The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1902-03-25
CITY NOT COMMITTED
HAS NOT INDoRsED BRIDGE PLANS
OR LOCATION.
LESTER WANTED TO KNOW.
MAYOR SAYS CITY'S ENDORSEMENT
is ONLY FOR A BRIDGE.

President Egan of the Central Rail-
way and Ocean Steamship Com
pany Answers Some of the Views
Expressed by MIR. w. w. MnckaiI.
Says His Companies Do Not Fear
Competition, but Considers 1t
Their Duty to Prevent, if Possible,
a Serious Blow to- the Interests OF
the POrt-Cases of Chicago and
savannah Not AnaIOgOus-Mr.
Egan Suggests Such a Bridge rs
Duluth Is to Have.
The Savannah river bridge question
influences for and against the proposed
structure that have been enlisted are
not dormant, but, on the contrary,
congressman and senators have been
busy for whichever side they may
have espoused.
Mayor Myers yesterday received
telegram that showed that the bridge
question is not dead by any means.
Congressman Lester telegraphed to as
| certain if the city is committed in any
way to the plans. The Mayor replied
that it is not committed at all; that
it had not Endorsed any location for
the bridge nor any plans for it. All
the action the city has taken has been
that of Council, indorsing the project
for a bridge to connect Savannah and
| Hutchinson's Island.
1t has been expected that action on
h. Il II ~,
Senate yesterday, but such was not
| the case. 1t is likely, however, that
| the matter will be brought to a con-
clusion soon, and it will then be known
which of the opposing parties has Sc
cured the victory. A report to the
Morning News form Washington has it
| that the Committee on Commerce will
| probably report the bill favorably.
President 'Egan of the Central Rail-
way and Ocean Steamship Company
has not, by any means, been convinced
that the construction of the bridge
proposed by the Georgia and Alabama
Terminal Company would not damage
the first named companies. He takes
issue with Mr.. w. w. Mackall in some
of his statements in the Morning
News.
The criticism in regard to our dis
cussing matters through the public
prints would doubtless be a just one"
said Mr.. Egan, were it not for the
fact that through that medium we OBJ
tanned the first informa ton regarding
the erection of the proposed bridge.
knowing the greatness of our inter
ests involved, is it not strange that
the Georgia and Alabama Terminal
Company did not mention this matter
to us?
THE Central of Georgia Railway
Company and Ocean Steamship Com
pany have greater interests in Savan-
nan, Mr. Egan added, than any 9th
er transportation company that
reaches this section. Outside of Sa-
vannah, the Southern Railway has
terminals on the Atlantic Coast. reach
ed by its own rails, at Norfolk
| Charleston and Brunswick; the Plant
System has terminals at Charleston.
Brunswick and Jacksonville; the Sea
board Air Line Railway has terminals
at Portsmouth, Fernandina and Jack
sonville, and operates, under favorable
terms, with the railway recently con-
structed to Brunswick
we do not fear competition but
consider it our duty to prevent as far
as possible anything being done, that
is not necessity, that would inf1ict
a serious blow on the commerce of the
port of Savannah
If the large furniture factories at
Grand Rapids were informed that a
wall would be erected around their
buildings and the manufactured pro-
ducts would be required to pass
through a certain gate that was not
high or wide enough to accommodate
their vehicles, they would no doubt
protest, especially when other facto-
RES outside OF a certain limit had no
such restriction placed upon them.
Regarding the commerce that
passes up and down the Chicago river.
which all admit is very great, l might
suggest that there are no tides to con-
tend with on that river. The draw
bridges that formerly spanned the
stream are being replaced by roller lift
bridges on account of the obstruction
to navigation caused by the piers that
were built in the river. 1t must he
remembered that these bridges are only
open during certain hours of the day
for the passage of vessels, when the
least inconvenience to foot passengers
and vehicles will be caused. Vessels are
handled by tugs when in the Chicago
river-not under their own steam. The
length of the bridges on the Chicago
river is governed by the width of the
stream.
IF a bridge is required across the
Savannah river, there is one now under
construction at Duluth, a duplicate of
which would, perhaps, offer the least
obstruction to navigation if built
across the river here. plan and de-
scription of this bridge can be found
in the Engineering News, of Thursday.
March 20, 1902. The bridge referred to
extends from Duluth on the main land
across to Minnesota Point, and is in
tended for the handling of a very large
traffic that heretofore has been handled
by boats in summer and over the ice
in winter. The people of that section
would not permit the erection of a
draw bridge, or anything else that
would delay the handling of vessels at
Duluth, especially when they could be
accommodated without trouble or de-
lay at the ports of West Superior, Wis,
or Two Harbors Mimi"
Queen of Sea Routes.
Merchants and Miners Transporta-
/ 10,