The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1890-10-11
Savannah and the Railroads.

Savannah and the Railroads
The purpose of the Macol aud Atlantic
railroad to seek a seaboard outlet at Foot
Point, S. C., is being quite extensively adj
vertised in some Of the state papers Al
ready-on paper-the projected city Of
| COlleton at that place mas assumed mag
nidcent proportions. There Is suspicion
that the object of magnifying the advan-
tages Of Foot Point as harOor IS 10 impress
upon the people of Savannah the necessity
for coming down handsomely" in the mat
ter OF terminal facilities if they do not want
to see a new seaport established almost
within sound Of their city clock.
And. strange as it may seem, it has been
thought nece sary TO create an incorrect
impression relative to SAvannah's harbor
facilities in order to make those Of Foot
Point appear more attractive. In one OF
the authoritative publications setting forth
Foot Points advantages it is stated that
Savannah has only seventeen feet of water
on her bar at low tide. That statement is
wide Of the truth. Savannah at low water
has nineteen feet on her bar, and recently
vessels drawing twenty-one feet have gone
TO sea from her wharves at high tide. It
will not be many years before she will have
channel of twenty-six feet from the city
TO the sea. The government has authorized
the Improvement which will give her that
depth of water.
Savannah has been thre atened more than
once with the loss of commerce if she did
not comply with the desires of a projected
railroad. She has grown and prospered
in the face Of such threats. and will con-
tinue TO do so. And the railroads which
threatened her, where are theyl 1t would
not be an easy matter to point them out
now. Some of those who were interested
in them have lively recollection of them.
The projected enterprises did not become the
great corporations they were expected to.
True, in one or more instances, railroads
were built, but they did not prosper, and
finally passed into the hands of receivers.
These railroad enterprises came TO grief
because those who controlled them were
more interested in land speculations than
in the success of the roads, Three railroads
that are called to mind, which were
built to other places, would now be prosper
GUS and paying properties had they been
built to Savannah. Those who built them
were heavy losers by their lack of judg-
ment. Their business sense, which they
relied upon, and in which they had great
confidence, proved to be somewhat untrust-
worthy. Savannah was ready to welcome
these three roads, and aid them to the ex-
tent Of her ability.
She helped the Atlantic and Gulf road
now the Savannah, Florida and Western
railway, and she has given substantial aid
to the South Bound. The Middle Georgia
and Atlantic has an open offer from her of
extremely valuable concessions, and il the
projectors of it are in earnest they will
have the benefit of very strong support in
Savannah. There is no opposition to a very
liberal policy on the part of the city
in dealing with the Macon and Allan
tic, or any other railroad projected to
this city. Savannah is ready to welcome all
that are DESTROYS of coming, and it is to the
interest of all of those who have money in
vested in railroads, which are seeking a
seaboard outlet on this part of the South
Atlantic coast, to have them come to large
and growing city with an immense and ever
increasing business, because such city has
something to offer them.
, The talk about terminal facilities in Sa-
vannah costing $1,000 900 is all nonsense.
This city has many miles of unoccupied
water front, and the railroad that cannot
get satisfactory terminal facilities at some
point is hard to please. 1t may not be an
easy matter to get city wharf lots, but it is
not difficult TO do as khe Cantral RAILROAD
has done, namely. make wharf lots. The
truth is, water front terminal facilities are
as easy to get in Savannah as in any other
city of its size in the country, and at a less
cost. The railroad that undertakes to build
seaport city where none now exists will
find it has undertaken a very difficult and
unremunerative task.