The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1902-01-24
NO NEW FRANCHISES
MIR. BALDWIN's VIEW OF PETI-
TION TO CITY COUNCIL.
TO IMPROVES THE SERVICE
ON PRESENT LINES is ALL THE
COMPANY DESIRES NOW TO DO.

u
should Ask for Remuneration for
the Privileges for which Petition
Ilns been Made-COmpany Desires
I, live Public the Best Service in
HIS Power and Proposed AdditiO n
al Tracks and Connections Are
Necessary to Attain This Result.
spur Track Ia Theater Among Inn
proVements in view.
President George J. Baldwin of the
Savannah Electric Company. does not
view the rights asked of Council in
the petition of the company filed and
read the first time Wednesday night
as new franchises, for which even
consistency demands that the city
should ask remuneration. He regards
them rather as concessions that will
enable the company TO give the Sa-
vannah public. through the use of its
already granted franchises, the first
class service the public demands.
"Of course said Mr.. Baldwin, Il
quite realize the(pubic is prone to re-
ceive our protestations that we are
actually and earnestly DESTROYS of
making our service first-class in every
particular with grain of salt. l am
personally encouraged to make these
assertions. however. because l believe
the public thinks we have pursued this
policy in our management of the light
ing company and because l have no
personal doubt that the promises and
prophesies l make will be fulfilled.
For instance, we have even now
under consideration a proposition to
construct spur track from the Aber-
corn street line on McDonough street
to the side of the theater, for the con-
Venience of theater patrons after the
performances. We have this in view
because we realize there is a public
demand for the improvement-not be-
cause we expect to make on the in
vestment. Furnishing special cars for
special occasions is not a paying bust
ness for trolley companies We want
to make the company popular; not un-
popular, in the community, and we
realize that the only way to do this
is to give good service.
THE concessions we have asked of
the city are along the same line. We
are not asking for new franchises.i
we were ii might be a different prop
OSiliOH- All we ask Is lDdI council VIII
permit us TO use the franchises we now
enjoy in such manner as to give the
public the best schedules and the best
service in our power.
Take the proposed line on Gwinnett
street. 1t is a constant source of COM
plant that on special occasions at
Thunderbolt persons living anywhere
save on the Habersham street line and
it's combinations find it practically inn
possible to get to the Bolton street
junction: if they. do succeed in maxi
ing the trip it is at the cost of con-
siderable inconvenience. They have
either to come down to Broughton
street to secure a transfer to the Hab-
ersham line, or else walk to Habersham
street. In either event they find the
Thunderbolt cars already crowded.
What we desire to do is to connect
the Habersham and Abercorn street
lines on Gwinnett street, so that We
may run cars out to Thunderbolt from
the Barnard and Abercorn belt on Boil
ton street, and. returning to the city,
run the cars on the proposed Gwin-
nett street connection to the belt from
which they started. We are going to
offer good many attractions at
Thunderbolt next summer and | pre-
sumo d good many people will want to
go. Our purpose is to make the trip
as easy, comfortable and convenient as
is in our power. The Thunderbolt cars
from AbercOrn and Barnard streets will
be operated a first on special occasions
and al special times only; it is our
hope and expectation that the traffic
will so increase as to permit cur oper-
ating these cars on a regular sChed-
ule.
THE spur track on Roberts street we
have asked permission to construct at
the earnest request Of those interested
in the union depot project. They want
to have street car facilities for hand
ling the crowds that dsemhark from
excursion and regular trainS& and we
want to be placed in a position to COM
ply with their wishes.
Now, we can't do this without a
spur track on which to bank cars. OF
course, if cars are not operated on a
regular schedule, it makes little differ
. ence whether they wait half minute
or "A minute for a train or not We
propose, however. to operate our cars
on schedule time-and we can't wait.
I'VE have another improvement in
view. l often hear of persons who
f1nd it difficult to catch a car that will
take them ITO the trains on which they
desire to leave the city, unless they
leave their homes a considerable time
before the train starts. We hope to
run q car, OF cars, lndt VIII make the
circuit of the several belts just before
the departure Of all trains, so that
persons who desire to catch a particu-
lar train will understand that a car
that VIII make the connection will pass
their corner at certain hour. To do
all this we must have a spur on which
TO shift our cars, so as not to inter-
fere with schedules.
The additional tracks on East
Broad and West Broad streets are
simply for the purpose of completing
the double tracking of these streets.
AS ] say, one of our most cherished
ambitions is so to improve the service
as TO be able to operate our cars on
schedule, and we can't do this without
double tracks. An absolutely correct
schedule is the nearest approach we
can make to operating cars at close
intervals; the traffic I'm Savannah will
not permit the latter, while the former
Is possible. and we hope to attain IT,
1.-The same general purpose was in
view when we applied for the addi-
tional track on Bay street. between
Barnard and Jefferson streets. There
an interval of single track interferes
with our schedules. In addition to the
general purpose, we have also a spe-
cific object in view, in the desire 10
give good service to the proposed line
from the end Of Indian street across
the Central Railway terminals and to
the factories west OF the city. We
want to run a special car on this line.
that Will intersect in its trip the sew
efal lines now established and take
their passengers to the wharves and
factories. We desire to obviate the
-.