The Savannah morning news., 1901-01-04
BLOCKED TESTERS PLANS.
COUNCIL COMMITTEE GRANTED HIM
CONCESSIONS HE DOES NOT WANT.


Construction Company VIII Care
to BuiId-NO Complete System to
Withstand Competition Would Be
Observation-Disclosures East Broad
and other Streets OfYered-Ordi-
nance to BE Drafted for Council
mt Wednesday Nights Meeting.
The City Council spent two hours or
more and a half yesterday afternoon in
a meeting of the Committee of the Whole
for the consideration of the applications
from Mr.. d. B. Lester and Mr. ]. S. Col
Inns for street railway franchises. Be-
fore the adjournment it was impressed
upon the meeting by the Mayor that strict
secrecy should be observed as to the.
Councils action, and it was not a little
difficult at first to secure information
from the aldermen as to what was done
1t was learned, however that a route
was granted Mr.. Lester upon certain obn-
ditions, and the city attorney who was
present at the meeting, was directed to
draft an ordinance that will be presented
day night for ratification, showing what
streets may be used.
The proposed route for Mr.. Testers
road was agreed upon by a vote of five
to four, though it is known, how the
nine aldermen who were present voted
In the caucus were Aldermen Dixon
Bacon, Schwarz, farrell, Thomas, Horri-
gan, Tiedeman, Mills and Wells. The pro-
posed route is from Forty-second and Bull
streets westward on Forty-second to
West Broad, thence to Anderson, to
Montgomery and to Bay. No rights on
Bay street are to be granted MIR. Lester,
but the city's grant to him is to resume
at East Broad street, the presumption
being that he may manage some way to
get from Montgomery on Bay to East
Broad. Along East Broad, by the city's
concession, he may run his line to Plant
avenue, to Habersham street to Estin
avenue to Bull, thus giving the circuit
for the line.
one OF the members of Council who was
present at the meeting said that the city
will not grant the right of way for an
other street car track along Bay street,
ard the only way for Mr.. Lester to Sc
cure passage for his cars there will be
to apply to the Legislature for condemna-
tory proceedings to acquire the right of
using the Bay street tracks of the Savan-
nan, Thunderbolt and Isle of Hope Rail
way, of which there are already three
on one section of the street. The Council
does not approve the plan of adding an
other track. Any more tracks. it is con-
tended will interfere with other traffic.
This Is regarded as a block to the plans
of Mr.. Lester and the interests he repre-
sents. Some time ago the president of
| an important construction company of
the North and an engineer of the COM
! pany were in Savannah for an investiga-
tion of certain matters that they wished
to be informed upon before taking up the
plan of building the proposed street rail-
road. Mr.. Lester was closely associated
with the gentlemen and was empowered
to represent the company in the effort to
secure the desired franchise from Coun-
| Gil.
Mr.. Lester was seen after the meeting
of Council, which began at 4:30 O'Clock,
and did not adjourn until after T. He
had questioned two or three of the alder
men as to what they had done but their
silence was like that of the Sphinx, and
he was able to CLEAN little from them.
He had understood, however, that the
route designated for his proposed line had
been along Montgomery to Bay and from
Bay along East Broad and the arrange
him. He said that the interests he repre-
| sents are looking for no such investment
as building upon such a route. The route
he had hoped to secure would have ad-
mitted of a complete system in itself,
with little competition upon the same
street with the Savannah, Thunderbolt
and Isle of Hope Railway. The route
| requested and proposed by resolution of
Alderman Mills at the previous meeting
of oil foil
| tions attending it's being granted: From
the Vernon Shell Road and Forty-second
street, running west on Forty-second to
West Broad, north on West Broad to
Anderson, east on Anderson to Montgom-
try. north on Montgomery to Bryan,
east on Bryan to Barnard, on the west
| side of Barnard north to Bay on the
north side of Bay east to Price, south
on Price to Plant, along Plant to Haber-
sham, along Habersham across the tracks
of the Plant System south to Estill ave-
| nue., and along Estill avenue to the point
of beginning.
The established company, Mr.. Lester
said, would be able to meet the new one
with reduced rates on East Broad street
and on Bay, thus rendering investments
in the proposed line not so attractive as
| they appeared to the construction COM
pany that seeks to secure the franchises
through him and then to float bonds for
the building of the line With the sys-
! tenn that would be complete in itself, run
ming the route set forth in Alderman
! Mills resolution, such competition could
be avoided. With such competition how
ever, the Savannah, Thunderbolt and Isle
of Hope Railway would have a distinct
advantage, as il would be able to make
up for one-cent or other low fares on East
Broad and Bay streets by charging the
whole rate upon the other portions of it's
extensive system.
Mr.. Lester did not say that he would
not accept such concessions as were made
him by the Committee of the Whole and
which may be confirmed at the meeting
of Council next Wednesday night. Local
capitalists. he said, might be willing to
| invest in a line with such a route but he
did not believe that it would meet with
| the favor of the northern company
! Some 100000 or 100000 of capital from
foreign sources would be invested in Sa-
Nannah were the equitable privileges re-
! quested granted" said Mr.. Lester, "and
| the city would reap the benefit of the
increased valuation for tax assessments,
of the added facilities in street railway
service and in the employment that would
he afforded for some 200 men and the feed.
| ing and clothing of some 300 more per-
sons dependent upon the employees. Nor
would the foreign capital seek exclusive
| inves tment rights, for the bonds could be
secured by local capitalists The Indus
| trial Association and business men of
/ Savannah have long 1abored for ryraat