The Palatka daily news. (Palatka, Fla.) 1884-1888, 1888-01-01


Fernandfna Mirror.
The Savannah, Florida and Western
Railroad Company, otherwise known as
the F,a.,t System, it is announced has
purchased tine Brunswick and Albany
Railroad, extending from Albany, ON the
Southwestern Railroad, crossing the Sa-
yannan, Florida and Western Railroad
at Waycross, and thence to Brunswick.
The purchase is said to have been made
for E39O, 900. equal 70 about tl,SoO,0O.
Maid for in 4 per cent. bonds Of the Sa-
vannah. Florida and Western. adding
that much to the bonded debt OF that
corDoration. The whole length OF the
road ia III miles, and the average price
mid Is about 81 900. 1t runs nearly
east and west across Southern Georgia,
through country well tlmbered with
pine. and we judge that the transporta-
ton of lumber is it's principal support at
present. 1t is insimated that II Is de-
signed to connect the road in q through
system to Birmingham, Ala, and the
Northwest. The iron and coal of North
ern Alabama are beginning to attract
much attention. and ii an outlet can be
arranged through the Brunswick and
Albany, it will create a valuable business
for the road and be great help to Bruins
wick There has never been much travel
over the Brunswick and Albany road,
and it does not seem likely to obtain
much besides local travel 1t Is what
NAV be called cross-line road.
The purchase appears to be q wise one
on the part Of the Savannah, Florida
and Western, as it will form a feeder to
some extent Of their main line, and ena-
| HE them to compete with the East Ten
nessee, Virginia and Georgia line from
| Macon to Brunswick. 1t does not seem
| likely that the Savannah, Florida and
| Western will operate the road in the m
terest of Savannah, as the freight busi-
| ness ON which it depends is lumber and
naval stores, which can more proftably
be shipped at Brunswick.
There Is considerable talk of the Sa-
| yap,ah, Florida and Western, or Plant
system, purchasing that portion OF the
| Florida Railway and Navigation Rail
| road from ChattahOOchee to Jackeon-
vile, now advertised for sale 1t would
not be an object to them unless they
could buy it at low figure. They al
ready have a line in operation from
Chattahoochee to Weycross, running
parallel to the Florida Ra;lway and Navi-
rstion: they have q road 1876 miles in
length from Lawton, thirty miles west
| of Waycross to Gairesville, Fla, con-
Meeting with the South Florida railways.
The road from Chastahoochee 10 Jack
sonville void. give them hardly any
| new business which Is not accessible &c
them now. The single purpose which
they would attain would b. to cut of
business from the Louisville and Nash
| vile Railroad from ChattahOochee west
1t would hardly pay to buy 200 miles Of
road for that purpose.
Il II is very doubtful whether their in
vestments in railway building IN, Florids
have proved at all profitable, with the
| single exception of the Waycross u
Jacksonville branch of seventy-fv'
miles. The 125 miles from Gainesville
to Layvton, and the twenty-five mile
from Lake City to Fort White do no
probably more than pay the expenses O
operating lthem. There is hardly an.
travel, and the freight business is con
, fined to a few months in the winter a
low competitive rates. The South Florid;
Railroad and Havana steamer lines ar
isolated from the rest of their system
, | and have not, it is said, proved profita
Bile.
If the purpose of buying the Fiorid'
Railway and Navigation Companys lin
from Jacksonville to ChattahoOchee,
: based u, n the same policy that induces
the purchase of the Jesup and Florid
short line-in order to kill off competi
tion-it would be an injury and a mis-
fortune to Florida to have the Plant sys
: tenn absorb so large a portion OF tn
} Florida system of railways, to secur'
which the people of Florida have sol
their lands at a low price.
The Florida system as devised in 1S5
should remain under our ownership
The Plant system has its legitimate feel
of operation in Georgia, and F1orid
: should not be made tributary to the IN
} terests of Savannah.