The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-04-30
A NEW ROAD TO THUNDERBOL1
1T WILL BE AN EXTENSION OF Es-
TILL AVENUE.

The Right of Way to BE Donated TO
the COunty--A Petition to BE Pre-
scented to the County Commission
crs Mt Their Next Meeting-Chair-
man Dale Says There Is No Doubt
About the Road Being Built and
Work VIII Begin as Soon as the
Present Waters Road Improvement
Is Finished.
A new road to Thunderbolt is one of the
things which the future has in store for
Savannah petition is in circulation
calling upon the county commissioners to
extend the Estilr, avenue road from its
present terminus at the Waters road to
Thunderbolt, a distance of about two
miles.
The petition has already been signed by
over 1000 persons, and it is claimed that
fully 1900 signatures will be secured be-
fore the petition Is presented. The pro-
posed route for the new road is along the
line of the Savannah, Thunderbolt and
Isle of Hope railroad. The right of way
for the entire distance will be donated,
it is said, and the cost to the county will
be reduced to a minimum.
Hon. J. ]. Dale, chairman of the board
of county commissioners, was seen yester-
day in regard to the matter. He said he
had no doubt of the favorable action of
the commissioners upon the petition.
I'm fact" said Mr.. Dale, II think you
can say that the next roadwork to be done
by the county after the completion of the
Waters road to the Montgomery cross
roads will be the building of the road
from Estill avenue to Thunderbolt The
distance is a little over two miles, and
the road can be constructed at a cost of
$500 a mile, or $1,000 for the road The
expenditure is one which have no doubt
will meet with general approval"
Mr.. Dale was asked If the county could
not buy the Thunderbolt she'll road for less
than it would cost to construct a new
road.
THE capital stock of the shell road is
about $2S6OO, l believe" said NGr. Dale
THE last time we consulted the authori-
ties of the road with a view to purchasing
1t and making it free to the public they
kindly offered it to us at the low price of
$4,000. We did not accept the offer"
Il am more than ever convinced" con-
tinued Mr. Dale, that we have just begun
to get the improvements which we should
have had many years ago. The value and
benefit of improved roads is just beginning
to be realized. drove out on Estill ave-
nue. and Waters road, or Waters avenue,
as they call it now, and the roads were
so crowded with vehicles of every descrip-
ton that I could hardly make my way
along"
"Will the commissioners continue the
work of road imprOVep1puf This ypar2ts
Mr.. Dale was asked.
"They certainly will" he replied, ''un-
less the grand jury interferes with our
budget"
Mr. Dale went out for thirty-mile drive
over the county roads yesterday afternoon.
accompanied by two members of the grand
jury and Superintendent w. f. Chaplin
of county road work.
A road to Thunderbolt, by way of Es-
till avenue, constructed of the same ma
teriai as the roads recently built by the
county, would afford a ride and drive
which would be taken advantage of by
more people probably than any of the pres
ent roads. The road would be of great
advantage to the people living in the
southern section of the city. Instead of
having TO come down to Liberty street
then to Wheaton street and thence out
the Thunderbolt road, they would simply
go out Bull street to Estill avenue, and
have a straight shoot to Thunderbolt
The distance to Thunderbolt from the
southern section of the city by the new
route would be about half that by the
present route. That the new route would
be a popular one Is hardly necessary to
state and the fact that it would be free
road would not tend to lessen it's popular
ity. The new route would be a direct COM
petitor with the shell road as people US
ing Wheaton street could turn off at the
toHgate into the Waters road and thence
to Estill avenue.