The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-12-06
BY TROLLEY TO WHITE BLUFF.
MOVEMENT NOW ON FOOT TO BUILD
AN ELECTRIC LINE THERE.

for That Purpose Meets with
strong Opposition, HOwever-The
Privileges Given TO the She'll Road
Company by Representative La
ROche's Amendment Regarded as
Entirely Too Extensive-Mr.
Il. A. Richards Explains That IL Is
Proposed to Construct the Line to
One side of the Shell Road and
Then Make the Latter "A Free Road.
An electric railway to White Bluff IS
now In prospect If the people a White
| Bluff and those living along the line Of
the Vernon Shell road feel the need Of the
road sufficiently TO come to the terms Of
fered then by the promoter of the road,
its construction is practically assured.
Mr.. T. A. Richards, who came very near
making a deal with the city last year for
its ground rent holdings, has interested
himself in the matter and has been quiet
| ly at work for some time with the land
owners along the route. Not having sue
ceeded in buying the city's ground rent
| holdings, Mr.. Richards is DESTROYS of put
ting out some money in this section and he
thinks the road to White Bluff about the
right thing.
Mr.. Richards has reached an agreement
with Mr. d. b. Lester, owner of the
Vernon Shell road, by which he agrees to
buy the smell road at a price
agreed upon with the view to build
ing railroad along the route of the road
on certain conditions. These conditions
are that the property owners who will
| h. Of limo
shall donate lands or cash to the value
/ of about $4,000, and that Mr.. Lester shall
| obtain an amendment TO the charter OF the
| Vernon Shell Road Company, so as to per-
NIT of the construction of an electric rail-
| way.
The charter of the Vernon Shell Road
was granted III 1859 but in 1870 an amend
ment was obtained from the Legislature
granting the company very broad privl-
| eyes in the way of extending its road for
the purpose of making connections with
! other points and other roads in the coun-
! ty and also giving 1t the right to con
struct and operate over the shell road and
| branches, or other roads leading to 1t,
! steam friction or common road engines
| of foreign or American manufacture, as
! they may desire, with vehicles connected
Herewith, for the purpose of transporta-
! ton of freight and passengers"
With the idea of constructing
! railroad to White Bluff Mr.. Rich
| ards has been quietly at work
for the last several weeks among
the property owners along the shell road
for the purpose of securing from them do
! nations of land on condition that the road
be built He has been quite successful in
this, a number of the property owners
in the vicinity of the road having shown
their desire for such an accommodation
by donating land. A few of the large
property owners, however, have declined
to make donations, some of them object
ing to the building of a road on various
grounds.
With the view of carrying out his part
of the agreement with Mr.. Richards, Mr.
Lester gave notice in the Morning News
of an intention TO apply for an
amendment to the charter of the Vernon
! Shell Road Company, so as to permit OF
| the construction of an electric railway.
In accordance with this notice a blu was
drawn up and introduced in the Legisla-
ture Monday by Representative LaRoche.
| A report of the amendment was published
in Yesterdays Morning News, The dispatch
failed to indicate the extent Of the amend
ment, and left the impression that all of
the extensive privileges already enjoyed
by the company were to be given it by
this amendment.
copy of the bill as amended was re-
ceived yesterday morning by Mayor My
ers This copy simply gave the bill in full
as amended. The amendment offered by
Mr. LaRoche is an amendment to the
| amendment of 1870 which gave the eX-
tensive rights and privileges referred to,
and uses the language of that amendment
with the addition of the few words neces-
sary to permit the company to construct
an electric railway under its charter.
There was nothing in the copy, however
TO indicate which was the original amend
ment and which the proposed amendment
and Mayor Myers, and probably every one
else who read this bill at once came to
the conclusion that some very remarka-
BILE and unusual privileges were being
sought by the Vernon Shell Road Com
pany without any notice to the city and
county authorities or the people interest
ed. 1t is safe to say that no such liberal
charter as that obtained by amendment
by the Vernon Road Company in 1870
would be given any company to-day. 1t
| seems that none of these extensive pro-
visions have ever been awaited Of how
ever.
Mayor Myers showed the bill to Chair
man Dale of the County Commissioners
| The Vernon Shell road has always been
the particular bette noire of Chairman
Dale. When he saw that apparently it
twas proposed to grant this company the
right, not only to extend its branches
wherever it pleased, but also 10 operate a
railroad on its road and branches and also
upon every road which might be tapped
very indignant. Apparently the Vernon
Shell road would have the right to lay its
railroad upon any county road it saw fit
without saying so much as by your leave
to the County Commissioners, and this
would include the new gravel roads which
have been constructed at heavy expense
by the county, Chairman Dale declared
that II should not be, and Mayor Myers
agreed with him that 1t ought not to be-
Chairman T. j. Davis of the Turnpike
Commissioners was called into consulta-
ton and he also agreed that it was an
outrage that a company which had given
so much trouble TO the county authorities
and so consistently show its disregard of
the rights of the public should be given
any such unAard of privileges. The re-
suit was that the three gentlemen Joined
in the following telegram, which was sent
to Senator Grovenstein and the three rep
| resentatives.
please have action delayed on bill 10
amend Vernon she'll road charter until
city anG county authorities and properly