The morning news., 1888-03-16

THE MACON AND DUBLIN ROAD
COMING TO SAVANNAH.

President Alexander Denies that the
Central Has Bought an Interest in
the Savannah, Dublin and Western
but He Admits that the Central's
Friends are in It-What He Says
About the Birmingham Connection
and the Trade it will Bring to Sa-
vannah.
The Macon dispatches in the MORNING
News yesterday announced that the Macon
and Dublin railroad is to be built at once,
and that at Dublin the road will no doubt
unite with the Savannah, Dublin and West
ern and will be built on to Savannah. The
further statement was made that ''the Cen
trail road has purchased some interest in the
Savannah, Dublin and Western road which,
it Is said, it cannotlegally hold, as the party
with whom it traded had no right or au-
thority to make said transaction or sale,
and their right to hold said interest will be
contested
A MORNING NEWS reporter was accorded
an interview with Gen Alexander, Presi-
dent Of the Central, yesterday, and the
statement was brought to Gen. Aexander's
the Central road has purchased an interest
in the Savannah, Dublin and Western. 1t
is true, though, that friends of the Central
have secured an interest in it, and one not
likely to be invalidated by any contest
THE CENTRALS INTEREST IN IT.
The extension of the road from Dublin to
Savannah will not, he said, be direct 1t
viii be made in connection with one of the
three proposed routes discussed in a recent
interview published by the MORNING NEWS
Dublin is too far North from the proposed
lines which the Central is now considering
for its semi-air line from Eden to connect
with Columbus, TO give through connection
with Birmingham.
We may UulId a branch line to Dublin"
said Gen. Alexander, land we probably
will do so, but none of our surveys contem-
plate taking D bin as the main line of the
projected road from Eden west to our Bir-
mlngham connection
DO you contemplate beginning work
soonN Gen. Alexander was asked.
"Oh, yes, he replied. Eve shall begin
work within sixty days on the Columbus
and Buena Vista connection, and will push
that through at once. We are only waiting
now to determine whether we shall build
an air line road from Buena Vista to Co
lumbus, or whether we shall di-
verge and go by the way of
Cusseta. The Cusseta folks sre very
anxious that we shall take in their town
We are waiting now for the surveys, and
when they are received we will decide upon
the route, and then the line will be built at
once.n
"Is this the only part of the road you will
build this year. GeneralW
FROM EDEN WESTWARD.
mo, sir. We will, when the surveys are
r111lnfp,1 fOoSidor fha moot ,,rao+ica h1a
route from Eden westward Whether to
go by Americas or Montezuma is not vet
determined. We have received letters
from the people about Montezuma which
show that they are taking quite an interest
in the matter We VIII build portion of
the road, at least, this year"
Gen. Alexander stated that too much
should not be expected of the through Bir-
mingham road after it is completed. He
doubts if they will be able to bring. coal
here to compete with vessels which are en-
abled to bring coal as ballast from the East
and from Scotland, so that it cannot be
profitably hauled here by rail. The throu n
connection, he said, will only reduce the
carrying price about poe per ton as COM
pared with the present ability Of the Cen
tral system to bring coal to Savannah, and
this vessels Will be prepared to discount,
| carrying coal for little or nothing as bal
last.
WILL DEPEND ON GENERAL BUSINESS.
Gen. Alexander has little confidence in
drawing Western grain here for re-ship-
ment for he says that it is carried to Balti-
more and brought here in vessels for less
than it could be profl5ably carried direct
from the West to Savannah. He cites the
fact that the elevator built at Port Royal to
accommodate the grain which was exuected
to be shipped through from st. Louis BY
the way of Port Royal for Eastern ship
ment, has never been used, the three and
four track roads carrying it to Baltimore
at nominal prices as auxiliaries to their
regular business.
Nor does Gen. Alexander have great ex-
pectations of any early surplusage of man
ufactured products of iron in the Birming-
ham belt to swell the volume of freight
traffic from Birmingham to the ssaboard
To Judge from his forecast, his system will
look to the pig iron, lumber timber, naval
stores, cotton and passenger traffic over the
new line, when built, to justify the present
expense of building the Savannah and Co
lumbus extension. which is an enterprise
that is no longer one of conjecture, but is
fixedly determined upon by the managers