St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1905-07-15
RAILROAD MEETING.

Monday night, 10 consider the
proposition of the Baton Rouge
Hammond and Eastern Railway,
for the extension Of their line to
Covington.
The meeting was called to order
by Mayor g. z. Williams, who
made few remarks setting forth
the advantages to a town Of a rail.
road connection with the various
parts OF the country.
Judge Thos. NJ. Burns was called
to the chair and introduced Mr.. w.
9. Dufour, the representative oil
the proposed railroad.
Mr.. Dufour stated that he came
as the representative Of the Bator
Rouge, Hammond and Eastern
Railway, a corporation that was
organized about four years ago by
citizens of Baton Rouge, Hammond
and st. Tammany Parish for the
purpose of constructing railroad
from Baton Rouge, through Ham,
mond, 10 some point east of Ham,
mond. A survey was made of the
proposed line, which survey passed
about seven miles north of Coving.
ton. This corporation failed large
" on account of the inexperience
of Its projectors. The franchise
of this road has now passed into
the hands of practical railroad
people, who propose pushing the
line to speedy completion. He
stated that all the Company he
represents asks that the citizens Of
Covington vote them tax of s
mills. to run for ten years; that
Baton Rouge and Livingston Par:
ish had voted the same tax, and
that Hammond would do so. The
tax is to be at the rate of S mills,
or less If property values increase,
and not more than e, 500 is to be
paid to the road in any one year,
and not a dollar of that is to be
paid until the road is completed
and in running order. He stated
that if this tax was voted the road
agreed to begin work IN iive
months from the date Of the pro.
mitigation of the results of the
election, and that the road was tc
be completed in eighteen mouths,
or by Aug. l, 1907. The tax If
to run from 1907 to 1915, inclusive
They propose to build standard
guage railroad on the shortest pos.
sib1e line between Baton Rouge,
Hammond and Coylngton. All
trains are to he required to stop in
Covlngton.
Mr.. Dufour thought that if this
tax was voted in the next two o,
three months work could be begun
by March /, 1906, and the road be
in operation by August, 1907,
this being about the usual time
consumed in building ninety miles
OF standard roadbed through such
country as this road would pass.
After 4 full discussion of the
the proposition, the Chairman ap.
pointed a committee of three, com.
posed of Mayor G. Z. Williams,
Alderman +. j. Frederick and
District Attorney J. B. Lancaster,
to secure signatures to apetltion to
be presented 10 the Town Council,
asking that the proposition be LAID
before the properly qualified vot'
ers of the town.
1t is thought that the proposition
will carry by large odds and that
IN the near future work on this
line, the building of which means
so much to this section will be be-
gun. Several of the speakers
brought ont the fact that this
road would give Covington con
nectlon with every trunk line road
entering New Orleans except the
Louisville and Nashville.
1t is the general impression that
this proposition means that The
Frisco System IS coming to Gov
lngton over its own rails, and tina,
from here it will go into New Or
leans over the tracks Of the Eas'
Louisiana Railway. IN substan'
tiation of which view is stated thai
the East Louisiana and Frisco are
to enjoy the same terminal advant
ages in New Orleans, that the pas.
senger coaches of the Frisco art
now in use on the East Louisiana
railway, and that the large, com