com raiii 1 «•'"•»' "^' [House Bill, No. 19.] - HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIA^ES.— January 27, 1863.— Read first and second times, referred to Committee on Quartermaster and Comnjissary Departments nnd Military Tran?!portotion, and ordered to be printed. [By I^Fr. Mu.v^.] A. BILL To provide for the safe]J]and expeditious transportation of troops and munitions of ^var by railroads. 1 Section 1. T/ic Congress of the Confederate States of Ameriea do 2 ennct, That to facilitate the efficient, prompt, and uninterrupted ;5 transportation of troops md military munitions and supplies, the •I l^-esident shall appoint a Military Chief of lUilroad Transporta- 5 tion, who shall have th.e rank of a"Lieutenant Colonel and receive G compensation at th ) rate of FlVO thousand dollars per annum, 7 payable quarterly, -who shaf^ hold his office during the pleasure S of the Fresi'lent, and wlio sliall bo selected from the railroad 9 officers in the Confederate States with a special view to his judg- 10 mont, skill and experience in the practical details of railroad 11 operations and machinery, and wlio shall liohl no other office nor 12 employment durin.o; its oontinuance. 1 Sec. 2. JSe it further enacted, That tho said Military Chief of 2 Railroad Transportation shall be authorized and required to di- 3 vide the railroads in the Confederate States into not less than 4 two nor more than four Railroad Districts, over each of which 5 districts the President shall appoint a District Military Superin- G tendent, who shall have the rank of a Major, with the annual 7 compensation of sixteen hundred dollars per annum, and who 8 shall also be selected from the railroad ofBcers of the Confederate 9 States, with a special view to his judgment, experience and skill 10 in the operations and machinery of railroads, and who shall hold 1 1 his office at the pleasure of the President. 1 Sec. 3. Be it further enacted, That the acting President an<.4^ 2 Superintendent of edch railroad shall, ex officio, be the local ani"* 3 special Military Superintendents of tho operations of each sucj.. 4 railroad, and shall have the rank, respectively, the President of 5 a Major and the Superintendent of a Captain, but without any 6 pay or pecuniary compensation to either by virtue of such rank. 1 Sec. 4. Be it further enacted, That the Road Master and each 2 Conductor of Passenger trains, and other trains conveying 3 troops, of each railroad, shall have the rank, but without any 4 pay as such, of a First Lieutenant; and each Chief Station 5 Agent, and Section Master shall have the rank, but without any 6 pay as such, of Second Lieutenanti 1 Sec. o. Be it further enacted, That in all matters pertaining to 7^ 2 their respective official duties as railroad officers and pertaining '^^^ 3 to railroad operations entrusted to their care, each of the officers 4 of railroads herein named, shall have complete ' and exclusive control, and be subject to no interference or control of any G military officer, of whatever rank, except as hereinafter provided 7 for; and that any military officer, of whatever rank, not engaged 8 in the management of any railroad, who shall interfere with the 9 movement of any train or other operations of such road, shall be 10 deemed guilty of a military offence, and, upon charges preferred 1: ' '^y the President of the railroad company, may be tried and ^)unished at the discretion of a court martial. ) 1 Sec. G. Be it further enacted, That each such railroad officer shall, as to the operations of liis railroad and the protection of 3 its property, be ciotiied, accordiug to his rank and within the : scope of his duties, v>-ith military authorit}^ over the agents and 5 operatives and watchmen or guards under his authority, and over G any other persons who may molest or intrude upon any property 7 belonging to his railroad. 1 Sec. 7. Be it further enacted, That it shall be the duty of each 2 District Railroad Superintendent, with the aid, and, after con- 3 sultation with the Presidents and Superintendents of the rail- 4 roads \Yithin his district, to arrange such schedules for the move- # 4 5 inent of government trains as Avill insure, as far as practicable, (j their uninterrupted, safe and prompt continuous transportation 7 along their several railroads, Tvithout unnecessary delays on or at 8 the termini of either of the railroads in his district, as "well as to 9 secure like close connections and uninterrupted transportation 10 -^vith the railroads of districts adjacent to his O'wn. If, upon 11 such consultation ^viih such Railroad Presidents and Superinten- 12 dents, he shall fail to agree vrith them upon such schedules for 13 uninterrupted transportation, he shall establish a schedule, to 14 -^vhich it shall be obligatory on the officers of such railroads to 15 conform the movements of their trains. If the officers of any IG such railroad, over -which such schedules shall have been estab- 17 lished, shall neglect or refuse to conform to sucli schedules the move- 18 ment of their trains, then, upon the complaint of the said District 19 Military Superintendent, and upon due notice of such complaint 20 to the President or Superintendent so neglecting or refusing, the 21 Chief of Military Transportation may, after a summary hearing 22 of both parties, if he deem such complaint well founded, call 23 upon the general commanding the department in "which such 24 recusant President or Superintendent shall reside, to take military 25 possession of such railroad, and deliver it to such District Mili- 26 tary Superintendent, to be controlled and managed by such 27 officers as such District Superintendent may appoint, and so long 5 28 as the said Chief of Military Transportation may deem necessary 29 to the military operations of the Government. 