Atlantic City & Shore RR Payment Packet West Jersey & Seashore RR 1916
$ 6.86
Description
Atlantic City & Shore RR Payment Packet West Jersey & Seashore RR 1916. This archival grouping comprises a complete payment packet dated ~1916 from the Atlantic City and Shore Railroad Company, documenting a financial transaction related to the procurement of electrical power from the West Jersey & Seashore Railroad Company. The primary document is Voucher No. 443, issued for November 1916, payable to the West Jersey & Seashore Railroad Company based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The transaction bears the official purple ink stamp of C. L. COLE, Receiver, indicating that the Atlantic City and Shore Railroad was operating under receivership at the time—a circumstance frequently encountered by smaller regional railroads during the era of railroad consolidation. The voucher records a total amount of $1,188.18, handwritten in the upper margin, with an interest credit adjustment of $8.76 noted as Int Cr., reflecting an accounting reconciliation. Accompanying the voucher is a detailed statement dated January 10, 1917, which provides a thorough account of power consumption. The statement itemizes electrical usage across the Ocean City Division, including alternating current (A.C.) kilowatt-hours delivered to meters at Pleasantville and Meadows Tower, and direct current (D.C.) power supplied to the Somers Point substation. The calculations extend to the Newfield Branch, specifying an operating efficiency rate of 79.5% and a unit cost of $0.013415 per kilowatt-hour. This level of technical documentation illustrates aspects of early 20th-century electrification practices for regional rail service in southern New Jersey. The final payment is evidenced by Check No. 16247, issued on March 3, 1917, drawn on the Atlantic City National Bank, and signed by Receiver C. L. Cole for the net amount of $1,179.42. The documents remain physically connected by pinholes at the top edge, consistent with their original method of filing. Conditionally, the papers exhibit typical age-related features such as a central horizontal fold, minor foxing, and legible purple and blue ink stamps characteristic of corporate accounting records from this period. This assemblage provides a substantive primary source for analysis of railroad financial management, receivership status, and traction power accounting in the pre-World War I context.
