The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-11-09
CAME TO NO CONCLUSION.
tcontlnued From ELghth 70

he said Savannah is slow" said Mr..
Guckenheimer, like philadelphia, only
the railroads go through the streets OF
Philadelphia. but not through those Of
Savannah. II you win only take the trou-
BILE to watch the business done in At
lanta you can easily tell now many trains
pass through the street there IN a day II
you care TO stand there long enough
Trains ore run in the streets OF every city
between Savannah and New York and In
New York you can see freight trains NOV
ing on West and Hudson streets. with
the sharp competition which our mer-
chants have TO contend with, do not see
why there should be any opposition TO
tracks on Bay street"
Mr.. Guckenheiner said that the values
Of property on Bay street were only kept
up by the tax assessors. The bulk OF the
property there would not sell for % per
cent. of the amounts on which II is taxed,
he said. Illustrating the manner In Whieh
property values have deprecated on Bay
street he said in 1886 he rented two stores
at 500 month each. He is now renting
one of these same stores at Si5 a month.
The property where Mr. Collins is now To-
Gated, he said formerly paid 500 a year
rent, but now pays only SLIGO. Certain
other property which he had arranged to
buy a number Of years ago for $4,000, but
did not close the trade recently sold for
5000.
Speaking of the changed trade conditions
Mr.. Guckenheimer said that formerly all
the freight handled between the railroads
and the steamships, as well as that hand
led by the merchants, was drayed through
the city. The drayage gave employment
to a number of men and was a prof able
business. This was all right, he said, un-
til Brunswick entered the field with better
facilities and the Central Railroad was
forced to make connection with the steam
ship wharves. The drayage business was
good thing for the city as long as bust
ness could be done that way, but with
changed conditions a change in the man
ner of doing business had to come.
In answer to questions, Mr.. Quicken
heimer said a track might not fully re-
store values on Bay street, but 1t would
prevent a further decline. He believed
the track could be operated SO as to be
of great benefit to the merchants, and
stin without interrupting general street
traffic. Cars could be brought in in the
morning. loaded or unloaded during the
day and taken out again at night.
Mr.. Dafin's Inquiry.
Mr.. p. D. Dafin inquired if it were the
intention of Council to extend the track
to the lower end of Bay street. He was
informed that the railroads were willing
10 do this, with the city's permission, pro-
vided the property owners so desired
According to Mr.. Dafiin the eastern end
of Bay street is more in need of a rail-
ROAD track tNdH the western emu. Lower
Bay street had suffered grevously during
the last ten years, he eaid; in fact so
much so that it IS almost impossible to
rent property at that end of the street
As the owner and representative Of con-
siderable property at that end OF the
street, he was quite aware of the unsat-
isfactory state of affairss
Mr.. A. b. Palmer said that the general
formation of trusts had effected a COM
plete revolution in the methods of han
ding hardware 50 that the firms were
compelled TO buy in carload lots, and
there was no margin in the business. A
railroad would prove of great advantage
10 his company, he said as well as to
others, as II would mean a large saving
In drayage and breakage.
Mr. j. F. Cam said that one important
fact had been overlooked in the discussion,
and that was that while the value of a
railroad track on Bay street to the bust
ness men was conjectural, the people rep
resented by him would undoubtedly lose
the value of their property. The people
whom he represented on indian and WIN
iamson streets, he said, had their homes at
stake Traffic to and from the wharves on
Bryan street is already congested he said,
and with the building of railroad track
on Indian street. which furnishes the
most convenient approach 10 the wharves
traffic viii be driven entirely from that
street, and a further congestion ensued on
1Tydn street. he coltenUed tQaI Win a
railroad track on Indian street in addition
10 the street railway track already there
1t would be impossible for two vehicles TO
pass on the street without going upon one
or the other of these tracks. williamson
street he said, was a width of but twenty
feet between the sidewalks and with a rail-
road track in the center of the street il
would be impossible for vehicles to use the
street with a line of cars on 1t, and drivers
OF vehicles would use it at their peril.
For Small Property Owners.
Mr. Cam made a strong appeal in behalf
of the small property owner, with his
earnings invested in his little home, as
against the large property owners and
business men on Bay street, who were
much more able to incur the risk Of loss.
The advantages to be derived by the large
property owners were conjectural, he
urged, while the damage to the small
property owners was certain. Mr. Cam
made an inVidious distinction at this point
between the two classes interested, stat
ing that those chiefly interested in the
movement, the business men, for the most
part, do not own the properties which they
occupy, most of their possessions being in
the shape of personal property, locked in
their safes or otherwise out of the reach
of the tax assessors, while the small real
estate owners cannot escape the assessor
and pay taxes upon the full value of their
property.
There were murmurs of protest by the
business men present at this statement,
and Mr.. Guckenheimer rose and made
some objection. Mayor Myers notified Mr..
Cam that he was out of order and that
he must confine himself to the subject in
hand. Mr. Guckenheimer interrupted Mr..
Cam and was evidently prepared to reply
warmly, but he was told that Mr. Cam
had the floor The incident caused some
irritation and WAS occasionally alluded 10
in the further discussion OF the track ques-
tion.
Capt. Cunningham, in replying to Mr.
Cam, said that it had not been absolute
~ demonstrated that a railroad track
would ruin the property on Indian street
Ii had not done SO in other cities, where
there are tracks on public streets. The
learned gentleman, ne said, had expressed
his willingness to have the track switched
off TO other streets.
This is a question where the city's In
terests are involved" said he. This Is
no place 10 come and say that the moor