The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-03-28
TO BE AN UP-To-DATE ROAD.
IMPROVEMENTS IN PROGRESS ON
THE GEORGIA AND ALABAMA.


DeveIOpment-TheR Road Being Re-
graded and Bridges and Depots Be
ing Repaired-GeneraI News of the
Railroads of the south.
Vice President and General Manager
Gabbett of the Georgia and Alabama
Railroad Company has large force of
hands at work regarding practically the
entire line, and repairing al of the bridges.
He has another force on duty in the shops
repairing all of the rolling stock and put
ting it in first-class condition. so that 1t
will be practically new when it is turned
out.
This is the result of a recent consulta-
ton on the part of the directors of the
system who have determined to put out
considerable money in making the prop
erty, equal, if not superior, to any rail-
road property in the south, and If they
carry out their intentions they will come
pretty near succeeding, if they do not even
surpass their expectations.
Another feature which is being given at
tention is the depots all along the line of
the road. Wherever they are needed new
ones are being put up, and at other sta
tons they are being repaired and made
practically new. Mr.. Gabbett is deter
mined to make the Georgia and Alabama
thoroughly up-to-date road, and he is
pushing things in that direction for all he
Is worth.
In addition to his efforts toward making
1t thoroughly stable and safe property,
he is giving the public an extraordinary
service for road as young as the Geor-
gia and Alabama is, and il appears that
1t is being appreciated. This Is evident
from the fact that the Georgia and Ala
bama has for the last year shown more
net earnings in proportion to it's bonded
indebtedness per mile than any other rail-
road property in the south.
Vice President Gabett is justly proud of
this record, though he does not talk much
about 1t. There is no more, thorough,
practical and up-to-date railroad man in
the south than Cecil Gabbett He is on
the lookout all the time for the interests
Of the property of which he has charge,
and he is making 1t paying institution.
Mr.. Gabbetts progressiveness in the rail-
road world was appreciated when he was
made its vice president by those who
bought the property. He is covering an
important territory with the Georgia and
Alabama, and he is making the most Of il.
&C. H." writing from Fairfax, S. c.,
one of the growing towns on the Florida
Central and Peninsular railroad, where it
crosses the Augusta and Port Royal rail-
road, sixty-four miles from Savannah, to
the Hampton Guardian, says: Mr. Miles
Loadholt has bought a lot here and is go
ing to have a hotel erected thereon, which
he will rent. Part of the material is al
ready on the ground awaiting the work
men. 1t occurs to me that many of the
northern people who come down south to
escape the rigors of the winters up north
might be induced to stop here if they could
be suitably accommodated. Our locality
is healthy, the winters are mild and be-
lieve that capital and energy judiciously
used would cause many northern tourists
to spend the winters here instead of GO
ing to Florida One gentleman, Mr. r.
A. Connolly of Plainfield, N. j., stopped
here several months ago and likes the
place so well that he Is still here What
is being done at Aiken can be done here,
but who will undertake the job?"
1t is said in Atlanta that the city council
is favorable to the recent proposition of
President H. M. Conner of the Central, and
President Samuel Spencer of the Southern,
to contribute $4,000 towards the building
of a viaduct over the Mitchell street cross
ing.
Mr.. James Menzies, assistant general
freight agent for the Plant system, return
ed yesterday from the Old Point Comfort
meeting of the Southern States Freight
Mr.. H. G. Haycraft, one of the Plant
systems travelling passenger agents with
Tampa headquarters, was up from that
city yesterday Mr.. Haycraft will be
pleasantly remembered as having been
formerly stationed here.
Mr.. G. E. Armstrong travelling passen-
ger representative of the Pennsylvania
lines, was In the city yesterday.
1t is reported that the Norfolk and
Western has a plan under advisement for
consolidating its eleven divisions into
some three or four. This policy, If car
ried out, would officially decapitate a
number of men. The road has recently
contracted to supply the Illinois Steel
Company with coke, as well as several
Pennsylvania companies.
Mr.. R. D. Carpenter has been trans
ferred from New York, where he was the
Southerns general agent, to Washington
to assist Traffic Manager Culp. 1t is said
that the office of assistant traffic manager
will be created for Mr.. Carpenter. Mr.
r. w. Pollock, who has been the general
traffic agent of the Staten Island Rapid
Transit Railroad Company, will succeed
Mr.. Carpenter.
The rate clerks of the Southern States
Passenger Association adjourned yester-
day at Atlanta, and the Savannah roads
representatives will probably return to-
day. Those present were: w. f. March,
assistant general passenger agent Nash
vile, Chattanooga and st. Louis; j. A.
Higgins, Western of Alabama; H. A. Red
ford, Associated Railways of Virginia and
the Carolinas; A. p. Johnston, Southern
railway; c. c. McAfillen, Georgia railroad;
j. w Stewart, Cincinnati New Orleans
and Texas Pacific; w. II. Leahy. Plant
system; s. d. Boyleston, Florida Central
and Peninsular; j. S. Holmes Central of
Georgia; E. r. Clark, Louisville and
Nashville.
Nicholas Ittner, an Atlanta contractor,
has been awarded the contract, on a bid Of
500 246, to build the Georgia Southern and
Florida's new shops at Macon. Out Of