The Savannah morning news., 1904-05-27
CALLED HALT ON
MEN AT WORK
OFFICERS PULLED UP TIES.
THUNDERBOLTs MAYOR TACKLED
STREET RAILWAY COMPANY.

Mayor Calder Ordered LabOrers to
Stop Work mud Notified Manager
Nash to Fill MISUNDERSTANDING
! No satisfactory Answer, Town
Marshal Was Ordered to Level
Street-Position Taken by Town
! Explained.
| With careful precision the municipal
authorities of Thunderbolt late yes
| terday afternoon removed the cross
| ties laid by the Savannah Electric
Company for the purpose of extend
ing its double track from Nelson's
| switch towards the Casino, and filled
up the excavation made.
The town authorities claim that the
extension of the double track in the
manner in which it was done was
wholly without authority and in open
defiance of the will of the people.
At the usual time for beginning work
yesterday morning the electric COM
pany brought a force of men up from
Bonaventure, and they began to dig
a trench for the crossties, and to fol-
low this up by laying the ties in posi-
ton.
Within an hour after work was he
gun the residents of Thunderbolt be-
gan to get nervous and to discuss the
situation. At about o'clock in the
afternoon Mayor Calder notified the
men to cease work, which they did.
Marshal Mustered Force.
Town Marshal Crawford was directed
to notify General Manager Nash to
have the ties removed and the excava-
ton filled up. In reply to the message,
Mr. Nash said that the men had been
sent away and that he would have to
consider the matter.
After waiting for several hours for
some action to be taken by the cleo
trio company, Mayor Calder directed
Marshal Crawford to fill up the ditch.
Aided by force of seven men, in
two and one-half hours time the ties
were piled up and the excavation level
ed.
Don't Object to Double Track.
The objection of the people of Thun-
derbOlt was not to the double track, so
it is claimed, but to the fact that it
was being laid in direct opposition to
the terms of the franchise by which
the electric company was empowered
to double track that section of it's
roadway.
Some months ago the Thunderbolt
authorities granted to the electric
company the right to double track all
the way through the town, on condition
that the track was laid between the
present track and the river, the rights
of way, of course, being purchased. The
| company was also to grade the street
| and place its track on the level.
Laid on the Wrong Side.
Yesterday the company was laying its
| additional track on the outside of the
| single line, thus narrowing the street.
| 1t was this move that the people of
| Thunderbolt refused to stand for.
AS the matter now stands. the eff
forts of the electric company to ex-
! tend it's double tracks through the
! town are blocked permanently, the
municipal authorities of Thunderbolt
! say. On one condition only will the
| laying of the track be allowed, and that
| is that the terms of the ordinance are
| compiled with. they claim.
Mayor Calder Talks.
"None of us object to the double
| track" said Mayor Calder last night
What we do object to is the way
/
only one right way and we are here
! to see that the track is laid under no
| other conditions.
THE terms upon which they can lay
| track through our town are we'll known
to the company. The track must be
laid upon a right of way between the
present track and the river. OF course
they will have to buy this which is no
more than right.
| THE reason we object to the track
| where it was being laid, is that it
would take up nearly the entire street.
| There is a verbal agreement that the
track could be laid on the outside, pro-
vided the street is widened by the COM
pany as much as the space the addi-
| tional track takes up.
| Another condition attached. to the
franchise was that the street should
be graded and the track laid on a level,
and that the space between the tracks
should be leveled with shells. This last
! the company was expected to provide
for its present line, but so far nothing
has been done.
while the people of Thunderbolt
would welcome the additional track,
we refuse to let the electric company
run rough shod over us. We are tired
of being brow-beaten by the company,
and will stand squarely on our rights.
| We can say with assurance that the
street, but if laid it will be on the
side nearest the river
Is Question of Cost.
The distance between Nelson's
switch, where the double track ends.
and the point near the Casino where
the double track begins again, is about
a quarter of a mile. If the right of
way were purchased from the property
owners it would cost perhaps $500.
The expense of laying the track would
be more on that side as the grading
would be more extensive.
1t is said that the intention of the
company was only to extend the
double track for distance of one or
two hundred feet to enable the incom-
ing cars to see the outgoing car be-
fore it strikes the single line. thus
greatly lessening the danger of a col
lision from disregard of the signals
by the street car men, or other causes.
A serious smash-up of this kind oc-
CURED on this stretch of track a few
months ago.
As preliminary to the extension Of
the track the stump of the old John
Wesley oak was buried in a stump
trench. The new track was to pass
|