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[7.]

RICHMOND, JULY 12th, 1846.

EDMOND FONTAINE, Esq.

DEAR SIR,

I received on my return here last evening yours of the 9th, in which you state that considerations personal to yourself, as well as those affecting the interest of the company, make it important that an answer should be received by the 13th inst. to the proposition of the Louisa railroad company on the subject of their transportation.

To-day being Sunday it is of course impracticable to convene the board and to send you as you request a resolution of the board of directors of this company in reply to the resolutions of the board of directors of the Louisa company by the mail of to-morrow, but from a conversation with two of the directors, and what I know of the views of the other members of the board, you may, I am satisfied, take it for granted that the proposition of the board of directors of the Louisa company referred to will be declined.

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DEAR SIR, Expecting to receive by the mail of this morning the decision of the board of directors of the Richmond, Fredericksburg and Potomac railroad company to whom you apprised me the proposition of the Louisa company would have to be submitted, the directors, with the exception of Mr. Anderson, attended at Louisa courthouse to-day. Mr. Anderson enclosed me your letter to him, but as neither that nor yours to me of the 12th contained a definite answer to the proposition, it was determined that we must wait for the decision of the directors of the Richmond, Fredericksburg and Potomac company made necessary by your first letter to me. Not knowing the cause preventing the meeting of your directors on Monday, and having an important engagement which will occupy me from home three or four weeks, I write now to request that you will inform me whether the answer of your board will probably be delayed for that length of time, or when I may expect it, that I may regulate my movements accordingly, but you will pardon me for repeating that the interests of the Louisa railroad company make it desirable that the answer should be received as soon as possible.

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I received last evening yours of the 14th by Mr. Anderson, and succeeded this evening in obtaining a meeting of our board, and hand you herein an extract from their proceedings.

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[ 10.]

At a meeting of the President and Directors of the Richmond, Fredericksburg and Potomac Railroad Company, on the 16th July 1846:

The president laid before the board a letter of Edmond Fontaine, Esq., president Louisa railroad company, of the 17th June, communicating a copy of certain resolutions adopted at a meeting of the stockholders of that company, and making on behalf of the president and directors of the Louisa railroad company the following proposition to this company, viz: "The Louisa railroad company offers to the Richmond, Fredericksburg and Potomac railroad company one half the gross receipts from freight and mail and one third of the passenger fare per annum for doing the transportation on the Louisa railroad."

The president also read to the board the subsequent correspondence between himself and Mr. Fontaine : Whereupon, Resolved, That this board decline the proposition of the president and directors of the Louisa railroad comA true copy from the minutes.

pany.

C. W. MACMURDO, Tr.

[11.]

At a meeting of the President and Directors of the Richmond, Fredericksburg and Potomac Railroad Company on the 19th January 1847:

The president read to the board the two following communications from E. Fontaine, president of the Louisa railroad company of the 6th, and one of the 8th instant, the consideration of which had been deferred at the last meeting, and the letter of Mr. Fontaine dated the 15th instant, since received by him.

(The first letter of Mr. Fontaine being the same with that already published in the memorial of the Louisa railroad company is omitted.)

To the President and Directors of the

RICHMOND, JANUARY 6th, 1847.

Richmond, Fredericksburg and Potomac Railroad Company.

GENTLEMEN,

The time is now arrived when it will be prudent to make some arrangement to have a proper stage line to accommodate passengers between this place and Charlottesville, Staunton, &c. who may travel over the two railroads. I apprehend the stage contractor will not be willing to connect with us on an equal division per mile of the passenger fare. To keep the through fare down to a limit that will prevent the packet boats and the Valley turnpike from drawing the travel from our roads, it will be necessary to make some concession in favour of the stages. I expect in a few days to see Messrs. Farish & Co. on the subject. May I not calculate on your co-operation in effecting this arrangement by paying part of the bonus they may require, as the travel is mutually important to both roads? Please let me hear from you on this subject as early as possible.

