The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-10-12
TO LAY TRACK ON BAY STREET.
GEORGIA AND ALABAMA RAIL
WAYS PETITION TO COUNCIL.


ertsviIIe Along stewart, West
broad, Williams and Bay Streets
10 the City Exchange and in Bay
street Lane From West Broad 60
Bull Street-Bay street Property
Owners Are DESTROYS of Securing
Railroad Facilities, Says Mr.. Mack
all.
There is a ray of hope for the property
owners on West Bay street. who are
threatened with desertion by the wholesale
| grocerymen. The Georgia and Alabama
| Railway desires to remove the disadvan-
| tages which the occupants of property on
| this street now labor under by construct
! ing track on Bay street to the City Ex-
! change from its new local freight depot
! shortly to be constructed on the western
side Of the city. To do this it viii be
| necessary to run the track along West
Broad street and also on portions of other
streets and petition has been filed with
the clerk of Council requesting permission
| to use the necessary streets.
The petition was filed yesterday and
reads as follows:
THE petition Of the Georgia and Ala
bama Railway shows that petitioner de-
slres to lay a track along Stewart street
from point to be decided upon by the en-
gneer of the city and of this company,
connecting with the tracks Of the company
which are to be laid in the company's 10
cal freight yard, and thence along West
| Broad street to Williamson street, and
| thence along Williamson street to Bay
street, or to the strand on the north side
of Bay street. and thence along Bay street
or said strand on the north side
of Bay street to the City Exchange TO-
] gether with a spur track beginning at the
| intersection of West Broad street and Bay
/ street lane and thence along Bay street
| lane to Bun street.
Wherefore your petitioner prays that
this petition may be referred to an appro-
| pirate committee of Council before which
| your petitioner, by It's officers and attor-
neys may appear. and that an ordinance
may be passed comforting upon your pc
tiuoner the rights and privileges therein
prayed for under such regulations and con-
ditions as to the Mayor and aldermen may
seem reasonable and proper"
Mr.. W. w, Mackal, president of the
Georgia Construction, when seen in refer
ence to the petition, said that it is the
desire of the Georgia and Alabama Rail-
way Company to provide the properly
owners on Bay street with the facilities
of which they now stand very much in
need
I'VE do not propose to do this from
| philanthropic motives, of course, said Mr..
| Mackall We believe that il would be
| very advantageous to the Georgia and
| Alabama Railway Company to have these
| facilities. At the same time we believe
| that the greater advantages will be with
the property owners in the district to be
reached by these lines, because they are
threatened with very imminent danger IN
| the way of depreciation in the value of
| their property and loss of revenue because
of the lack of facilities necessary for the
| transaction of business necessary in these
| days of close competition"
| Mr.. Mackall said it was the discussion
| of the probable loss of revenue TO the
! Bay street property owners by threatened
| exodus of the wholesale grocerS 10 the
! warehouses, together with the opinion
| commonly expressed that only a railroad
! track on Bay street could amend present
| conditions, that suggested the idea of the
| construction of such tracks by the COM
/ pany of which he is one of the representa-
| tives.
Many property owners have expressed
! the desire or the wish" he said, that a
| railroad track should be laid on Bay
! street, and we see no reason why their de-
| sires should not be granted, especially as
! the facilities which would be afforded
would be beneficial not only to the prop
>
| but to the business interests of the city
| generally. Many on the business men on
| Bay street west of the Exchange will
doubtless prefer to remain in their pres
ent locations, provided they can be given
! the same facilities offered them else
where"
do you not propose to construct local
| freight warehouses at your local freight
depot as an attraction to wholesale gro
GERS and others to locate on your line?"
! Mr.. Mackall was asked.
THAT is a part of our plan" he replied.
! "At the same time there will not be suff-
cient accommodation at the railroad
warehouses of the city for all the whole
sale grocers and others who might desire
! TO use them. and again there are many
! wholesale dealers who viii prefer not to
| enter into such close alliance with any
one road, but rather to remain free to
| handle business over all the roads. Again
| there are other lines of business conducted
| in the district which would be reached by
! these tracks which could not be satisfac-
torily conducted from railroad warehouses
! and which would reap benefits by lncreas-
ed railroad facilities"
Mr. Mackal said he did not think there
/ were any insuperable difficulties in the
| way of constructing the proposed tracks
/ Stewart street. along which the line would
/ reach West Broad street, is but little
used at present and could be put 10 this
use without serious Inconvenience to any
| one. West Broad street is one of the wild
] est streets in the city, and offers ample
room for a railroad track. williamson
! street is narrow and some opposition might
! be encountered there, but IL is very short
/ and of small Importance, being only Il
/ back street. From Williamson street the
| track would reach the strand, or large
/ vacant space on the north of Bay street,
| which is now unused. There would be
room here for several side racks, which
would he of great advan age to the mer-
| chants on both sides of the street, as cars
could be loaded and unloaded at their
! doors
| Fer the greater convenience of the mer-
chants on the south side of Bay street
however. it is proposed to run a track
down Bay street lane. This would be
| great convenience TO the several large gro
Gerry houses on the south side of bay
stree..
IL is NOT hkelv thai Council viii act n,