1 Sec. 8. Be it fari/ier enacted, That, whenever transportation 2 for troops, officers or military munitions or supplies, is desired i) or required by any* military oilicer. such officer shall give the 4 earliest practicable notice of such requirement to the proper ofiicer of the railroad or railroads over which such transportation G is to be performed, vdio shall himself also give the promptest 7 notice practicable, of such lequirement, to the proper officer of 8 each connecting railroad over Avhich the same transportation is to 9 be continued; and any such military officer making such a requi- 10 sition shall designate the hour when such officers, troops or miii- 1 1 tary munitions or supplies will be completely ready for transpor- 12 tatiou, and it shall be his imperative duty to see that they are 13 then so ready, and, after v»hich hour no train shall be detained 11 without the consent of the controlling officers^of such railroad; 15 but the hours of departure and arrival, and all other matters 1() relating to the movements of trains shall be controlled exclu- 17 sively by such officers of the railroads performing the transpor- 18 tation. 1 Sec. 9. Be it furthtr enacted, That whenever, upon the repre- 2 sentation of any General, commanding any Department, or in 3 the judgment of any of the said District Military Superintendents, 6 4 or of the said Ciiief of Miiiiarv Railroad Tran.-:portatioii, or bv.a 5 General coinmanding a Divi^^ioiij.AvIien neitlicr of the three above G named officers arc present, it shall be deemed necessary, or of 7 great importance to the public service, either to remove the 8 rails or other movable structures, or *the machinery of any Railroad in any district, in order to prevent their capture by the iO public enemy, or to repair, extend or alter the road\Yay, structures 11 or machinery of such Railroad, or to construct any side tracks, 12 -water stations, Avarehouses, or other structures connected with 10 any such Railroad; such work shall be, upon the requisition 11 of such District Superintendents, promptly executed under the 15 control and superintendence, if practicable, of the officers of sucii IG Railroad, and if they cannot or will not execute it as promptly 17 or as well as may be practicable by such District Superintendent, 18 the cost thereof in either case to be defrayed by the Treasurer of 19 the Confederaile States, on the warrant of such District Superin- 2U tendent, and to be charged to, and refunded by, the Company on 21 whose Riilroad such structures are constructed, or such repairs, 22 extensions or alterations of roadway, structures or machinery 23 are made, to the extent only, however, and at the time when they 24 shall be of value and importance to such Company, irrespective 25 of their exclusive value to the Government ; such value to be 26 determined by the estimate of three impartial arbitrators, one of 7 27 whom shall be selected by such Company, another by the Gov- 28 ernment, and by those two the third shall be chosen. 1 Sec. 10. Be it further enacted, That if any Superintendent or 2 President of any Railroad Company shall wilfully fail or refuse, 3 upon a requisition made in the manner hereinbefore indicated, to 4 furnish transportation for troops and munitions of war to the 5 extent required, and to the extent of the capacity of the road, 6 the officer or officers so offending, shall be deemed guilty of a 7 military offence, and for such offence shall be tried and punished 8 at the discretion of -a court martial — a portion of the punishment 9 inflicted by which, should the party tried be found guilty, shall be removal from official connection with tlie road. 1 Sec. 11. i?fi it further enacted. That any officer or employee, 2 connected with any Railroad, upon whom by this Act it is 3 provided military rank shall be conferred, if he fails wilfully in 4 any manner to perform his duty, as such officer or employee, 5 whereby detention or detriment may occur in the transportation 6 of troops or munitions of war, shall be deemed guilty of a 7 military offence, end punished at the discrection of a court 8 martial — a portion of the punishment inflicted by which, should 9 the party tried be found guilty, shall be removal from office or 10 employment in connection with the road: Provided, That the tl court martial, to be ordered under this and the preceding section, 8 12 shall l)G composed alike of oficers, upon wliom by this Act rank 13 is conferred, and of officcps of the army. 1 Sec. 12. Be it further cnadid. That the Military Chief of 2 Railroad Transportation, and the District Superintendents, shall 3 each be entitled to one Clerk, to vrhom shall be paid a salary of 4 $800, except to tlie Clerk of the Military Chief, whose salary o shnll be S1.200. Hollinger Corp. pH8.5