The Savannah morning news., 1902-06-22
THIS WEEK WILL TELL
PLANT SYSTEM OFFICIALS EXPECT
1T TO SHOW THEIR FATE.
PRINCE WILL BE CONTROLLER.
PLANT SYSTEMS AUDITING HEAD
WILL DE A. C. LIS CONTROLLER.


Officials Expecting the Circular 10
Be Issued This week-Wiu Relieve
Uncertainty-This no Longer Ex-
lists for SOme-COast Line, After the
Consolidation. VIII BE Operated as
Two DiVisions-Mr. Denham and
MIR. Myers to BE General Superfn-
tendents-Mr. HayIow VIII Re
main-RepOrt That MIR. Craig viii
BE General Passenger Agent viii
Not DOwn-ScheduIe Changes and
Traffic Changes July L.
The situation viii be cleared for
Plant System officials this week. The
uncertainty under which most of them
have labored for some weeks, in fact,
ever since the announcement of the
acquisition of the Plant System by the
Atlantic Coast Line. will be relieved.
This is the view they take of it, and
they are eagerly awaiting the official
announcement that they expect will be
made very soon by circular.
This circular" said a Plant System
official yesterday, will probably be is
sued from Wilmington, and will be
dated as of July l. We look for 1t,
however. a little sooner than July l.
1t may make its appearance here this
week"
In the meantime, however, informa-
ton that they will be retained in the
service has been reaching some of the
officials. Controller H. C. Prince of
the Plant System will be made con-
troller of the consolidated system. This
will mean the transfer of Mr.. Princes
headquarters from Savannah to Will
mington, the general headquarters of
the Coast Line. Mr.. Prince has many
friends here. He has been controller
of the Plant System since Mr.. Morel,
having come originally from the Louis
vile and Nashville. He is an expert
enced and capable railroad man.
General Superintendent w. B. Den
ham of the Plant System will be a gen.
eral superintendent of the Atlantic
Coast Line, which will be formed into
two divisions. The exact line of divi-
sion is not yet known, but it is not i'm
probable that it will be Charleston.
The Plant System will constitute the
Southern Division, and the Atlantic
Coast Line, as 1t now exists, will be
the Northern Division Though they
will exercise supervision over divisions,
the authority of the general superin-
tendents will be much greater than
that of division superintendent, being,
in fact, as great as it is in the present
operation of the two properties.
Mr.. J. F. Divine, general superin-
tendent of the lines of the Atlantic
Coast Line south of Weldon, N. c.,
will probably retire upon the oonsolida-
ton, possibly being made a vice presi-
dent of the company. Mr.. Divine is a
veteran in the service of the Coast
Line and stakeholder. The authority
of Mr.. E. T. D. Myers, superintendent
of the lines north of Weldon, WILL it is
thought, be extended as far south as
Charleston. He and Mr.. Denham, in
that event. will be the two general su-
perintendents, reporting to General
Manager J. r. Kenly.
No changes will be made in the oper-
ating or mechanical departments of the
Plant System upon the consolidation.
Superintendent of Transportation w.
j. Haylow will continue in that ca
pacity, and the other officials will be
retained.
General Freight Agent James Men
zies, as the Morning News has re-
ported, will be general freight agent
under the new regime. The Morning
News published a report that Col B.
w. Wrenn, passenger traffic manager
of the Plant System, would leave the
service, and that General Freight and
Passenger Agent A. ]. Craig of the
Charleston and Western Carolina
would take charge of the passenger
department here. This report is still
persistent. 1t is almost positively de-
clared to be the way the event will
show.
Mr.. Craig is now with a road that
is owned by the Atlantic Coast Line
While it is the avowed policy of the
Coast Line not to displace any Off
Gals of the Plant System that it
could retain, it is held that Col. Wrenn
was not inclined to accept what was
offered him. This meant that an open
ing would be presented, so it is main
tanned that Mr.. Craig will come to Sa-
vannah to be general passenger agent
The report is given credence among
Plant System officials, who say, how
ever, that they do not know officially
that it is true. That in fact, is their
position upon all the places except
those of Mr.. Prince and Mr.. Menzies.
Trackage rights of the Southern
Railway from Vaudeville to Jackson
vile will be effective on and after July
/. This will mean a changed condi-
ton in the railroad situation. The
Coast Line and the Southern Railway
will be warm competitors for through
business. Under the present contract
between the Plant System and the
Southern, the Southern's trains are
handled by the Plant System south of
Savannah, and the Plant System gets
the revenues. Under the new con-
tract, the Southern will run its own
trains from Vaudeville to Jackson
VILE paying for the right. While the
Southern will do neither local freight
nor local passenger business between
Hardeeville and Jacksonville, there will
be plenty of through business over
which it and the Coast Line can fight.
Six passenger and four freight trains
a day will be the Southern's. Four of
the passenger trains will be via Sa-
vannah. while two will be via Jesup
from the West. The Jesup short-line
will be used by the Southern's through
trains, the Coast Line continuing to
run via Waycross a. part of its trains.
Next winter. however. the Coast Line
will operate it's through vestibule trains
via the short line. Changes in sched-
ules will be made on July l.