The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-11-09
laws GOVERNING CAR LINES.
nun CITY HAS UPWARDS OF TWEEN
Ty ON IT'S ORDINANCE BOOKS.

The trouble With Them Is Lack of
Euforccment-COnti and Open
Violations by the Railway Com
NAMES - Requirement That Cars
INN Until Midnight Disregarded.
Doubt as to the Legality of the
Present Use of the Market by the
consolidated Lines.
The recent grant by the city to the Sa-
vannah, Thunderbolt and Isle of Hope
railway, and the Introduction of an ordi-
nance by Alderman Wylly providing res
nations governing street railways operat-
ing in savannah. naturally arouses inqui-
nv as 10 existing ordinances on this sub
5ect. There are more of these than the
average citizen has any idea of, and it is
hardly necessary to state that many of
their provisions have never been en-
forced.
Chapter go of MacDonell's code relates
10 street railways and contains some i'm
portant provisions. The ordinance upon
which the sections of the code referred to
are based, was passed in 1885. 1t provides
that the rails used in the construction of
most approved pattern of rail used for
such purposes, and that the lumber used
in such construction shall be of the best
quality of yellow pitch pine, free from sap
and Of size to be approved of by the
street and lane committee. Minute details
are entered into as to the construction
and maintenance of roadbeds.
The tracks are required to be of even
grade with the street, with the roadbed
properly graded and kept at grade at the
expense of the company. They are to
be required to use such materials in
eurfacing roadbeds as will form a hard
and uniform surface at even grade at
point of junction with the rails so that
carriages and other vehicles can cross
the tracks with facility and comfort, and
at all street intersections plank or stone
crossings are required of the full width
of the street.
There are also requirements as TO drain
age of tracks, and street car companies
are required to water their tracks.
In the section relating to railways in
the volume of ordinances adopted since
the adoption of MacDonells code, from
1888 to 1894 inclusive, there are no less than
ten ordinances bearing upon this matter.
The first ordinance granting the Savan-
nah Street and Rural Resort Railroad
Company the right to equip its lines with
electricity, was carefully prepared and
contains regulations, which are still in
force. The speed was fixed at not to ex-
coed six miles an hour north of Liberty
street, nor ten miles an hour south of
that street. The company was required to
commence running it's cars not later than
md 70
uously until 8 O'Clock p. M, at intervals
not exceeding fifteen minutes, and from 9
O'Clock until midnight, at intervals not
exceeding one-half hour.
This ordinance was made applicable to
all other street railway companies adopt
ing electricity as a motive power
March 80, 1892, an ordinance was passed
giving cars going north and south prece.
dence over cars going east and west, and
making 1t unlawful for any street car
propelled by electricity to cross the tracks
OF any other street car line at a speed
greater than three miles an hour.
An ordinance regulating the use of poles
and span wires was adopted April 10, 1892
requiring the use of the same poles and
span wires by companies using the same
streets.
An ordinance of Oct. Ii, 1898, made the
same regulations as to speed as those al
ready mentioned, and prohibited the en-
ployment of minors as motormen or con-
ductors. 1t was afterwards amended to
permit of the employment of conductors IS
years old and upwards.
The ordinance granting the Electric
hallway Company the right to operate it's
cars through the market provides specif-
ically That the permission hereby grant
ed and the rights hereby conferred are
given to the said Electric Railway Com
pany or savannah, and not to its assigns
to anV other C0rDnra tioE7 or anrnpanxy
That the said railway company cannot
sell, barter away or lease or in any way
dispose of the said rights, or any of them,
and should the said corporation fail at
any time to use the same the council of
the city of Savannah shall be at liberty to
at once discontinue the use of the mar
ket and to require the removal of the
tracks and structure erected therein by
the said railway company
Unless this ordinance has been amended
since the publication of the last compila-
ton of ordinances it would seem that the
SUCCESSORS of the Electric railway have no
claim to the right of way through the
market.
Alderman WHY'S ordinance introduced
at the meeting of council Friday night
makes the following additional require
ments of street railway companies: The
use Of rails weighing not less than fifty
pounds where tracks are constructed or
iVldyeu, anu the SUBSTITUTION OIL all nat ran
with fifty-pound rail when the use of the
fiat rail is discontinued; the substitution
of iron for wooden ESles, as 1t becomes
necessary to replace the present wooden
poles with others; that cars shall run
both ways on Broughton st. Julian, Bar
nard and Whitaker streets; that the COM
panies shall sink their tracks even with
the pavement at street crossings, and that
the paving between the tracks shall be
on level with the street pavement on
either side; that it shall be the duty of
the street and lane committee to see TO
Inc observance of the provision Of this
ordinance, and that the street car COM
panies using the streets Of Savannah shall
comply with and observe all of their
Obligations with reference to the public.
Alderman WHY'S ordinance will come
Up on its passage at the next meeting of
council. 1t will doubtless be discussed at
some length, and some amendments and
additions may be made.
The provisions Of many of the ordi-
hances are openly and continually violated
oy the railway companies. The ordinance
recurring the operation of cars until mid
hght on all lines using electricity Is dis
regarded on the Indian street and Whit