The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1901-09-28
WANT NO TRACKS
THE sEABOARD WILL PROBABLY
BE TURNED DOWN.
ALDERMEN OPPOSE THE PLAN.
FOR LAYING RAILROAD TRACKS ON
BAY STREET.

Member OF the Board says Ihat inc
Laying of Tracks on the Bay
Would Hurt the street-Merchants
who Handle Heavy Goods Could
Not BE Induced to Move There
When the Railroad Yards Are So
Handy-AIderman Says That the
Petition VIII Probably BE Turned
Down by Council, as 1t Was Two
Years Ago - Railroad on Bay
Would Put 1t In Class with River
Street.
It is not at all likely that the City
Council will give the Seaboard Air
Line permission to lay tracks on Bay
and other streets, set forth in the COM
pany's petition, mention of which has
been made in the Morning News. A
member of the board gave it as his
opinion yesterday that not single al
derman will vote for the granting of
the privileges asked for. Two other
members of the board expressed them
selves as being unalterably opposed to
any such concession being granted.
Mayor Myers was the only one seen
who favored granting the railroad any
of the streets asked for, and he stat
ed that he had really not fully consid-
cred the petition yet. The Mayor, how
ever, could see no reason why the COM
pany should not be permitted to run
its tracks on Indian street, then into
Williams, and on the Strand as far as
the City Exchange. The rest of the
proposed route, he said, he had not yet
considered.
In talking of the petition yesterday,
member of the board said that the
laying of tracks on Bay street would
put 1T on a. footing with River street,
and really cause the value of property
to depreciate. The alderman recalled
that the Plant System, Central Rail-
way and. Georgia and Alabama had a
similar petition before Council two
years ago, and that at that time the
privilege was refused.
Il don't think that there is any doubt
of the fact that Council will unquali-
f1edly refuse to listen to the plan of
the Seaboard,' said a member of the
board in discussing the petition. THE
laying of railroad tracks on Bay street
would ruin it, and would not cause any
firms who handle heavy goods to occu-
L.
The only way to secure tenants for
these stores is to induce persons who
handle light goods to rent them. Those
who carry heavy line find that it is
much cheaDer to have places at the
railroads.
With railroad trains running on
Bay street, those who have offices
would find it very Objectionable The
thoroughfare would be little short of
railroad terminal and would not
cause firms to move to the Bay, but
maybe leave there. The facilities for
handling freight are much better at
the railroads and much cheaper, too.
| 1t costs more to load a car on River
street than it does at the yards, for
the cars do not stand on the tracks
until loaded. 1t happens that they are
| frequently pushed away while being
loaded, and much time is lost in this
| way, making 1t really cheaper to haul
| to the railroad yards. Just so soon as
| Council gave the Seaboard what il
asks for the Plant System would step
forward and ask for the use of the
| Strand, east of the Exchange, proba-
| bly, with the request that tracks be
| laid through Emmett Park 1 shall
| certainly vote against the granting OF
the petition, and 1 am confident that
! the other members of the board will
| do the same thing"
The opposition to the plan to use In
dian street will also be fought against
| by the people on that street, and it is
believed that the company's petition
will be turned down as promptly as it
was when filed with Council two years
ago. In the event that the company
should be allowed to use the streets
named in the petition. the reguiar-siz-
ed locomotives could not be used. The
turn from the south side of Bay street
into Jefferson, and then into Bryan.
could not be made with a large engine.
Mr. ]. Randolph Anderson, of counsel
for the road stated that the company
had no special reason in filing its petit
ton at this time A similar applica-
ton had been sent to Council before
and had been turned down. The COM
pany does not believe in giving up be-
cause 1t has been turned down once
said Mr.. Anderson, and Cor that rea-
son is making another effort to get
what is desires. Mr.. Anderson believes
that If tracks are put down as sug-
gested 1t will be great thing. not
only for the property on the street. but
for the city as well. He said that
freight can be handled in this manner
with as little cost as in the railroad
yards. The attorney for the road stat
ed that he had not spoken to any men,
Der of the board on the subject and
that he does not know what action will
be taken on the petition.