The Savannah morning news., 1901-05-31
CAPITAL OF $4,000
WILL BE INVESTED IN THE sAvAN-
NAH TRANSIT COMPANY.
LINE TO COST $4,000 A MILE.
WILL BE 26 MILES OF TRACK IN
SIDE AND IL OUTSIDE THE CITY.

Mai. III. r. Smart Said That 1t Was
Not the Purpose to Construct Only
Portion, but All of the System as
| Petitioned fOr-Another Gentleman
Interested Talks About the Inn
proved Rails That Are to Be Used.
Mayor Myers Says City VIII Not
Give Away Frnnchise-Three Petit
lions From as Many Parties Show
That Something Could BE Obtained
for Valuable Franchise.
The Savannah Transit Company wants
to build twenty-six miles of street rail-
way in Savannah and fifteen miles out
side the city limits. A gentleman inter
ested in the prospective company said
yesterday that 1t will cost $4,000 a mile
to build the line as the company intends.
He estimates that it will be necessary to
capitalize the company at about $4,000.
Action by the City Council will be await
ed by the petitioners. If it is favorable,
the work will be started Immediately,
Maj. II. +. Smart said yesterday, and
it will be pushed until the entire system
has been completed as indicated in the
petition 1t is not the intention of the
petitioners, Maj Smart said, to build only
portion of the system.
Another gentleman interested spoke of
the plans of the company as follows:
The tracks of the new street railway
system, when laid with the semi-groove
rail, will offer no obstruction to traffic,
as the groove, large enough for the
image of a car wheel, will not admit the
tire of narrow buggy wheel 1t is no.
ticeable on Broadway, New York. that
all of the heavy laden trucks and vehicles
use the iron tramway afforded by the
rails of the street car line, as the draw
bar pull using railway expression, is
much less, for horses hauling a heavy
load on the smooth surface of an iron
tramway, than hauling the same
load over cobble, belgian block, asphalt
or brick pavement.
| ut is a fallacy to assume that street
railway tracks ruin street to it's use by
vehicles, such is the case. however, in
Savannah, and it is probably the only city
of its size in the United States where the
barbarous '1"' rail is in universal use. In
cities where this matter has received the
careful attention and consideration of its
City Council, the equitable use of the
streets by the electric street railways and
business and private vehicles, has been
secured by franchises not burdensome to
either party.
There are no cities of the size of Sa-
vannah in the United States where such
utter disregard for the rights of business
and pleasure vehicles is shown as by the
! present system in use here. On no street,
not excepting Broughton, is the company
Using the proper kind of rail. If the prop
| er KIND of rail was used on Bay, Price
ana Bryan streets, with asphalt or brick
paving, 1t would be as available to vehi-
Gle traffic Washington street in Bos-
| ton, where the cars pass by double track
on 8-foot wide street at the rate of
eight or ten per minute.
THE new company will lay at its own
expense a double track on President
street, 200 feet in length, opposite the
| Court House, and thus demonstrate how
the new rail will allow vehicle traffic to
use the. same space"
Mayor Myers was asked what the prob
able action of the City Council upon the
petition will be. He replied that he had
not studied the matter up to that time
and that he could not say what he
thought of it, "One thing is clear, how
ever" said the Mayor. Amy company
that gets franchises for street railways
should be made to pay for them The
franchises are valuable; that is shown by
the numbers that petition for them. The
| Savannah Transit Company and Mr.. d.
b. Lester have petitioned, and the Savan-
nah Thunderbolt and Isle of Hope Rail-
way wants the privilege to lay double
track on Montgomery street. Certainly
| that shows that the franchises are worth
something, and the city is entitled to de-
mand compensation. Other cities make
| the demand, and there is no reason why
! Savannah should not. The rights of the
municipality in other places is asserted
and there is a protest if the compensa-
ton is not regarded as being as great as
| ii should be.
',Mr Testers petition to Council last
night showed that he is willing to make
concessions 10 the city If he is given the
franchise for which he asks. He offers
| a reduction of 10 per cent
in the city's present contract
price for lighting. Certainly that
should be considered. It shows that com
| the privilege of operating a street railway
system in Savannah
The gentleman interested in the Ssvan-
nah Transit Company and quoted above
said that there is nothing practical In Mr..
| Testers offer to light the city at a reduc-
tion OF 10 per cent, for the reason that
the contract the city is under with the
Edison Electric Illuminating Company
| has still three years to run, and that it
could not be vitiated. Nor could any
action taken by this Council, he said,
bind those that are to follow.
The view was expressed by the gentle
| man that the city should not adopt the
position that the franchise is so valuable
to company. The city, he argued, would
be benefited by such a system al the
company proposes TO introduce, and con-
| sideration should be given that fact
The petition of the Savannah. Thunder
bolt and Isle OF Hope Company to dou-
bic track Montgomery street, from Bay
| street to Anderson street. was discussed
on the streets yesterday. General Mana
ser McIntire OF the company stated that
the patrons Of the road in that territory
want the tracks put down and that the
| company is quite willing to do 1t. IL the
| company is given what il asks for, a belt
will be made with the West Broad street
line.