Atlantic City Shore Railroad Co Financial Docs Electric Power Voucher 1908
$ 6.86
Description
Atlantic City Shore Railroad Co Financial Docs Electric Power Voucher 1908. The included check is drawn on H. F. Bachman & Co., bankers based in Philadelphia, completing the financial record. All handwritten, stamped, and printed information remains fully legible. This collection comprises a set of financial documents dated 1908 from the Atlantic City and Shore Railroad Company, including the voucher jacket, the corresponding check, a technical data sheet, and internal correspondence. The voucher cover, bearing a date of May 1908 and a PAID stamp dated September 4, 1908, records a payment of $1,169.41 to the West Jersey and Seashore Railroad Company, a subsidiary of the Pennsylvania Railroad, for electric power supplied during that month. This transaction reflects the interdependent operational relationships among early twentieth-century interurban railways in Southern New Jersey, particularly within Atlantic County. On the reverse of the voucher jacket is a pre-printed accounting ledger with handwritten entries detailing the Power Purchased expense, showing a calculated base cost of $975.36 at a rate of 1.2 cents per kilowatt-hour. A noted discrepancy of $194.05 between the estimated and actual costs adjusts the final payment amount. The accompanying documentation adds context to the transaction. The technical sheet reports wattmeter readings from the Somers Point Substation and from towers located in Pleasantville and Meadows, accounting for 33,520 kilowatt-hours of electric power consumption that supports the invoiced amount. A letter dated September 4, 1908, from the Philadelphia headquarters to the General Superintendent in Atlantic City addresses the accounting variance, indicating a need to revise the methodology for estimating power costs. The included check is drawn on H. F. Bachman & Co., bankers based in Philadelphia, completing the financial record. Multiple authorizations appear on the documents, including the signature of Secretary J. M. Campbell and approval initials from the Executive Committee, illustrating corporate fiscal procedures of the period. Collectively, these materials provide an example of early 1900s railroad accounting practices, document the technical aspects of electric traction power usage, and demonstrate internal company communications. The documents exhibit typical signs of aging such as toning, foxing, edge wear, and a central fold with some ragged edges. All handwritten, stamped, and printed information remains fully legible.