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I addressed you a letter a few days since, enquiring if your company, with a view to secure our railroads against the competition of the Winchester route, and the canal, would not unite with the Louisa com

pany in making the necessary allowance to a stage contractor, to secure an equal division of the passenger fare per mile in a through ticket from Richmond, Baltimore and other places to Staunton. An allowance I presume will have to be made in some form. Heretofore it has been done by a division of the mail pay of the Louisa company, in which the Richmond, Fredericksburg and Potomac railroad company and the Louisa company were equally interested, which amounted to $1431 84.

I propose if found necessary to induce the stage owners to consent to an equal division of passenger fare, to allow them on passengers from Staunton and other points west, a sum per capita, so as to make an amount per annum not exceeding the sum heretofore allowed, say $1400.

In arriving at this I would take the number as near as I can come at it, from the number who went to Staunton the last 12 months, presuming as many came this way. This mode of allowance will make it the interest of the stages to bring as many passengers over our roads as possible.

I propose that the sum requisite to produce the amount of annual allowance be first deducted for the benefit of the stages from each through ticket, and then that the three parties, viz: the two railroad companies and the stages, divide the balance according to distance.

I expect to meet Mr. Farish on this subject on Monday next, and if practicable, I should be very glad to get your answer by the train on Monday morning.

My present purpose is to leave the city in the morning.

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From the published proposals for carrying the mail after the 1st July next, it appears that the Louisa train is required to leave the Junction at 43 P. M., and that the Richmond train will leave Richmond at 8 A. M., arriving at the Junction probably by 93 A. M. From that time until 42 P. M., seven hours, the Louisa passengers will be detained, unless some provision is made to start them from Richmond at a later hour than 8 A. M., the time at which the northern mail leaves. In the suggestion I am about to make, I trust I shall not be censured for any improper intrusion or interference in the management of the business of your company, but that you will give me credit for being actuated by a desire to see adopted the best plan for promoting the interests of both companies.

The president of the Richmond, Fredericksburg and Potomac railroad company, in the conference held on the subject of transportation of freight, expressed the opinion that there would be a great increase of freight on the Richmond, Fredericksburg and Potomac road, especially of merchandize from the north, and that it would be your policy to run very frequent freight trains. The freight on the Louisa road has been steadily increasing. This, with the contemplated increase on the Richmond, Fredericksburg and Potomac road, I have supposed would certainly furnish employment for a daily train, as far as the Junction, of an amount of tonnage suited to the power of a second class engine at least.

Now, what I would suggest is, that the Louisa passengers shall be taken out with the freight for both roads, starting from Richmond, say at 1 P. M., and arriving at the Junction by 4 P. M., and starting back the next day from the Junction on the arrival of the Louisa train, that is, after the northern mail train has passed up, say 91 A. M. It will readily occur to you that this special freight train, between 43 P. M. and 93 A. M. next day could, if desired, go to any point as far as Fredericksburg, and return. I am induced to make this suggestion, believing it the best way to prevent the detention alluded to, which will be so fatal to our travel, viz. from 91 A. M. to 41 P. M., and that it would be merely an adequate provision for the freight of the two roads, and carrying out the views of the president of the Richmond, Fredericksburg and Potomac company alluded to, of frequent freight trains to accommodate the expected freight business in northern merchandize.

May I not hope for your concurrence in this suggestion, as calculated to promote the interests of both roads. It is important that I should know your views on this subject, that I may know how to modify the bid of the Louisa railroad company under the existing proposals for carrying the mail.

Please let me hear from you as early as practicable in relation to this suggestion. I shall be in Richmond for a few days.

By order of the board.

(Signed,)

E. FONTAINE, Pres't Louisa R. Co.

P. S.--I would think of a double train on the Louisa road, but nothing would be gained by advancing the passengers to Gordonsville in the morning, there being no means to get them ou from that point until night. The detention would only be transferred from the Junction to that place.

(Signed,)

E. F.

Which being considered, the following preamble and resolutions were adopted:

The board of directors regret that the Louisa railroad company declined a renewal of the contract, under which the transportation was done by the Richmond, Fredericksburg and Potomac railroad company on the Louisa railroad, on terms which the Board of public works, the umpire selected by the Louisa railroad company, had determined to be just and proper between the parties. They regret this because it is in the opinion of the board, impossible to devise any other plan, on which transportation can be effected between points on the Louisa railroad and Richmond, with as small an outlay of capital, or as diminished an annual cost to the two companies, and consequently that there can be none under which, in justice to their stockholders, produce and merchandize can be conveyed at as low charges.

