The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-11-11
WANT CARS RUN BOTH WAYS.
BROUGHTON STREET MERCHANTS
TO PETITION COUNCIL.

One Way on That street Would
Like TO Have the Street Double
Tracked-A Representative of the
Street Railway Company Says That
the Contract With the City Pro-
vidIng for Straight Lines Only on
Certain Streets Cannot BE
Changed by Council.
The Broughton street merchants will
have a petition before council at its next
meeting. urging certain requirements OF
the consolidated street railway company.
The merchants are opposed to the st. Ju-
Ian street loop in connection with the
Habersham and Broughton street line, and
the running of cars only one way on
Broughton, street. AS they look at it, the
proposed arrangement will be very incon-
venient 10 their customers on the eastern
side Of the city and will have a tendency
to carry trade to other streets. They ac-
cordingly ask council to require the COM
pany to operate its cars both ways on
Broughton street. and suggest further
that council require 1t to put down dou-
bic track. in order to facilitate business
They do not see why their customers
should be carried all the way around by
st. Julian and Montgomery streets
through the market, either coming down
town or returning to their homes.
The petition has been largely signed by
the business houses of all classes on
Broughton street. The movers in the petit
ton we're under the impression that coun-
Gil would meet tonight. and consequent
ly the ground was gone over somewhat
hurriedly. They learned yesterday, how
ever, that the next regular meeting will
be week hence. They will take advant-
age of the time intervening to go over the
ground thoroughly and get the signatures
of all the business people and property
owners on Broughton street, west, from
Habersham street. who are willing to give
their support to the movement.
One OF the leading retail dealers on
Broughton street, in discussing the mat
ter with Morning News reporter, said
'Broughton street Is Savannah's leading
business thoroughfare, and should be re-
garded as such. The idea of running cars
only one way is preposterous. If neces-
sary, let the railway company double
as wide as Broadway in the heart Of the
business section in New York, and with
cars running only one way on each track,
there would be no more Interference with
traffic than at present, with the cars stop
ping on the switches, If as much A lady,
who leaves her home in the southern sec
ton to go shopping doesn't want TO go all
the way around through the market to
reach the places which she starts out to
..-F.| - 4 -.
wants to be able to take the car at the
door. On "a rainy day or a hot day the walk
Of two blocks from Broughton TO st. Julian
street would be very disagreeable."
A representative of the railway company
to whom the petition was mentioned, said
that the trouble with the merchants Is
that they do not understand the schedule
which the company proposes to operate
on the Habersham street line. Instead
of running down Habersham to St. Jul
Ham, he said, 1.-THE cars, coming down
town, Will turn into Broughton street
passing directly in front of the stores. The
cars will turn into Montgomery street from
Broughton, go around through the mark ct
by way of st. Julian street and thence
back to Habersham. In giving the de-
scription Of the routes in the plan laid be-
fore council, the most convenient method
of description was adopted and it was not
intended to convey the idea that the cars
were outlined. With the present system
cars are run every eight minutes on the
Broughton and Habersham streets line
Under the new plan cars will be run every
five minutes, and there will be no delay
on switches cars running continuously in
each direction. This will certainly be a
great improvement on the present service
The st. Julian street loop will be equiva-
lent to a double track.
"A very important point which Is over
looked by the petitioners" he said, SIS
| that council cannot require the street rail-
f'way company to lay double track on
Broughton street. The routes have been
fixed by contract and this contract pros
vides for a single straight track on
Broughton street, without switches. The
same thing applies to Whitaker street.
| The contract provides for single straight
| line on Whitaker street. You cannot very
| well operate cars in both directions on the
same track. This has been tried on vari-
Gus occasions, hut with disastrous results.
| Council cannot change a thing by ordl-
| nance which has already been provided for
| by contract
1t is very probable that the aldermen
| themselves, or a good many of them ut
| least, did not realize the far-reaching effect
| of the contract which they entered into
with the railway company One of the
| features of the ordinance regulating the
/ operation of street railways which is now
awaiting the consideration Of council, Is
that cars shall be operated both ways on
Barnard, Whitaker and Broughton streets.
! Another feature of the schedules to be
inaugurated when the rearra ngement of
! the system is completed, It 10 said, is the
| use of the Habersham and st. Julian street
loop for the benefit of the residents on
! the Battery park line. Cars from this line,
! he said, would be run down West Broad
| street, turning Into Broughton, and from
| thence into Montgomery and through the
! market, following the Habersham street
| cars around the loop and back on to
Broughton and thence to West Broad and
out TO Battery park. This convenience
will probably be resorted to chiefly on Sat
urday night, when special market cars
| will be run.
The Savannah, Thunderbolt and Isle of
| Hope railway will have no trouble about
its right to the market, IL was discovered
| Yesterday. The ordinance granting this
right to the Electric Railway Company
only was amended last December, shortly
previous 10 the sale Of the road. specihcal-
ly giving the company the right to sell or
| transfer the rights and privileges granted