The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-09-27
MERIDIAN RODS sTANDsTILL.
xoTHING DOM PON 1T IN THREE
AND A ALE YEARS.

other Hoads ARroNeu' nut
,nries. the PtIic Interest and the
uecornized Importance of the
work. with a Majority of the
coonty Comus sioners on Record
IN Favor of Is Completion, I'm
ahIe to BrinsAbout Its Extension
60 disable erminus-A SugGes-
.,on That Interpretation of the
present COmns siOners Is Due to
+ne projection of tho Road by
Tbeir Predecel Ors.
c.vannah, Sept. 1896. Editor Morning
>-aus. Sir.-No hiiway in this county
been so much dcussed as the Merid-
road. Since it's teption by the former
hoord of county commissioners, the work
has been commende and its completion
,,aatedIy urged inthe strongest and
,,os+ emphatic langlge by the grand ju-
ries. the press and many citizens IN
s,eec>- and through he press, and yet,
a Notwithstanding this,tnd the further fact
not a majority of til present board are
MANY times on recor&by resolutions and
o~7ars passed at thef meetings and by
,,,hlished interviews 1.-THE newspapers as
aorrestIv favoring it, I still remains vir-
+uallv as the old boarlleft it three years
and a half ago.
wbv is this? WHY'S it that while so
r,ucb work has been one on the Ogeechee
road, the Bay streetextension, the Au-
pusta. Louisville, Pin. Barren, Buckhal-
ter and other roads, 20 work has been
done on this, which hs been so often re-
commended to the cor nissioners both be-
fore and since work on the other roads was
,,ortioned or conmened? Certainly this
matter demands an iTestigation.
An examination of he files of the local
rewsnapers for the last four years, to-
gether with the inforaation OBTAINED from
those familiar with the county's work,
enables us to trace b the history of this
highway from its inception.
The Meridian roadwas projected under
the former board tt run from the inter-
section of Andersen and East Broad
streets, due south 10 the marshes near
Bethesda, distant of about 6% miles
1t was found that By this time not only
the section Immediately south of the city
would be greatly enefted, but that all
Of the coast county about Bona Bella,
Isle of Hope, Skidaway, Cedar Hammock
Retbesda, Shipyart Beaulieu, Montgom-
cry and thereaboits could be reached
more directly by this than by any other
road, and that also 1t would pass for
two miles of its ength nearly through
the center of the county lands, thereby
improving that pubic property. The com
missioners wisely considered these advan-
tages and further that as that part of the
county is the most thickly populated
and the residents there engaged in truck
and fruit farming, dairy, oyster and fish
industries, together with other property
holders, made returns on over million
dollars, they could not build road which,
for it's length would prove greater good
for a larger number When EStill park
was donated by the county to the city it
was found that this road would pass en-
tirey through it from north to south,
giving direct and easy access to the
park, and thus adding another necessity
for the roads construction,
1t was laid out with a width of right
Of way of SIS feet and a roadbed of "a
feet, of which 1t was proposed, at some
future time, to pave a width of is feet
with shell or other hard material. The
work was commenced about eight or nine
months before the installation of the
present board and prosecuted on these
lines and dimensions, being done by the
convicts in rainy weather, and at such
other times when they could not be work
ed on the drainage to advantage. (See
News, Nov. IA, 1892, and Jan. II, 1891
When the new board came in, about two
miles of the road, or that part through
the county lands, had been thus COM
pleted, since which time, as is said above,
nothing virtually has been done on 1t.
Again, it may be asked, why in the
face Of the. recommendations of the sew
eral grand juries the requests of the peo-
pie, and endorsement and approval of
majority of the commissioners, the pres
ent board has not carried out the work
on the lines as happily inaugurated by
Its predecessors? The road could have
been completed throughout it's whole
length long ere this by the convicts
worked in the same way, without mate
rally delaying the drainage.
We see from the newspapers all this
time Commissioners Carson, Kehoe and
Charlton favoring and urging the compile
ton OF the road, Commissioner Dale
strenuously opposing it, and Commissioner
Chaplin voting with him To quote the
numerous references from the press would
cucumber this letter unnecessarily, while a
few will serve to illustrate. In February
last year when Mr.. d. B. Lester was en-
deavoring to sell tine White Bluff shell
road to the county, writer in the News
pointed out that it would cost less to COM
plete and shell the Meridian road than to
purchase and rebuild the White Bluff
road, and proceeded to say lone partic-
ular advantage of the Meridian road in
addition to others enumerated, in your pa
per- few days ago is that it shortens
the distance to nearly every place that
may be reached by or from 1t. Thus a
branch road from it at Estill avenue to
Ihunderbolt would shorten the distance
over half a mile to that place. 1t would
bring the new city park to within three
and a quarter miles of the city to reach
which now road of five miles is requir-
ed branch from 1t leading out at Es-
I'LL park to the Isle Of Hope
would make the distance to the
latter place, about six and a. half
miles, as against nine miles. the present
travelled distance. A short branch from
IL, OF about one-half mile in length,
would make the distance to Cedar Ham
mock only about six and a half miles, in
stead of eight miles, as now 1t would
save nearly three miles to Bethesda, and
about two and one-half each to Mont
somery, Beaulieu and Shipyard
one the same day the Even
ing Press says Chairman Dale
differs decidedly with the views of a
writer in the News as 20 the advisability
OF finishing the Meridian road at once,
and not buying the Vernon shell road,
and adheres to his original statement
that the benefits would be less and the