The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1891-07-09
A DEMAND FOR BETTER SERVICE
Patrons Of tie CITY and Suburban
Railway Up in Arms.

/ The residents az lAle OF uOpo Hnd -hOH1
gomery and other points along TIE City and
Suburban and Coast Line railroad are pre-"
paring TO rise up In arms They intend to
call the attention Of the railroad commits
sion or the Legislature, or both. 20 the man.
ner in Which the road is run, and to have
some measure taken by which the manage
Inent will be compelled 10 give better ser
| vice or be deprived Of its charter.
A MORNING NEWS reporter called upon
G. II. Dorsett, Z. A. Cults, r. D. LaRoche
F. c. willy, Albert Wylly, H. c. Davis,
| L. e. Davis, and other gentlemen who i've
on the line OF the road, or who are called
upoa frequently to travel over 1t, yesterday,
| and asked them what are the causes OF COM
plant.
The complaints are numerous. The pa
irons of the road al agreed that 1t is IN
! doubtedly the worst run and the poorest man
! aged railroad in the state; that IL furnishes
! less convenience TO its passengers than any
! other road would dare to do. and that the
/ management has absolutely no spirit Of &C
/ commodation. The cars are principally
open cars built ten or twelve years ago for
| excursion trains, and not for regular pas
sengef service. They are unprovi ded with
closets or the ordinary accommodations for
the comfort of passengers. One car, alb ut
the best on the road, was used on the South
western railroad, now the Central railroad,
twenty-five or thirty years ago.
While most of the cars have been equipped
with air brakes, the old couplers are used.
and when the brakes are applied the cars
bang together with shock that is enough
to throw passenger from their seats. The
cars are rarely busted after a rip, and are
filthy in every way.
Ia answer to question as 10 the service
Of the road. Mr. E. A. Cults said
1T is the worst you ever saw. The cars
are rickety old traps, dirty and filthy, and
absolutely dangerous to ride in. The
manner in which the trains are run is
very unsatisfactory. The train which
leaves the city late in the afternoon rattles
along sometimes dangerously fast. and
sometimes at snails pace, 1t stops in
swamp for ten minutes or more TO take on
wood aud keeps the people who are anxious
to get home 10 their families wait
ing in the woods when the train
might as we'll secure its fuel at
one end or the other Of the line. There are
no accommodations whatever about the
road. There is not even a telephone at Isle
Of Hope, though the residents are anxious to
secure one and would patronize it literally,
and Manager Polk is anxious to
put up one A number of the residents
nave personally endeavored to have the
railroad secure this telephone, but without
avail IL eu accident occu or any one is
taken suddenly sick on the train there is no
way OF communicating with the city,
X. d. LaRoche said the cars are such
rickety old rattletraps that if an accident
should occur they would go to pieces
like kindling wood, and the way the
road is run an accident al any time 10 more
than probable The engines and cars are
very light, and to make the schedule the
train runs very rapidly certain distances
on the road, entirely too fast for such
light and himsy rolling stock, and subject
ing the passengers to the peril of danger
Gus accident in case the cars should leave
the track. Mr. DaRoche patronizes the
line as little as possible.
F. G. Wylly calls the cars a combination
Of a box and freight car They have a
kind OF folding sash arrangement instead
OF windows, that il let down shut out all
the light and air, and il fastened up
leave the passengers 60 the mercy of
the clouds of dust and smoke. In case of
rain the window is generally fastened up,
leaving the passengers at the mercy of the
elements, and il the sun is shining it is
fastened down, shutting out the air and leav-
ing the car close and hot.
II. &. Davis said the cars are dirty and
filthy. and appear never to be cleaned.
The engines burn wood, and the passengers
are covered with smoke and cinderS. There
is no protection from the dust, smoke and
dirt, some Of the cars being open and othe s
so constructed as to be almost insufferable
when closed. There are no accommodations
for the passengers. No ice water is pro-
vided aud there are no wash basins and no
closets.
Other patrons of the road spoke to the
same effect. The chief complaints are that
the cars are old and entirely unfit for ser
vice; that they are kept IN such a filthy
condition AS to be unfit to ride in; that the
smoke aud dust are almost unbearable, and
that the manner of running the trains is
dangerous as well as unsatisfactory The
patrons say they would not patronize the
road if there were any other way OF
getting to their summer homes and they
Will be glad when there is some other line in
operation to Isle Of Hope and that part OF
the county. As it is now, the pleasure OF
living at Thunderbolt. Isle of Hope and
Montgomery in summer is Offset by the dis
comforts attendant upon travel to and from
the city.
Between Thunderbolt and Sand Fly the
right Of way is cleared only wide enough
for the track. Stumps have been left
standing within few feet Of the rails, and
tees ten or fifteen feet away. The grading
is bad and the road bed rough. This. with
the old and poorly equipped cars, renders
travel over the road dangerous and painful
rather than pleasure to its patrons, who
would welcome any other means Of trans
porterIon.
The MORNING News has called attention
TO the shortcomings of the City and Sub
urban before, as the same complaints were
made last GUNNER, but no attention wal
paid to them.
The legislature will be asked to take tbs
matter in hand, and the road may End
itself without charter.