The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1890-02-04
GEN. ALEXANDER'SPLANS
THE INCREASE OF THE OCEAN
STEAMSHIP cos. FLEET.

The Arrangements for Adding New
Vessels to be Matured in a Short
Time-Gen. Alexander on the Cen
trails Condition-His Reply to the
Being Improved as Rapidly as it
Can Be.
Gen. Alexander, president of the Central
system, returned from New York yesterday
morning, after an absence Of ten days,
where he was in conference with the fnan-
cial agents of the system looking to a plan
to be devised for increasing the Ocean
Steamship Company's feet in the line of
the instructions given to him at the meeting
Of the new directory last month. Gen.
Alexander says that the prospects are
favorable, but it will require two or three
months to mature the arrangements.
Gen. Alexander was asked if he was in
ciined to say anything for publication con-
corning the report recently telegraphed
from Columbus to New York that the Cen
trail is being allowed to deteriorate in con-
dltion. He replied that the explicit state
ments made by General Manager Gabbett
seem to cover the ground so fully that little
remains to be said.
THE SYSTEM SPEAKS FOR ITSELF.
After moment of reflection Gen. Alex
ander added: Certainly no citizen Of Sa-
vannah who will walk over the CentraPs
wharf property and note the large expend-
ltures being made, and the scale Of i'm
proVements now under way, will believe
any such statements as were telegraphed
from Columbus; nor will any one believe
tneIn who, riding over the road, will OBJ
serve the heavy steel rails taking the place
OF lighter material, the iron bridges sup
planting the wooden ones, the rock ballast,
and the new equipments being added daily.
I'm BRIEF Gen. Alexander said, there
never has been day in the history of the
Central when either its physical condition
or It's financial prospects were as good as
they are to-day, nor has there ever been a
day when the expenditures for betterments
were being made at anything approx
mating the present scale. The regularly
published reports of earnings indicate this,
showing an increase of expenditures for the
SIX months ending Dec. 81, 1889, of $613,-
3OS 80 over the corresponding period of the
previous year, and $765,476 So over the
same period of 1887.
GREAT DEAL YET TO BE DONE.
"Of course" Gen. Alexander added.
there is still a great deal to be done on so
large system, and 1t requires some time to
| remodel and equip the property of the Cen
tral fully up to the demands Of the day:
but the policy announced in my last annual
report Of bringing the physical conditions
OF the property up to the highest modern
| standard of efficiency, both as to track
equipment and terminals, is being rapidly
carried into effect both on railroad and
water lines"
Referring to the withdrawal of twelve of
the slxty-six trains of the system Gen
Alexander said that the travel did not Justify
Keeping them on the roads. The country
| people are now beginning to prepare for
putting In their crops, and as result travel
| Is nghtened. Some trains are taken off
| every year when the travel is not sufficient
10 operate them except at loss; but with
the renewal of travel after the crops are
gathered the trains or as many as may be
found necessary to accommodate the de-
mand, are again put on the road.
THE CENTRAL's ACCIDENTS.
AS to accidents on the Central's lines, Gen.
Alexander said that the system has had no
more than its share of accidents. and bv
comparison fewer than most southern roads.
No serious accidents, such as have been oc-
curing in the north, have been reported,
| and only one fatality, the death of fire.
man, has resulted. Trains are sometimes
out OF schedule, and from various causes
but accidents on the Centrals lines have
| caused comparatively few delays. These
are common to other roads, and he said
the train on which he reached Washington
going to New York was three hours behind
Time, and half an hour late on his return
to Washington, and he thinks that
fully one-half the trains throughout the
country are delayed daily for yarious
reasons, and on the very best equipped
roads, yet no one has thought to make a
bugbear of it.
When Gen. Alexander assumed executive
control of the property of the Central, he
said that he informed the management that
it would require five years to put it in the
highest physical condition, and he is steadily
pursuing the policy then outlined, at the
same time keeping in view the paying of
dividends, which have not been suspended,