The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1888-03-31
THE BIG TERMINAL DEAL
GEN. ALEXANDER WILL NOT
LEAVE THE CENTRAL.

ROaQ-Th6 RIVER ana 6drDOr ApprO-
priation.
The New York specials to the MORNING
NEWS for the past few days have alluded
to the RiceLiDbey effort to get control of
the Richmond Terminal system, reorganize
the Board of Directors and elect Gen. f. P.
Alexander, of this city, President. The
dispatches have stated that President Alex
ander would accept the position if rendered,
and that in the event of the success of the
Rice-Libbey parties, he would be succeeded
in the Presidency of the Central railroad
system by Col. Charles H. Phinizy, of
Augusta.
This appears to be true only in part In
an interview with Gen. Alexander yester-
terday he not only corrected some of the in
accuracies of the Eastern rumorS, but
talked very freely and fully upon the Cen
trails plans, which will be of interest in
railroad circles here and in other States
Gen. Alexander said that he had been APP
preached by representatives of the parties
seeking to reorganize the Richmond Termi-
nal TO learn whether he would accept the
Presidency in the contemplated reorganiza-
ton. He was not prepared to say that it
would be consummated. After a confer
ence with the Central folks, he repledNthat
under certain conditions he would accept,
and aid them in making up the next annual
report of the Terminal system.
WILL NOT RETIRE FROM THE CENTRAL.
This acceptance, however, did not carry
with it any contingency of retiring from
the Presidency of the Central. There were
no antagonisms between the two systems
he said, although they may be said to be
competitors at some points, or rather COM
petitors with other roads. The Central
q H.
petitors at Birmingham, Atlanta Gaines
vile, Anderson c. H., S. c., Athens, Au-
gusta, and at Spartanburg and Greenville,
>. c., and other smaller towns in the upper
Carollnas. This, however is not such a
competition as would necessitate his with
drawal from the Presidency of the Central
If he should accept that of the Terminal, as
adjustments at competitive points could be
satisfactorily made by boards of arbitra-
ton, as has been done in the past, without
any embarrassment to him if he held the
two Presdencies.
THE CENTRALs PURCHASE.
Abiding TO the New York special in the
MORNING NEWS of yesterday that Mr. John
ii. Inman had purchased the Eastern rail
road of Alabama, Gen. Alexander said that
the road alluded to was the East Alabama
and Cincinnati railroad, a road thirty-seven
miles in length, running from Opelika to
Roanoke. 1t was purchased, he said, by
the Central railroad, and its probable OBJ
.jective point is Admission, Ala, but that,
however, has not yet been fully determined
upon. 1t is not unlikely that the road will
be extended to Anniston to Judge from
Gen. Alexander's thoughtful study of the
map, but he kept the subject open. at
may be extended to Anniston,n said the
General
Referring to the progress of the Column
bus and Western, Gen. Alexander said that
the work has been much impeded by the
heavy rain storms and freshets in that sec
ton during the past week and the water
has been very troublesome and has inter
fered greatly with the work in the tunnels
He would not now say that the road will be
completed as soon he had anticipated in his
interview in the MORNING News of March
y, within sixty to seventy-five days from
that date, as the work has not progressed so
1avorably owing to the causes assigned.
The delay will not be very great, though,
and it will be only couple Of weeks or SO
later than his first approximation.
Abiding to the Buena Vista extension to
Columbus, the route. Gen. Alexander said
has now been fully determined upon 1t is to
be via Cusseta The preliminary SURVEYS
have been returned, and final survey has
been ordered by the route determined upon.
The entire line will be let at once by sec
tons The construction will be pushed
rapidly forward, and track-laying will very
likely begin both at Columbus and Buena
Vista
THE SAVANNAH AND COLUMBUS.
Referring to the Savannah and Columbus
road Gen. Alexander said that he did not
want to be quoted as speaking for the Cen
trail in any complications growing out of
the Dublin and Western controversy. The
Savann and Columbus road though will
be built. Maj. Belknap is about to let a
portion OF the extension from Eden, one
section of which will include a bridge and
trestle work over the Ogeechee river
Whether they win push westward by the
way of Dublin and Perry, or by the way of
Montezuma, or by the way of Americas is
not yet decided upon. If either of the two
last named routes should be chosen, a
branch road to Dublin will be built from
some point on the Savannah and Columbus
road.
The surveying parties are engaged in pre-
liminary surveys of the three routes now,
and until these are all in and have been
considered he will not be prepared to ven
ture statement as to which will be the
most available and practical route.
THE BARNwELL, S. G., EXTENSION.
Gen. Alexander then turned his attention
TO the Barnwell and Blackville, S. c., rail
road enterprises. He is glad to see the in
terest manifested in a railroad way by the
South Carolinians who want 10 get to Sa-
NdLnabs AnS Ipult lIOlll bIdCkNlle VIA. bll-
ford's Bridge does not seem to have inn
pressed itself favorably upon his mind.
He does not think it very
practical idea TO leave a town
like Barnwell off the line. and especially
when it already has the railroad extending
from Blackville. He thought there ought
70 be little trouble in getting to Savannah.
Both the Central and Plant system would
be very glad TO have the trade Of such
road It could easily be extended from
Barnwell TO point on the Port ROYAL road.
and forming a junction with the Charleston
: and Savannah road at Yemassee and get to
Savannah by nearly as short line as via
Springfield
SAVANNAH AND HER HARBoR.
Gen. Alexander then drifted into a des-
ultory conversation, in which the future
of Savannah was the chief topic He
thought that its future is full of promise,
but he inveighed severely against the mig
gardly policy which had obtained in Wash
ington in dealing with the harbor interests
of Savannah. Savannah, he said, ought TO
be a port for the Spanish ores which are
required for fluxing with the native ores in
the Birmingham iron belt, and if the harbor
were deepened ships would bring these
ores in ballast and take out cotton
and manufactured products of the Alabama