The Montgomery advertiser., 1903-08-15
MAY BUILD NEW ROAD
LOWER wETUMPKA CROSSING
 COMES UP AGAIN.
seaboard Company Proposed to Put in New Crossing But Could Net Buy Land-Statemeut
 by Counsel.

If is probable that the objections raised arainst the crossing of the Seaboard Air Line of the Lower wetumpka road in the edge of Montgomery will be relieved by the building of new dirt road and a new crossing about 4O0 yards east of the present crossing.
 The railroad company is endeavoring to solve the perplexing problem in the man. uer indicated. bat citizens who complained of the crossing are opposed to the propos- ed change of the route and insist that the railroad company should change its foute or take up the side tracks at the crpss- inG. They contend that a railroad com pany may only have a main track over 8 public road crossing and that the side tracks were laid over the Lower We- tumpka road without any sort of authori- ty.
 Counsel for the railroad company yes- terday sent the following letter to The Advertiser in reference to an article pub lishd in this paper yesterday morning in which 1t was stated that the company had becn fined Slo0 in the Montgomery City Court for cbstructing public road:
 "seaboard Air Line Railway,
 Montgomery. Ala. Aug. 14. 1908. Editor The Advertiser:
 sIn The Advertiser of the 14th we lind the following: After civil suit had been filed and withdrawn by the county several times, the railroad company (Seaboard) agreed to change the driveway in man. ner entirely satisfactory to the Board of Revenue. This change has not been made
 "The above statement Is incorrect, although the writer thought he was stat ing facts. As counsel for the Seaboard Air Line we did appear before the Board of Revenue and suggested that we would attempt to build an extra driveway so as to avoid the crossing as 1t now exists, and several members of the Board drove out and looked over the ground and agreed in event such change was made, 1t would be satisfactory. In pursuance of this dea we attempted to secure the right of way to build this extra driveway, but we could not get 1t at price we could afford to pay. Tho Board of Revenue has been kept advised of these attempts on our part and the Board also knows the efforts we have made to cure the evil complained of. We have had several of the general officers of the Sea- board here to investigate the proposition and devise some plan to satisfy every body.
 "The Superintendent has issued the most stringent orders against blocking this crossing and any employe who violates this order does so at the sacrifice of his position. The company has a safety gate and flagman at the crossing and Is using every effort to prevent any inconvenience to the public.
 We feel that such statements as the above do the Seaboard an injustice and creates in the minds of the people the idea that the company Is indifferent to theiI rights, whereas the contrary is the fact The company will appreciate and prompt ly attend to any complaints from any source, at this crossing.
 There has been so much written and said about this particular place that it is almost impossible for the people to think impartially on the subject. We feel sure that you would not lend your column; knowingly to create any such unfair feel | ing and hence we will add that this is not the only public road in the county crossed by a railroad, and further, we believe tha the people are much less inconvenienceC at this crossing than they are in the cit, of Birmingham at the car shed or il Atlanta on both sides of the car shed and so- also in many other cities. w know, however, that an abuse in on' place does not justify one at anothe place, but we know that the Seaboart has made an honest effort to cure thi trouble and will continue; and We ar, asking but little. we think, when we asl that the trouble be not aggravated b! published statements that we ha( promised to do a thing and failed. w promised the Board that we would at tempt to prevent the obstruction of thiI