The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1890-02-13
TWENTY THREE CAMEOUT
ROAD COMMISSIONER BoURQUIN's
FORCES AT WOi.K.

Carts in Vain-1alk Dy Telephone
With the Mayor-Fruisless Chase
After Alderman Harmon-Edwsrd
Lowell VIII Furnish Carts To-Day
An Overseer to be Fined $50
Another Batch Of summonsGs to be
Served.
At o'clock yesterday morning Oh airman
Bourquin, of the board of road commissions
ers, Cons'a able Sullivan, overseer, appointed
by Justice Reynolds, aud Constable Cole
man, Justice McDermott's appointee, were
at the bridge over the Ogeechee canal to
superintend the work on the Louisville road.
The roll was called, and twenty-tdiree
! answered as substitutes, two OF whom acre
white and the remainder colored. An hour
OF two later Finn Bros. withdrew their
| substitutes from work, and their names were
carefully noted by Mr.. Bourquin for future
proceedings against them for default
The men went to work at 1880 o'clock
with spades and shovels, only one man
bringing hoe. As Mr. BOurquin mad no
carts to remove tine dirt, the work pro-
gressed so slowly that he weat to the Office
of Puder az Downs, near by, at about 10
o'clock, and telephoned Mayor SchWarz as
follows:
HELP ASKED OF THE MAYOR.
81 am working the Louisville road within
the corporate limits Of the city. Can you
let me have some city carts, i've or six, to
facilitate the workfn
The MAYOR replied through Clerk Of Coun-
Gil Rebarer that he was unable TO do any
thing to help him; that he couldn't loan out
any city carts for road work, and referred
him to Alderman Harmol, chairman of the
| street and lane committee with the sugges-
ton that the alderman would be as hard to
| lind as needle in a haystack.
Mr.. Bourquin tried t. get Alderman Har-
mon by telephone at Harmon's wharf, and
| sent two or three messengers to hunt up the
chairman Of the street and lane committee
to ask for city carts, but no carts were sent.
ALDERMAN BAILEY TO THE RESCUE.
Lovell's Sons rendered the use of picks
and they sent several carloads of brickbats
to ballast the worst places in the road Al
| derman Bailey was so put out at the refusal
OF the city to repair the road, that he de-
| clined to let his carts haul ballast, but he
volunteered to give all that would be sent
| for by the road commissioners
| The comments of some of the citizens of
the First district who had been summoned,
were not exactly complimentary to the coun-
| Gil, and while the greater part of them
refused to work the road, they did not
| u6SlbaO6 TO approve OF UQ5 aCblOl OF MT.
| Bourquin in taking action.
A gentleman in the crowd, which came
and went during the day. said that the city
had always repaired the road for many
| years, and it is O disgrace to neglect it now
and compel the citizens, who pay taxes for
Keeping the streets in repair, to work them.
VISITORS TO THE WORKING GROUND.
Capt J. w. McAlpin, a road commits
| sioner, was one of the early visitors, riding
out on horseback before breakfast aud later
| in the day ne drove out in his buggy to note
the progress of the work.
| Ex-Alderman D. R. Thomas, ex-chair-
man of the street and lane committee, and
foreman of the grand jury IN the superior
court, drove out and held long conference
with Mr.. Bourquin.
"Why didn't the county commissioners
repair the road, asked one of the crowd,
TO which the response came quickly that
| the splendid drainage work of the COM
missioners in Minis swamp ought not to be
interrupted, and the city ought to keep its
own streets in repair, as the county COM
missionerS have no jurisdiction inside the
| corporate limits over the streets.
THE REASON WHY.
"They say the city receives no taxes
across the canal, and that's why the city
won't keep the roads in repair between the
SoueSA GAA blO wi PJA nsUO LlAlIc, Sdlu Ou6
man.
SIT isn't true" replied another gentleman,
and the party addressing Mr.. L. G. Downs,
who stood by. asked Don't you pay taxes
on your business west of the canalg
Eyes, sir. do, and 1 have been paying
specific taxes for the past ten years. Out at
the first mile post is man who pays the
| city $40 per annum."
| A specific tax is also laid upon the brick
| INF still h - p
Downs
One man said ''the city has been keeping
this road in repair for many years. and l
can recall only one year when the chain
! gang worked it. Under the Lester ad min
istration the road has been kept in repair
by the city. 1t is not economy it is stub
bornness The street force could have been
| ordered by council if action by it was nee
essary at all, to repair the road and with
twenty men, plough. a scraper and half
dozen carts the road could have been put in
| good condition.
A THORoUGHFARE IF NOT A MAIN STREET.
Certainly, the Louisville road is a thor
oughfare, and busy one even if City At
| torney Adams is right in his opinion that
it is not 'main street." There was a con-
slant stream of travel on it yesterday.
Farmers going from and coming to the city
in their carts and wagons, numerous car
| AAoSco 1sAu DuSSieo, WoOQ Gurus, bTlCK
wagons, lumber wagons, fertilizer wagons,
mon, women and children, horseback and
on foot, a restless tide, pouring into the
city by the main approac to it from the
ma ufacturrng and agricultural sections.
Hardly a person passing failed to say
some kindly and approving words to Mr.
Bourquin that the road, almost impossible,
as it has been ia places, was being put in
better condition. The farmers, especially,
| uUn1i1 or fO no MI hin hat 10
at last taken interest enough to level up the
road, and many drove out from the CITY,
from other districts, to praise him for his
persistency and backbone"
WILL DO IT BY FINES.
81 propose to collect enough fines to put
those portions of the Louisville road and
the Gwinnett street extension, as far as they
within the corporate limits in good con-
dltion," Commissioner Bourquin said
"Do you rea ly think you have the legal
right to do itP' asked gentleman.
''Of course l have. Do you think l would
have been fool enough to have gone as far
as l have, if l had not been sure of nv
position. If the city does not repair G win
nett street, which is in bad repair, and cut
up by its own garbage wagons, |
shall find a legal way to have
it done. It is somebody's business to do it,
and if the city does not do so there is a
way to have it done, and the way is to call
all the citizens and nave them do it, or in
the event that they refuse, then, from the
| fines collected and there is no doubt as tn