St. Tammany farmer., 1906-05-05
Electric Cars
For st. Talnmany

Connecting Covington and Abit,
Springs with Vaudeville, and
then Fast Boats to
New Orleans.
New Orleans Picayune.
After years Of patient waiting for The
day to come when the electric railway
would penetrate this section and insure
the citizens Of st. Tammany Parish
rapid transit to and from New Orleans
many times day, company has been
formed for the purpose Of building,
equipping aud operating q standard
electric railway from Covington and
Abita Springs to Vaudeville, and there
connect with their own fast motor
boats for West End and New Orleans.
The Company. which is to be known
~ the St. Tammany and New Orleans
Railways and Ferry Company. is CON-
posed Of Q number Of successful bust
ness men Ut this section and several
other men Of means and experience (all
native Louisianians) in such enter
prises.
Petitions were circulated asking the
Police jury to order an election for .
6.mill tax for ten years. The petition
pledges that work shall begin In ninety
days from the voting Of the tax, and
that the road shall be completed and in
operation within two years from the
commencement OF the work, and that
no part Of the tax shall be collectable
until the road 10 completed and In op-
Grafton.
II. G. Riggs, Of New Orleans, has
been . leader In engineering the deal.
He says there Is ample capital back Of
the enterprise to insure it's success.
Recognizing the opportunity, Mr..
Riggs and his associates laid hold OF
the enterprise. and now announce that
inside Of the next eighteen months
Covington will be in hourly communi-
cation with New Orleans by electric
roads and fast boats across Lake Pont-
chartrain. For twelve months Mr..
Riggs has been buying lands In that
portion Of st. Tammany Parish COM
posing the Third and Fourth Wards.
and lying between Covington and Man
devilie and Abita and Vaudeville, .
large portion Of which lies along the
banks Of the several beautiful streams
which thread the rolling pine lands Of
the section,
Within the past few weeks It has
been noticed that these purchases were
calculated to close the gaps and all In
the already large holdings Of those In
terested, and now . glance at the map
reveals the fact that with but two or
tlree short breaks one may ride q horse
from CovinRton to the Lake shore, or
from Abita 10 the Lake, without leav-
ino tho lands owned or controlled by
this elecrtric railroad enterprise.
Speaking of the project, Mr.. Riggs
displayed map Of that portion Of the
Dariah between the Greenlaw Lumber
Company's mill ct Ramsay, four miles
north Of Covington, and the Lake.
shore at New Orleans, and remarked,
.If you will draw line north and
south from tine corner of Canal and
Carondelet streets, In New Orleans, TO
Ramsay, you will strike shout the end
or tho promenade to the west OF the
hotel building ct West End, and the
line win pass through Vaudeville and
Covingtop, and veered slightly TO the
east it viii strike Abita. This line will
bo thirty-five and . half miles long;
fhat Il, from Canal and Car0ndelet'
streets TO Ramsay.
,lWithip this distance you have three
miles OF populated city, the unre-
claimed swamp between the Metairie
RidRe and WestEnd, nineteen and . half
miles across Lake Pontchartrain, and
aleven miles Of beautiful rolling hills
of the Ozone Belt, marked on the
Goyernment health maps - one OF the
health spots Of the world"
IN. Riggs also stated that it Is pro-
nneed at present to build an electric
road from Covington to Vaudeville
and from Abita to Vaudeville, and ct
Mandeyille to connect with fast boats
10 The other side of the Lake, and ultf.
mately to gridiron the section between
Ramasy and the lakesh0re ct Mande-
vile with IN electric road system that
win practically cover eighty square
miles Of the Ozone Belt.
AZ TO the time for the trip from Cow
inoton to New Orleans, Mr.. Riggs said:
s.The trip can be easily made in an
hour and half, and posssibly much
lebs. but that the transportation would
II made 40 cheap and the plumber Of
frins to and from the city so frequent
thst not only the man Of means, but also
I fhe sFece-earner, will prefer to live IN
this section with his family, surrounded
with all the comforts Of country life,
and consequently cheap living, and 20
dailv to his business in the city"
Instead Of crippling the business OF
the steam railroads, MIR. Riggs contends
that the business Of the present road
would grow beyond anticipation. with
the enormous increase in population
that an electric system would put In
this section. Population alone makes
business for transportation lines, and
nopulation will only increase rapidly
with certain and rapid local transports
tion, Electric roads are not freight
carriers; steam roads are.
The present admirable railroad
sachedules and train equipment inaugu:
rnted BY the New Orleans Great North
~. formerly the East Louisiana Ball
sM,ad. has done much to develop this
4 ssacfion, and its splendid new roadbod,
hsayy rails and elegant equipment will
m much more; but steam road 10 in
sade0uate for . suburban system, and
the two roads will be factors In the de-
rnlonment Of this wonderful section.
nThere IL no doubt the people OF this
.sct3on win vote the tax asked for by
- oyerw whslming majority.
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