The board the more regret the decision of the Louisa company, as it appears from the reports of the president and directors of the Louisa railroad company that the transportation on the Louisa railroad had been hitherto effected by this company in the most regular and satisfactory manner. The board will only add on this subject, that they are satisfied that they could not, in justice to their stockholders, have effected the transportation on the Louisa railroad at lower rates than those which were allowed them in the award of the Board of public works, and they are equally satisfied, notwithstanding the estimates of the Louisa company, that the transportation of passengers and freights on the Louisa railroad if as satisfactorily performed, must be more expensive to the Louisa

company.

But the Louisa railroad company had certainly a right to decide for themselves on this subject, and having determined to effect their own transportation, the board of directors of this company see no advantages in the intermediate arrangement since proposed by the directors of the Louisa railroad company of a train of cars made up by contribution of the two companies to run on both roads, calculated to counterbalance the objections, which, in their estimation, present themselves to it. Indeed, the more their attention has been drawn to the subject, the more they are impressed with the conviction that, under present circumstances, with the different opinions of the two boards on many subjects, the future harmony of the two companies will be best promoted and the public be best accommodated by each company after the termination of the present contract, confining its attention exclusively to its own road. They are willing under this arrangement to assume the duty of transhipment at the Junction, but they prefer incurring this to adopting a mixed arrangement not contemplated by the act of incorporation of either company, more apt in their opinion to occasion perplexing questions between the Louisa company and themselves, more fruitful of differences, and under which, in the event of accidents and liabilities for losses, it would also in their opinion be much more difficult to ascertain the exact responsibility of each company.

Resolved, therefore, That this company will, from and after the 1st of July next, be prepared to receive and deliver passengers and property at the Junction, provided the Louisa railroad company will in the mean time construct a track or tracks alongside a similar track or tracks to be constructed by this company, so that articles can conveniently be removed from the cars of one to those of the other company.

That the best efforts of this company will be given to avoid as much as possible any disadvantages which may be attendant on transhipment, and whilst it is evident that they cannot afford to transport on the same terms for short as for long distances, it is their intention to comply to the utmost with every pledge given in the letter referred to by Mr. Fontaine of the president of this company, prior to the opening of the books of subscription for the Louisa railroad, and with every requirement of their charter, and in the transaction of the business on their railroad to afford the accommodation of their road to all of its customers on the most favourable terms which in their opinion may be consistent with the interest of the stockholders and the duty of the board to them.

That this company in ceasing to be carriers on the Louisa railroad, do not deem it expedient or advisable to be parties in the arrangement proposed by Mr. Fontaine for paying a bonus to the stage contractor for running passengers between the termination of the Louisa railroad and Staunton. And whilst if it should appear to them hereafter to be their interest to do so, they will be willing to bear their fair proportion of any deduction in favour of the Staunton travel by this route, yet at present it seems to them if there should be no combination between the packets on the James river canal and the river and bay steamboats for the diversion of travel from this railroad, (and there appears to be none between the Winchester and Potomac and Baltimore and Ohio railroads,) that it will be most expedient for this company to enter into no combination on its part, which would be apt to produce a similar combination between the packets on the James river canal and the river and bay steamers.

That this company after a full trial of the plan of running passenger cars with freight trains for the accommodation of travel on their own road, have for some years abandoned the plan as inexpedient; that on an examination of the proposals for the transportation of the mail on the Louisa railroad after the 1st of July next, it appears that proposals are invited by the department for connecting with the northern train at 43 P. M., or with the Richmond train in the morning. Of course the Louisa railroad company has only to submit its proposals for a connexion with the Richmond train as at present, (which this company has always deemed the most desirable connexion,) to retain the arrangement at present existing.

A true copy from the minutes.

C. W. MACMURDO, Tr.

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