The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1894-02-18
WILL THE ROAD Be REBUILT
Large Property and Money Interests
Dependent on Tybee.

Dependent on Tybee.
without the Railroad They Are Prao-
tically Valueless-Mr. ]. G. Butler
Takes a Hopeful View of the Situa-
ton and Believes the BondhoIders
Will Rebuild the Road-Others Fear
That the Lack of Activity Means
That the Summer Season VIII Not
See it in Operation-Hotsl and Other
Property Interests at Stake.
Very few of those interested are look
ing with a hopeful eye at the Tybee rail
road situation. So far as the Central
railroad is concerned the matter has been
pigeonholed, and if action is taken at all
it must be by other parties.
Mr.. J. G. Butler is one Of the bond
kSleaars. AS we'll As one of the property
owners on Tybee Island, who looks at the
situation in very hopeful light. Mr..
Butler is of the opinion that the bond
holders are going to take hold of the mat
ter. buy the certificates and build the
road in time for summer operations.
If the other bondholders took as hope
ful view as does Mr.. Butler, the prob
ability is that the desired end would be
accomplished, and the contract for re-
storing the road would soon be let.
TOO MUCH PROPERTY AT STAKE.
MIR. Butler thinks the bondholders will
interest themselves in the matter and
take immediate steps to have the work
begun. He says a meeting will probably
be called some time this week for the
purpose OF considering the matter, ana
that they will not hesitate to go down
into their pockets together with others
interested and buy the certificates.
1.-The property at stake is too great"
said Mr. Butler, yesterday, for those
interested, to allow this road TO go TO
ruins. There are hundreds of thousands
OF dollars worth of property on the is
land which will become practically worth
less unless the road IS rebuilt. Certainly
those interested could not see this pro-
perty go to ruin, when it can be avoided
by the expenditure of a few thousand
dollars in reconstructing this road. 1t
would pay the property owners them
selves for the sake of their property to
take the matter in hand.
BRINGS MONEY TO SAVANNAH.
"Then again, the Gondholders have fig
ured out that more than $3.50, 900 Is
brought into Savannah every year on &C
count of having Iybee as a re sort. If it
were not for Tybee. this money would be
spent elsewhere. Merchants and others
visit Tybee as resort and while mere
give orders for shipments which they
would under other conditions take else
where. l do not see then, how
the people of Savannah can afford
TO let the road go. The property
on the island which was damaged by
the storm has been, to a great extent,
rebuilt in anticipation that the road was
to be put back for the summer season.
The expenditure of a few thousand dol
lars for repairing this road will mean in
the long run the saving of hundreds of
thousands, and will bring thousands into
the city every year who would not 9TH
erwise come here. There is no other view
to take of it." reiterated Mr.. Butler, the
people Of Savannah cannot afford to do
without the road
TOO LITTLE ACTIVITY.
While MIR. Butler takes hopeful view
of the situation others think the hope a
forlorn one. Another of the bondholders
expressed a fear that little would be done
towards rebuilding the property He
said there is not enough activity mani
Tested on the part of those who have in
terests at stake. They are taking the
matter too quietly. 1t will take a good
deal of energy and work, he said to get
the interests together and to get them to
bear their part in the project. If they let
it go much longer it win be too late to
have the road finished in time for summer
travel
Mr. Herman Myers, chairman of the
bondholders' committee, was asked about
the matter. He has been too busily occupied
of late Strengthening out the insurance on
the Savannah Grocery Company's stock
and has had little time TO give to the con-
sideration of the Tybee road. Mr.. Myers
is one of the few who have expressed
willingness to do their share of the work
and TO contribute their share of the funds
necessary to its construction.
NO TIME TO LOSE.
Mr. William Hunter, chief engineer of
the Central railroad, says if anything is
going to be done, there is 40 time TO be
lost as the property as it stands now, is
fast going TO ruin. The longer the de-
lay the more il will cost to do the work.
Messrs. Bohan, Cowan Il Derby, who
leased the Tybee hotel, did so under an
option. The lease was for one year with
the privilege of three or five. The OBJ
tion is still open to them, but they say
they do not expect to take the hotel un-
less the road is put back very soon. The
owners of the hotel are practically in as
bad position as the bondholders of
the railroad, as their property will be
worth little or nothing without the road.
These are the views some of the inter
ests take with regard to the road Until
the desires TO see the road restored be-
come efforts and the efforts crytalize into
some well defined movement, the matter
will probably remain as it is now, in
ruins.
An engineer was sent down last week by
Mayor McDonough to make survey
of the road. Mayor McDonough is deeply
interested in Tybee as resort, and he
is ready to do what he can for the sue
cessful rebuilding of the road The en-
gineer will probably report to him when
he returns from New York city.