The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1891-03-14
STATE ROAD WRECKING.
THE NEW WAY OF SOLVING THE
BE. TERMENTS QUESTION.

Mai. w. S. Green Asserts That Ee
Would Fave Reduced the Road to
the Condition of 1870 if He Fad
Been the Lessee-The Profit he
Figures Out.
ATLANTA, GA, March 1S.-The Western
aud atlantic claims commissioners appear
10 have concei 3 ed the idea that in order to
find out whether betterments are due, it is
necessary to first ascertain whether it would
have beea practicable for the lessees 20 re-
duce the road 70 the condition in which
they found it at the beginning Of the lease.
After examining w. l.. Clarke on the rela-
tive value Of the engines in 1870 and in
1890, Maj. ". s. Green, an engineer Of
large experience, was put upon the stand
to-day, and, so far as one might, theoreti-
cally at least, demolished the improvements
with great ssccess The witness was one OF
the experts employed by the lessees last year
to examine and report on the condition of
the line.
SEEMS TO HAVE BEEN CONTEMPLATED.
Mai. Green appeared to have given the
subject of tearing up the road considerable
thought. His replies were from the end OF
the tongue, and ne stated plainly that had
certainly would have reduced the road to
the condition of 1870, 50 as to make sure Of
his property. The rails could have been
changed quicker than the alteration OF
gauge. Railr ad men had become so ex-
pert that it did not IN the least affect the
traffic of a road TO take down one bridge
and replace it with another. Changing the
bridges would, therefore, have been an
easy matter.
HOW IT COULD BE DONE.
81 would erect false works on one side,"
said the witness, cor l would, if possible,
slip in the new cross pieces between the old
ones. If this would not be possible, would
prythe bridge apart in the middle, as this
can be done without weakening il, and then
I would build my new bridge on the inside,
and work away the old one after the new
one had been built"
1t would cost between $500 and $500 to
take I'D the ballast, ties and rails and to re-
place them like those used in 1870. It would
be impossible to carry on the business OF the
road to-day on rails like those used in 1870.
PROFIT IN REMOVAL
The removals could have been effected
without serious interference with the bust
ness of the road and In some in some instances
it would have been profitable to the lessees.
The rails, ballast houses, tanks, etc, could
have been moved with profit. Culverts. re-
Wills dDu bDublleul6 WOuAN
cost as much to remove as the
material in them was worth. 1t
would have been possible, he said, while
the lessees were in charge Of the road to
utilize the material mentioned in the first
instance by taking them up and disposing
of them and substituting scrap rails for the
steel, which they could have sold, while the
ballast could have been disposed OF to some
adjoining road, or to some city.
to be used for macadam purposes, and while
the cost of doing this would reduce the profits
below the value fixed for this item, still
there would be a considerable amount to
the credit of the lessees. The major,
who seemed very expert with his pencil
and paper, figured out a total net profit of
s204. 722. which might have been secured by
changing the rails, ballast, houses, hoists,
tanks, stationary engines, pumps, etc. The
wire-fencing and bridges, he said, he would
not have tried to save.