The Savannah morning news., 1900-07-03
THEIR PROMISES MADE GOOD.
HUTCHINSON ISLAND WAS A WASTE
TWO YEARS AGO.

People Laughed at the Idea of Con-
verting 1t Into n Terminal Prop
erty and said the Georgia Termi-
nal Company Would Follow in the
Footsteps of Its Predecessors-The
Company Has Made All Its From
ises Good and Done Much More Be-
sides-Mr. MackaH Back From New
York-Compnny's shops VIII Re-
main at Americas, He states.
1T was less than two years to-day that
we made application TO the City Council
for grant of the city lands on Hutch
inson Island" said Mr.. W. w. Mackall
yesterday. THE Council seemed indis-
great many people said that it would
amount to nothing, and that nothing
would ever come of it.
They ridiculed the idea that wharves
and slips and warehouses would ever be
placed on che other side of the river.
Council granted our petition condition
ally. We were required to expend $780, 900
in improvements, to build a terminal rail-
way to the upper portion of the island,
with a bridge across the river and TO pro-
vide warehouses for receiving and de-
livering freight on this side of the river.
oct. is. 1898, the Council granted our
petition with the conditions named, be-
sides various minor conditions. To-day
the work on the island is practically COM
plete. We have spent not 800, 900, but
several hundred thousand dollars in i'm
provements. the railway line to the north
ern end of the island has been built, and
a fine bridge has been built across the
river above the city, over which our
trains now run, reaching the bridge over
our own tracks. When we first proposed
20 convert Hutchinson Island into ter
minals, people laughed as us. Now they
have good reason to laugh because of our
success"
Mr.. MackaH has just returned from
meeting of the Executive Committee of
the Seaboard system in New York, a:
which the consolida ton of the various
lines of the system was perfected. There
is little further to add to what had al
ready been stated, he said.
The headquarters of the system will be
at Portsmouth, for some time anyway"
John will have his Office there, and so
will the other general officers, including
Gen. Supt. McBee. The freight and pas
senger departments will have representa-
lives, of course, at the various points of
importance on the system. Mr. Gabbett
Is superintendent of the Savannah divis-
ion, which is known the fourth"
Doesn't Savannah lose by this consol-
idation of the SYSTEM" Mr.. Mackall was
asked.
Not at ALL ne replied. For every
man we take away from Savannah. we
will put two back here"
Mr.. Mackall was gazing across the river
as he said this, evidently indicating that
the increased force would be at the ter
minals.
'Will the company not find 1t to its adj
vantage to consolidate its shops in this
section at Savannah, as a central point
instead of operating shops in widely sep
arated localities?" Mr.. Mackall was asked
THE company will need more shop facil-
tiles here than it now has" said Mr.
Mackall, but I do not think there is any
intention of removing the shops from
Americas and Fernandina. The loca ton
at Americas is very satisfactory and the
plant there is excellent one"
The operation of the system as CONSOLE
dated went into effect July /. Mr.. Mackall
said he does not expect any further
changes for the present.