The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1891-07-12
THE ISSUE AVOIDED.
" hat President Johnston Says Abo
the City and Suburban Railway.

July appears an article headed, "A De-
mand for Better Service" which misrepre-
sents facts and is calculated to mislead the
public.
The allegation is made that the cars are
''rickety old traps, dirty and run too fast.
and absolutely dangerous to ride i'm This
charge is well calculated to deter the public
| from the use OF the line. and TO divert travel
| 70 rival line now in course Of construc-
/ ton, and which you are the promoter to
boom your property at the Isle Of Hope.
The charge is without foundation, as the
following statement will show:
No one knows better than yourself. as
| you pre- coded me in the presidency of the
road, that its income does not war rant ex-
penslve cara. Turning TO your ledger,
nnd you expended in 1888, on the outside
hne, 81, $50 IS more than your gross receipts
OF that year. The following year, 1884 (mY
| first year, | expended S., AS 70 more than
the gross receipts. The next year / had
$3.50 u over, and the next four years | had
small favorable balances.
The roadbed, the track, the cars and the
service are infinitely better now than when
you handed the road over to me, despite its
very small earning capacity.
The track had small iron rails on string
ers These were changed as soon as posi-
BILE for heavier steel rails on cross.ties. A
SsAlnSSA haCA ueSueu UNSAFE hence the
| change.
You turned over to me eight cars. Five
have long since been discarded OF the re-
| naming three two, Nos. and = you built
IN 1888 and are good cars. l have made no
changes on them except to place under
them heavier axles. These two cars are
often used as extras. The remaining car of
your lot, No. 10, is an old car and but sell
dom used, but it is sound and strong in
nd Not
are particularly severe upon, I am not in
love with, but as they are your design, in
Difference to you, l have not altered them,
but since you have fallen out with them
| yourself l will make changes In them to
please you. The life of car, if well cared
for, is many years, and as the most Of our
cars are used only in summer and are care
fully housed in winter. they will remain
sound aud good a very long time.
In our own shops in the last few years
have built six new cars While not of any
particular beauty, being home made, they
have the merit Of being strong, well made
and constructed OF the very best materials,
not always the case with cars purchased at
a distance, where faulty construction and
poor material are often covered over with
putty and paint,
Our everyday trains are made up of
Nos. aud 10, built in 1881 and 1886 The
construction and the material used were
tirst-class. These are REINFORCED by Nos
and 8. one or both, when necessary. No. 9
has closet, and ice water is on board, ex-
cept on the early trips to the city
Until now it was not deemed necessary to
furnish ice water on the early trains
to the temperate people OF Isle of Hope.
l trust they do not stand in need Of ice
water 80 early in the morning as did Mrs.
Partington's son. The train spends the
night at Isle Of Hope and ice Is not obtain
able for the first trips.
When you we're president of the road you
gave Isle Of Hope three round trips day.
Now they have five.
You complain of fast speed. The fastest
train is run from Second avenue depot at
3:45 p IN. and makes Isle of Hope, six and
q quarter miles. in eighteen to twenty min
utes, one stop for passengers. Twenty miles
al hour, on the poor light track you had on
the road, you might reasonably consider too
fast, but 1t is only moderate speed on the
present track and with our good engine and
cara.
The train may occasionally stop for
wood, but wood is hauled to Isle of
Hope for the use OF trains. If trains do oc-
caslonally stop at the wood pile for wood it
Is without my knowledge. When l was a
passenger on the line and living at Isle
OK Hope, and you president of the road, the
practice was 10 stop at the wood pile for
wood at the wood pile l have known the
train to stop Ia the pine woods and all
hands turn out and collect lightwood
chunks TO enable the engine to continue the
run. While this occurred more
than once, no notice of the Incl
dent was taken by your paper.
During your administration you com
lnenced to re-rail the road with 30~pound
iron rails, but even these have been replaced
with 4O-pound steel There is not a rail on
the road that was on it when you resigned
the presidency. There has been but one
accident on the road since my connection
with It, That was several years ago. and
then no one was hurt. The accident was
caused by the breaking Of an axle under a
car you turned over to me. doomed your
style OF axle too light aud replaced all with
heavier.
1t Is notorious that wood burning engines
throw out less clndars than coal-burninp.
and venture to say, and without fear of
an honest contradiction, that the City and
suburban railway is freer from cindars,
ana also treer from dust than any road in
the state not stone ballAsted
Over ana above my gross rsceiuts and
running expenses | have spent on our short
line OF ten miles over SIX, 900 for new steel
rails and over $4,000 for new rolling stock.
NO one can be more solicitous for the aeety.
comfort and convenience Of the patrons of
bhe ROAD than L am, aud when l learn of
anything tending 10 their discomfort am
pleased to do all in my power to remedy it.
In winter our revenue is very small, hav-
ing but two or three regular every day
white passengers from Isle OF Hope AID one
from Montgomery and Beaulieu Three
months IN the year-June, July and Aug
ust-our cars are pretty we'll filed. The
public, l am sure, will do me the Justice to
see now lmposslbls it is to make expensive
and extravagant provision for three months
work when we run nine months at a loss.
beg that you will give this article as
prominent place in your paper as you gave
the article referred to at the beginning.
hegretting my being called upon TO appear
before the public in reply to your article, 1
am your obedient servant,
j. II. JOHNSTON,
President City and Suburban Railway.
Capt. j. II. Johnston, President of the
City and Suburban Railroad:
DEAR SIR-Ipublish your communication