The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-10-20
SEABoARD'S PLANS OUTLINED.
THE CONSOLIDATION TO BE COM
PLETED BY JAN.

Tampa-Surveys Now in Progress
on Routes to Augusta and Athens.
The Consolidated system VIII
Have 5000 Miles of Rail Lines With
Bonded Indebtedness Per Vile
Less Than Half That of Other
Large Southern Systems.
The consolidation Of the Seaboard Air
Line with the Florida, Central and PENN
suar Railroad. and the Georgia and Ala
bama Railway, will probably take place
between now and Jan. l.
When President John Shelton Williams,
who is at the head of the three systems,
was in the city recently he was asked by
the Morning News for a state
ment as to the plans of the
companies with regard to iae
consolidation. and what changes would
result in the operation of the several lines.
He was not ready to talk then, but state
ment was received from him yesterday.
which is Of interest, showing the extent OF
the consolidated system, and the promI-
nent position it will enjoy in the Southern
railroad world as well as its importance to
Savannah
THE consolidation of the Seaboard Air
Line with the Florida, Central and PENN
sular Railroad and the Georgia and Ala
bama Railway, will probably take place
between now and Jan. l." President Will
Jams says: THE new system, including
its projected lines, will embrace about g.
900 miles of main line of railroad. exclu-
sive of second track and sidings It also
controls the Baltimore Steam Packet Com
pany, which for fifty years has been op.
Grating the principal line of steamers on
the Chesapeake bay, between Baltimore
end Old Point Comfort, Norfolk and Ports
mouth
The lines of the system in which the
Florida Central and Peninsular Railroad
and the Georgia and Alabama Railway
are included VIII, on Jan. 1, 1860, be COM
pleted through from Richmond to Jack
sonville and Tampa. Negotiations have
been concluded with the Richmond, Fred
erlcksburg and Potomac Railroad, from
Richmond to Quantico and with the
pennsylvania Railroad, extending from
Quantico to New York. by which the
trains Of the Seaboard Air Line will enjoy
the same rights ard privileges between
Richmond and Washington as those en-
Joyed by the Atlantic Coast Line, and
from Washington to New York the Sea-
| board Air Line viii be upon precisely the
same footing in the use of the tracks of
the Pennsylvania Railroad as either the
Atlantic Coast Line, the Southern Rail-
way or the Chesapeake and Ohio Rail-
way. The contract with the Pennsylvania
Railroad has been signed by the officials
OF both companies, and a final agreement
has been arrived at with the Richmond,
Fredericksburg and Potomac Railroad for
the use of that companys tracks be-
tween Richmond and Quantico where
connection viii be made with the Penn
sylvania Railroad
The new projected lines of the Seaboard
! System from Charleston to Augusta and
from Augusta to Athens, are now being
surveyed. Several corps of engineers are
engaged in the work, but nothing definite
is given out in regard to this new line,
nor will be, Mr.. Williams says, until the
preliminary work Is completed.
If this new projec, line should be con-
structed, the Seaboard, besides being the
shortest line by about 100 miles between
Washington and Tampa and Cuba, will
have the great advantage of operating its
own rails for the entire distance between |
the cities of Atlanta and Augusta Atlanta |
and Savannah, Augusta and Charleston |
Augusta and Athens, by shorter routes |
than any now existing between the impor- |
taut cities mentioned.
President Williams announced that his |
system has recently contracted with the |
Pullman Palace Car Company for four |
new vestibuled trains, which are to be
used this winter by the Seaboard Air Line
in its new through passenger service be- |
tween New York and Jacksonville and
Tampa These trains will be elegant and
luxurious, and viii include dining sleep
ing, parlor and observation cars, which
will be furnished with all the conveniences
aud uxuries that art and ingenuity can
contrive
The new route thus opened will be
known as THE Florida and West India
Short Line" and will cover the distance
| between New York and Tampa by line
about 10 miles shorter than the Southern
Railway, and about seventy-five miles
shorter than the Atlantic Coast Line be-
tween the same points
The link which is being built by the Sea-
board Air Line to connect its main line
with the Florida Central and Peniusular
Railroad at Columbia, Is being laid with
new @-pound steel rails The new bridges
which are being constructed are all of
steel and adapted to the use OF the heay-
lest locomotives and the fastest trains.
The combined bonded debt of the rail-
roads comprising this system" President
! Williams says, lis less than that of any
other system of IKE Importance in the
| United States. The present combined
| bonded Indebtedness per mile of the Sea-
| board Air Line, Florida Central and PEN
insular Railroad, and Georgia and Ala
bamd Railway is in fact. less than one
| half the debt per mile of the Southern
mile of either the Louisville and Nash
vile, the Mobile and Ohio or the Norfolk
and Western. and one-fourth of the debt
per mile of the Chesapeake and Ohio Rail-
way"
THE new system will operate its own
Trains from Washington, the capital of the
nation, through the capital cities of six
South Atlantic and Gulf states, Richmond
! Raleigh, Columbia Atlanta, Montgomery,
and Tallahassee. It VIII take in the i'm
portant scaports from Baltimore to Pen
sacOla. including Norfolk, Wilmington.
| Charleston. Savannah. Fernandina and
Jacksonville, on the Atlantic, and Tampa.
Cedar Keys and ST. Marks, on the Cuff
Of Mexico reaching also the important in
terror cities and towns of Durham. We'll
don, Henderson and Charlotte, N. G.;
Chester, Camden, Clinton. BaruweH s. c..
Augusta, Athens, Columbus aud Albany.
as well as the leading places throughout
Florida"