The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1903-10-30
WILL SERVE PAPERS
ON SOUTHERN RY. ORDERING
DRAWS BUILT IN AUGUSTA BRIDGE.
COL. QUINN GONE TO RALEIGH
TO SERVE PAPERS ON FIRST VICE.
PRESIDENT OF SOUTHERN.

Order Signed by Acting Secretary
of War and Directs That Draws
Be Built by the First of January.
19O5-Must BE so Feet Wide and
Provided with Guide Cribs-RalI-
way Company VIII Fight 1t in
the COurts-COnditiOns at Augusta
As Seen by Both Sides.
Col. James B. Quinn, chief of the
United States engineers of this district,
left last night for Raleigh, N. c., to
serve papers on the Southern Railway
Company regarding the placing of
draws in the company's bridge at Au
gusta. The case has been heard twice
in Col. Quinn's Office and the serving
Of the papers is the first step toward
carrying out the decisions of Col.
Quinn. The papers come direct from
Washington and are signed by the act
ing secretary war for Secretary Root.
The papers direct the company to
place draws in its bridge across the
Savannah river at Augusta by ian. 1.
1905. The draws must have a clear
width, when opened, of eighty feet
and must be provided with suitable
guide cribs. Col Quinn will serve the
papers on the first vice president of
the Southern at Raleigh.
Yesterday morning Clerk Davis of
the engineers Office went to Augusta
and served similar papers on the off,
Gals of the Southern there. Just what
action will be first taken by the COM
pany is unknown, but it is certain
that they will contest the decision, and
will take the matter before the courts.
This will require considerable time and
nothing can be said as to when the
draws will be placed in position, If at
all.
Permission to Build without Draws.
The railway company bases its strong
est claim to contest the decision of the
chief of engineers in this district upon
the fact that when the bridge was re-
modelled 1t was given permission to
build a bridge without draws. This
permission was given it by the then
Secretary of War. 1t now claims there
have been no changes in the conditions
prevailing at that point. and that the
present secretary cannot reverse the
decision of the former official until
there has been sufficient change In con-
ditions to warrant such action.
1t also claims that there is no navi-
cation above the bridge, and hence the
draws are unnecessary and superflu-
GUS. The matter will be fought out to
the end and no prediction can be made
as to the probable decision.
Col. Quinn said: when the
| Southern Railway secured per-
mission from the then Sec
rotary of War. to build their bridge
without draws. it represented that the
river was not navigable above the
points at which the bridge was to be
built. It presented evidence to show
that no boats had gone above the place
at which it was to locate the bridge
in number of years.
"All of these points brought out were
probably true at the time when the re-
quest to build the bridge was made,
but that does not prove that there
have been no changes since that time.
The cessation of navigation does not
mean that it will never be resumed
again" -.s
Opinion among outsiders differs as
to the contention that the river is nav
igable above the point at which the
bridge is built, or rather. sufficiently
far above, that point to make the
building of the draws a necessity. One
gentleman who formerly lived near
Augusta called attention to the fact
that there was a fall in the river a
short point above Augusta.
From a point Just above these falls
a canal has been dug. running down
into the city and joining the river
again near the uppermost limits of the
town. Along this canal nearly all
the manufactures are placed, the fac
tories that make Augusta what 1t is.
The land between the canal and the
river, especially close to the river
bank, is mostly overflow land" I'm
less persons contemplate erecting fac
tories between Augusta and the falls
along the river bank, there is little or
no reason, in his opinion, why the
draws should be built in the bridge.
The movement urging the War De-
partment to order the railroad to build
draws in it's bridge comes from per-
sons living above the bridge. Many
regard 1t as evidence of the future
building of factories along the river
bank II manufacturers can be shown
that they need not send their products
down to the steamship wharves at the
lower end of the city.
Two Hearings Held.
The result Will De awaited with in
terest by the entire state Two hear
ings have been given in the case by
Col. Quinn and the claims of both sides
have been widely aired The city of
Augusta Is extremely anxious to have
the draws built and Is exerting every
influence to that end. Representatives
of the Chamber of Commerce of that
city, of the city government, and of the
manufacturers associations have ap-
peared at each of the former hearings
in the case.
Col. Quinn Is satisfied that the river
is navigable to a point above the pres
ent bridge. over which there has been
so much controversy. Personal inSpec-
ton of the river at this point and the
testimony adduced at the former hear
ings have strengthened this belief. The
supporters of the Southern are equally
firm in the belief that such conditions
do not exist and their attorney stated
at the close of the last hearing that
the case would he fought to the end
Augusta has two city bridges, an old
wooden bridge at Center street and a
new steel bridge at Twelfth street built
by the North Augusta Company. The
Southern Railway also has two
bridges, the old wooden bridge of the
South Carolina Railroad and a new
steel bridge built by the Southern a
few years ago. 1t is likely that both
wooden bridges will be torn down and
the draw placed only in the steel
bridges. The Southern Railway will
contest the matter in the courts be-
fore going to the heavy expense Of
putting in the draw.