The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1890-11-27
THE COUNCIL AFTER A PATIENT HEAR
ING OF BOTH SIDES DECIDE
THE RAILROAD
MIDDLE.
Col. Breckenridge Granted the Right of
Way without Restrictions Over
Fifth Street, and viii Hurry
the Road to Completion.

uoi hhO II PiCSSuV, hoSSl5. OdIlOtOh
Morris, Linn, Townsend, Jackson,
Phillips, Jones, Graham, Nitschke and
Wingfeld.
A call of the council was ordered,
and recess was taken until the alb
sent members showed up.
Alderman Anderson, Assmann and
Schuber, came in few minutes after
the call was ordered and about half
an hour afterwards Aldermen Newton
and Plat, put in appearance and Al
derman Jones moved that the call be
suspended.
1t was seconded by Alderman earle
ton and carried.
Alderman Carleton offered resolu-
ton requesting the board of public
works when they have communication
to make requiring the action of the
city council that they be made in
writing in order that the same may be
a part OF the records of the council.
Adopted.
Alderman Morris introduced an or.
danced granting Col. George Bracken-
ridge right of way over Fifth street
from West Avenue to the city limits
and it was read the first time.
Mr.. Frank Hamilton, a member of
a committee of three appointed by the
board of public works to urge upon the
council the necessity of prompt action
in granting right of WY over Fifth
street, was present and was invited to
address the council.
He did so briefly and in clear,
logical, practical argument he laid
before the council the absolute neces-
sity Of granting the franchise asked
for.
He reviewed the difficulties that
had beset the enterprise from the
start and showed that after due dill
gence and extraordinary efforts only
one man could be found to build the
road. The International, Central and
the Austin and Northwestern all re-
fused.
He referred to the fact that the con.
tract made with Mr.. Corrigan provided
that the city should furnish him free
trackage to the dam and that cont tract
had been approved by the city council.
He stated that the work now going
on at the dam was in the sand on
this side of the river, and a Golfer dam
is being put down to keep out the
water and the blasting in the rock is
now about to begin, and the first stone
to 60 into the work must be from the
granite quarry of Burnet county.
To get that stone and cement and
other material the railroad is an abso-
lutte necessity.
Continuing, he said there was dan
ger of this work being greatly damaged
ii by dilatory action of the council the
railroad is not promptly constructed
and material furnished and if such
should happen the city would be liza
BILE for damages.
He called attention to the fact that
after the first right of way was gran
ted and Mr.. Breckenridge sent his en-
gineer over here to go over the route
that he pronounced it absolutely i'm
practicable. Engineer Nelson of the
Arkansas Pass railroad, Mr.. Corrlgan's
engineer and Engineer Matlock, all
pronounced it impracticaLle and all
concurred in saying that the Fifth
street route was the only one over
which the road could pass without
enormous expense. AS it was
the engineers estimate
of the cost of the road over Fifth
street was $13S,43, with incidentals
put down at $20,810 making the total
cost over Fifth street route $I59 ,248.
Now if you refuse to let Mr.. Bracken-
ridge build this road no other man
will build it. We have tried and all
refused but Mr.. Breckenridge, and il |
he draws out then the city will have
to build it and it will have to be built
over the very route over which Mr..
Breckenridge wants to pass. There is
no other practical route and the city
has not got $159,248 to build the
road. If Mr.. Breckenridge builds it |
the city saves that sum.
III. Hamilton wanted it understood |
that he was not an advocate of Col. |
Breckenridge or any other man, but I
he was speaking for the people of
Austin and in their interest. He had
a letter read from Col. Breckenridge,
to surrender h 8 franchise to
the city if the Fifth street route was
not open TO him.
He stated that Mr.. Breckenridge
only intended to use steam during the
of the dam, and that
after that electric cars would be used.
During his remarks Mr.. Hamilton
INDUCED in some sarcasm and wither-
ing language, which reminded old citi-
zens present of his illustrious father.
Mr.. Archer, representing the citi-
zens opposing the granting of the
right of way, addressed the council,
and argued that the road. in his opin-
ION, could be built over the right of
way first granted. If it could not, be
wanted some restrictions thrown
around the franchise that would pre-