request the Attorney General'to see that Section 1494 General Statutes is enforced. You say that if legal proceedings are instituted you will be forced to close the depot at Prosperity. This the Board feels constrained to state they cannot allow, and they take this opportunity to notify you of the fact. Yours, very respectfully, M. T. BARTLETT, Secretary. OFFICE OF RAILROAD COMMISSIONERS, COLUMBIA, S. C., Nov. 17, 1883. Hon. C. R. MILES, Attorney General, Charleston, S. C. DEAR SIR: I am directed by the Board to enclose you the correspondence with regard to depot at Prosperity, on the Columbia and Greenville Railroad. You will perceive that it is made the duty of the Railroad Commission to enforce the provisions of Section 1494 General Statutes as to station houses, and I am instructed by the Board to request you to take the requisite steps to enforce the provisions of that Section. Yours, very respectfully, M. T. BARTLETT, Secretary. The 83d Section General Railroad Act, 1494 General Statutes, provides: "That every railroad company owning or operating a railroad. in this State shall erect and keep at every office where tickets are sold for travel over its road two good rooms or apartments of reasonable size for the amount of travel at such office, which shall be furnished with comfortable seats for the accommodation of passengers, such rooms to be in charge of an employee of such company," etc. Our predecessor, in his last Annual Report, said in reference to this requirement of the law: "Unimportant flag stations, where few get on and off, do not in general require a literal compliance with this Act. They are kept up by the railroads for the convenience of the citizens of the particular locality. In such cases the citizens generally desire no change. I have therefore acted more according to the spirit of that Section than to the strict letter." The Commission concur in these views, and respectfully recommend that the above Section be so amended as to allow more discretion to the Board in this matter. * * * OFFICE OF THE RAILROAD COMMISSION. Up to last year no assessment had been made under the law on the railroads for office rent, the then Commissioner occupying for his office. two of the Committee rooms in the State House during the recess, and during the session of the Legislature the inconvenient and uncomfortable room of the Janitor. The Commission of three entered upon their duties on the 10th of January and occupied the above mentioned Committee Rooms until September 1st, when they succeeded in securing the rooms at present occupied by them at a rental of two hundred and forty dollars per annum. ITEMIZED RECEIPTS. Our predecessor in his last year's Report recommended that the 34th Section of the General Railroad Act (1445 General Statutes) should be amended by striking out the proviso. The Section reads that the consignee or consignees of articles shipped may "demand and receive from the agent or agents of the railroads delivering the same, and before the payment of any charges upon the same, a full and correct statement of such charges, showing the total amount to be paid by said consignee or consignees, together with the proportion of the same to be paid to each road over which, or any part of which, said freight may have passed, whether such road be beyond the limits of this State or not: Provided, That it be within the power of such agent or agents so to do." We again recommend that this proviso be stricken out. A way bill, or "manifest" as it is called, should, and usually does, accompany every shipment of goods, and there can be, or should be, no difficulty in the agents complying with the consignee's demand. The Richmond and Danville, the Charlotte, Columbia and Augusta and the Columbia and Greenville Railroads, by their "Rules for Manifesting Freight," require the weights, charges, freight, total and divisions, on each manifest, and that the total be placed at the foot of the column, and such has been the usage with most of the roads previous to the law being amended by adding the above proviso. Such manifest, showing what amount each road over which the freight passed, has received, is essential to enable the Commission to see where an over charge has been made. INSPECTION OF RAILROADS. The pressure upon the time of the Commission has been so great that it has been impossible to make the usual annual inspections of the railroads. The information received by the Commission shows them generally in as good condition as last year, and in some instances much improved. One of the Commissioners inspected the Charlotte, Columbia and Augusta Railroad and its leased roads, the Chester and Lenoir aud the Cheraw and Chester. He was accompanied by a competent expert, who reports to the Commission that the bridges and trestles are in the main good. The Commissioner says he finds since his last annual inspection that improvements have been made on the three roads, and some new steel rails laid on the Charlotte, Columbia and Augusta-the last mile of stringer track having been replaced by crossties and steel rails. He has uniformly, since his first year as Commissioner, urged the use, on bridges and trestles, of close and heavy crossties with strong guard rails notched down and fastened with iron bolts to every second or third tie. The utility of this structure for the preservation of life and property was strikingly illustrated on the Enoree River some three years ago, when an entire train was derailed and ran fifty feet on the crossties, and but for the guard rail would have been precipitated into the river. NEW AND PROJECTED RAILROADS. The Georgetown and Lane's Road, running from Georgetown to Lane's, a station on the Northeastern Railroad, thirty-six miles from Georgetown and fifty-five miles from Charleston, has just been completed and not yet put into operation. It is a valuable addition to the railroad system of the State, bringing into intimate communication with the other portions of the State a section hitherto somewhat inaccessible, and opening another shipping port in the State. Its officers report that "the road is laid with the best steel rails and is first class in all of its appointments, including cars of 40,000 pounds' capacity." The Carolina, Cumberland Gap and Chicago Railroad Company encourage the hope that this railroad, so important to the State, will ere g receive the financial support requisite to carry it forward. The grading of the Spartanburg, Laurens and Greenwood Road is progressing rapidly to completion and the road will probably be in operation before the next session of the Legislature. Work on the Greenville and Laurens Road, the Commission is informed, will be soon begun and the work pushed rapidly forward. It is claimed by some that the creation of a Railroad Commission deters capitalists from investing in railroads in the States that have such Commissions. Such is not the experience in Georgia. The Commission of that State, in their Report of October, 1882, say: "An experience of three years of the practical operations of railroads in this State, under the supervision of law, has for that period shown largely increased reve. nues to the railroads, larger dividends to the railroad stockholders, higher prices for railroad shares, greater volume of business, largely stimulated travel, greatly increased tendency to invest capital in our State, more miles of railroad built and being built in Georgia and corresponding benefits to the public generally, and the railroad authorities and the people on better terms with each other than ever before during a similar period in our history." ACCIDENTS. The following table shows the number of persons killed and injured during the year ending June 30th last: CAPITAL STOCK. The capital stock of the railroads as far as reported is $15,646,160. DEBT. The total debt of the roads which have given this item in their annual reports is: Funded, $26,583,770.11; unfunded, $1,053,659.87, making a total of $27,637,429.98. Average debt per mile, $13,521.41. The Asheville and Spartanburg, Charleston and Savannah, Cheraw and Chester, Chester and Lenoir, Laurens Railway, and Spartanburg, Union and Columbia Railroads, make no report. INCOME. The income of the roads for the year ended June 30, 1883, is $5,832,281.19, as follows: Earnings passenger department. Earnings freight department... Income from other sources.... EXPENSES. The total expenses of the roads for the year ended June 30, 1883, is.... Showing a net income....... An increase over last year of..... AMOUNT OF BUSINESS. .$1,773,192 97 3,938,616 89 120,471 33 $5,832,281 19 $4,191,367 16 ..$1,640,914 03 445,261 82 The following statement shows the number of passengers and tons of freight transported during the years ending June 30, 1882, and June 30, 1883: |