The Savannah morning news., 1903-05-29
sEAnoARp AIR LINE SHOPS


The machine shops of the Seaboard
Air Line Railway. located at Ports
mouth, We're burned the other day. The
road must, of course. have shops at
once and the officials are doubtless at
the moment considering where they
will place them. 1t seems unlikely that
they will be re-esta blished at Ports
mouth for the reason that the system
has grown away from the location.
When the shops were established there
the Seaboard was a small corporation,
as compared with what it is to-day.
Now it is one of the giants of the
American railroad situation. Then
Portsmouth was probably more con-
veniently situated on tidewater than
any other town touched by the road;
now it is away off to the northward
of the systems central point, hundreds
of miles removed from the greater por-
ton of the trackage. That being true,
manifestly it must cost more to have
the SYSTEMS repairs made at Ports
mouth because of the time consumed
in reaching the shops from the va
rious divisions of the system.
Where, then. should the shops be To-
Gated? Take one of the Seaboard' s
maps and study it for a moment and
the question will be answered-at Sa-
vannah. This city is located almost
centrally between Norfolk and Tampa.
The SeabOard mileage that may be
called tributary to Savannah is great
er than to any other point There is
about as much trackage south and
west OF this city as there is north of
1t. The absorption of the Florida Cen
trail and Peninsular and the Savan-
nah, Americas and Montgomery makes
Savannah the focal point of the sys-
tenn in Georgia, Alabama, Florida and
South Carolina, with four times as
pointing to Savannah as are pointing
to any other city. Both Wilmington
and Atlanta are off to one side, jack
sonville is too far south and Charleston
is not directly on the system. That
would seem to point directly, as it
AOCo iOSIGdilyY W savannah dts IHe
place for the shops.
There are many advantages that
would accrue to the Seaboard by rea-
son of locating it's shops here. One ex-
celent reason is that it already owns
all of the land necessary for the plant,
on Hutchinson's Island. It would not
have to ask any concessions from any,
body or any municipality. Another city
might offer a site free, but when it had
given the site it would say to the
road, Now see what we have given
you; and in return we demand certain
favors.' On Hutchinson's Island the
road would be Independent of such de-
mands. Again, the island is outside the
city's corporate limits, therefore there
would be no city taxes to pay-and
that is a consideration worthy of care
full thought. At this point there is an
abundance of labor, the climate is
equable, and there is a plenty of pure,
fresh water Another point is this, that
the Seaboard's principal growth and
henceforth must be in this
section. The territory to the north
ward is already covered; and with flu
ture growth, Savannah will be even
more of central point than it is now.
The bringing of the Seaboards shops
to Savannah would add a number of
desirable persons to the city's popula-
tion-wage earners and good citizens
who would be not only a help but a
credit to the city. 1t is to be hoped
that the commercial bodies of the city
VIII look into the matter and see what
can be done towards persuading the
Seaboard to erect its new shops here.