The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1900-03-02
| MAY HAVE AN ELEVATOR.
MANY IMPROVEMENTS IN STORE
FOR THE CITY EXCHANGE.


Alderman williams Would Like to
Erect a New City Hall, But the City
Has Not the Money-IH the Mean
time He Will Improve the Ex-
change - Estimates of Cost of
Steam Heating and Elevator to Be
Obtained-COunciI Room May BE
RemOdeIed and Health Office Re-
moved to the Second Floor.
The work of Improvement now in pro-
gress in the office of the clerk of Coun-
Gil is likely to prove the forerunner of
similar Improvement in all the offices in
the City Exchange. Alderman Williams,
chairman of the Committee on City Lots
which has charge of the public property,
thinks the time has come for a general
Improvement in the interior of the Ex-
change. He wishes to bring the present
building as nearly up-to-date as possible
though he would much prefer to see a
new city hall begun.
Savannah ought to be able to erect a
new city hall once in hundred years.
said Alderman Williams yesterday The
present Exchange building is now 100
years old and the time has come when its
place should be taken by a more modern
| building. Unfortunately the city is not in
position at present to undertake this, but
1 hope to see the improvement begun
within the next few years. The present
building could be enlarged but 1 do not
! think this could be done satisfactorily"
When a new city hall is built" said
Mr. Williams. it should not be on the
present site. I do not think that a suita-
BILE location. The Chatham Academy site
would be a splendid location for a mag
| nificent city hall, but 1 suppose that is
out of the question. A public building
shows off to much better advantage
when there are open grounds around it.
The Chatham Artillery property has been
suggested as a desirable site. This would
place the city hall in the same square
with the government building and the
Court House, and thus would bring all
the principal public buildings together"
While he sees no prospect of erecting
a city hall Immediately, Alderman Viii
liams believes that the present building
should be modernized as much as posi-
| BILE, and to this end he has instructed Di-
rector Gadsden of the public works de-
| partment TO obtain estimates of the cost
| of placing an elevator in the building and
| equipping the building with steam heating
| apparatus AT present the offices are
| heated entirely by open freplaces. Mr..
! Williams estimates that the saving in coal
alone would have paid for the heating APP
! paratus within the last half a dozen years,
to say nothing of the greater comfort
| which would have been enjoyed by the
officials and employees.
No improvement which could be made
to the Exchange would give more salts
faction. both to the city employees and the
| many citizens who visit the building daily
| on business than the addition of an ele-
vator Hundreds of GREATNESS citizens
| have climbed TO the third floor to the Of
! flee of the health officer within the last
! few weeks and found themselves with
| hardly enough breath to state their wants.
! The city employees are also called upon to
! make frequent trips from one floor to an
other, and an elevator would be a great
| saving of time and energy TO them.
II is pointed out that portion of the
large hall space in the building could be
given IN to an elevator shaft without en-
croaehing in any way upon the space
| used for offices.
Alderman Williams also has in view the
| remodeling OF the Council room the doing
away with the long table and providing
| separate seats and desks for each men,
| her of the board and for the city officers
who are required to be in attendance upon
| the sessions of Council The old long ia
! Bile is very handsome piece of furniture.
| beneath which the Aldermen of Savannah
! nave rested their feet since the memory
| OF the Oldest inhabitant There seems TO
be a desire for change, however. The
idea favored by Alderman Williams Is
| that the seats of the Councilmen should
be arranged In semi-circular order, somc-
what upon the plan of the Senate cham
| Der in the State Capitol. The Mayor
would then occupy a raised platform.
! facing the Aldermen, each of whom would
| have separate seat and desk.
Another change under consideration is
| the removing of the health office from the
! third to the second floor. There is a
| large office just opposite the clerks Of
| flee on the second floor and Ii has been
| suggested that this should be fitted UP
| for the health officer DR. Drummer is
| very well pleased however, with his pres
ent location in the southeast room on the
| third floor. This is one of the pleasant
! est rooms in the building in summer time
| and besides, il removes the health officer
out of the way of gossiDing callers, who
might take M the time which he prefers
to devote to other matters.