The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1895-02-02
PLANTS FIGHT IN FLORIDA.
EFFORTS TO DIVERT TRAFFIC TO
TAMPA

Jacksonville Paper Raises
Bis Howl over the 8atter-The
Plant system Only working 20 Re-
tain Business which Rival Lines
Would Endeavor 10 Take Away
From II az JacksOnViIle-NO NAL
ice whatever In the Plant Policy.
Palatka, Fla, Feb. There is some
what Of a sensation in railroad and hotel
circles here and in Florida over a cir
cular 10 conductors. which has just eman-
ated from the passenger department Of
tho Plant system. A portion Of it is as
follows:
Commencing the Nth inst. January
there VIII be a sleeping car on train %,
from New York TO Port Tampa. which
viii run via the West Coast lire. You
are authorized 10 accept via tho West
Coast line tickets reading through Jack
sonville and Sanford to Lakeland and
points south and west thereof. and from
points north and west of Waycross and
vice versa"
There is disposition in some quarters
to interpret this as a scheme to divert
jacksonville. Tampa and Key West rail-
road. which forms a Ink Of 100 miles. con
Meeting Jacksonville with Sanford, from
which latter point the South Florida rail-
road "a part of the Plant SYSTEM runs to
Port Tampa. The Evening Times-Union of
Jacksonville refers TO these instructions
to conductors as a secret circular, by
d. tn eide
track Jacksonville and the whole east
coast Of Florida" and it declares that the
circular was sent out with the most ex-
IRENE caution from the passenger depart
ment. lest II fan into the hands Of the
enemy
Commenting on It further the same
uewspaper saws tonight. The circular
practically instructs all agents not 20 al
low tourists to come TO Jacksonville II
IL can be helped for Jacksonville Is an
advertising center ana parties might be
allured by the beauties Of other sections
and visit them instead Of Tampa, where
tribute will be paid in the shape of dol
lars to Mr. Plant at the Tampa Bay ho-
tel and where capitalists might be in
duced to assist MI Plant in enhancing
the value Of his west coast property.
Formerly there was a sleeper for the Ha-
vana travel run on the Plant system lines
and connections between Jacksonviue
and Tampa. This was very quietly taken
off There was also a Pullman over the
same lines and connections to Punta
Gorda This also has been taken off,
and now runs from Tampa to Punta
Gorda. The Plant system long posed as
the friend OF Jacksonville, but this lit
tie circular removes the mask
The fact of the matter is that the Plant
system now has a line of its own from
Waycross, Savannah and the north, di-
rectly to Tampa, the route being by way
of Dupont, Ca, Suwanee Springs, Live
Oak, High Springs, Gainesville, Toilette,
Ocala and Lakeland. Very naturally it
seeks to promote business over this line
instead of by the other route. on which the
Jacksonville Tampa and Key West has
the long haul. The new route Is known
as the West Coast Line, and its train
service is as fine as there is in the state.
With active competition from the Flor
ida Central and Peninsular line, the Plant
system cannot afford to promote business
into Tampa and Port Tampa over the old
route, via Sanford. Its policy is an ag
gressive one from necessity, but neither
President Plant nor any one of his under
officials has any malice toward Jackson
Vile in this matter. 1t is simply the mis-
fortune of Jacksonville that Mr.. Plant
does not own the Jacksonville, Tampa
and Key West road from the latter city
to Sanford.