The Savannah morning news., 1904-05-26
PROTEST DIDN'T
STOP COUNCIL
MHl4S CITIZENS SLEEP
POLES ARr GONG Up ON GwINNETr
STREET.

when Residents Between AbercOrn
and Habersham streets see Elec-
tric Company Men at Work This
Morning They VIII Probably Ask
for an Injunction-COuncI Gave
street Railway Right TO Put Down
Tracks Because of subway Plans.
With a petition before Council pro-
testing against the laying of car tracks
on Gwinnett street, between Aber-
corn and Habersham, signed by over
sixty citizens and taxpayers, the al
dermen last night granted the Sa-
vannah Electric Company the right
TO lay tracks on that street. and the
work will have been started before
the protesting citizens have left their
beds this morning.
The protest of the citizens was re
ceived as information" The COM
pany's petition, so far as the streets
desired is concerned, was granted to
the inch, the exact wording OF the
petition from President George ].
Baldwin being copied in the resolu-
ton passed by the aldermen.
What Company Asked For.
The question came up in connection
with the Gwinnett street subway mat
ter, the ordinance empowering the May
or to sign the contract for the city be-
ing read for the second time and pass
ed. The subway is now assured and
the track privileges of the Electric
Company are also assured, unless the
protesting citizens take the matter into
the courts. as has been intimated will
be done. It was said that thost whose
protest was of no avail will seek re-
dress in the courts Immediately.
A letter from President Baldwin. of
the street railway company, which
stated he had finally received a COM
plete copy of the contract for the Gwln-
nett street subway and that he was
prepared to sign the same on behalf of
the Savannah Electric Company as
soon as the ordinances have been pass
ed by the city, and provided the city
of Savannah grants to our company the
right to make such necessary, and adj
''s'AbANy NAleAlbtp Al AliC al oil u
and location, of our present tracks, and
such additional trackage as may be
necessary. all as set forth in the petit
tion which will be presented to your
honorable Council tonight"
And What Company Got.
The petition states that the abandon
ment of the Bolton street tracks will
necessitate more trackage for the
''proper and adequate service of the
public" The requests made and grant
ed by resolution by the Committee of
the Whole were as follows:
First To lay a double track on Gwin-
nett street from Habersham to Allan
tic street.
Second. To lay a single track on
to Abercorn street.
Third. To lay a single track on At
lantic street from Gwinnett street to
Bolton.
Fourth. To lay single track on
Gwinnett street from OFT street to
Waters road; thence along Waters road
10 the unnamed street Immediately north
of Bolton street, commonly known as
Gwinnett street extended; thence along
said unknown street to Cedar street
thence along Cedar street, one block,
TO Bolton street.
Fifth. To erect and maintain such
overhead equipment, including poles,
wires, etc, and to install all such
switches and connections as may be
necessary and incident to the success
full operation of petitioners cars, pro-
PEELED by electricity, on said tracks.
Council Held Back a Little.
The city grants all the foregoing re-
quests with restrictions. The COM
pany also asked that the city open
Gwinnett street extended and Cedar
street, but Council did not agree to
that. If the requests are granted the
petition of the company states the
tracks on Bolton street, between Aber-
corn street and East Broad. and over
the tracks of the Atlantic Coast Line
right of way, and also on Price street
will be abandoned.
The city grants the franchise with
the stipulation that nothing in it is to
be construed into requiring the city to
open any streets. Further, that the To-
cation Of all connections and switches
shall be done under the supervision of
the Committee on Streets and Lanes,
and that the company shall at its own
cost pave between its tracks, and five
feet on either side, with vitrifed
brick, under the direction of the direc-
tor OF public works, at the intersection
OF Abercorn and Gwinnett streets, COW
ering the switch there; likewise at the
curve at Atlantic and Gwinnett streets
ana at the two curves at Atlantic and
Bolton streets, also at the two curves
at Gwtnnett and OFT streets, and the
two at Bolton and Ott also at the re-
verse curve at Gwinnett street and
Waters avenue, and at the crossing at
Bolton street and Waters avenue
Protest Followed Petition.
There was no protest against anv of
the grants except on the one for Gwin-
nett street from IIabersham to Aber-
corn. The street car company has long
been trying TO get this franchise, but
the property owners have always pro-
tested
There were over sixty names to the
protest submitted last night. Neither
the petition Of the company, nor the
protest of the owners was filed until
yesterday afternoon. The owners had
evidently been watching the company
very closely to have known so soon that
the petition had been put in.
Work on Gwinnett street will start
this morning. Poles, crossties and
rails were being hauled to the sire 81
while Council was passing the fran
chise. The resolution giving the COM
pany the right to use the streets was
seen by a representative of the street
railway immediately upOn the adjourn