The Columbus weekly dispatch. (Columbus, Miss.) 1902-1905, 1906-05-03
THE CROSSING Is IN
A GANG OF MEN GO TO WORK on
THU RSUAY EVENING GUARD
Ell BY POLICEAEN.-
THREATENED CLASH
AVOIDED
The street Car Company Outmanoea-
wer> the Southern and Runs Its
Lines Across The Southern
Track on college Street

Track ON college Street
Au interesting corporation fight
terminated last Thursday night be-
tween the Southern Railway Com
pany and the Columbus Street Rail
way Company The Issue arose over
the effort of the street car people to
cross the line of the Southern Rail-
way on College street. and the matter
has been hanging fire for "a long time
in an effort TO get it satisfactorily and
.amicably settled. Pedestrians and
those who have driven east on Col
Iege street have noticed that the lines
Of the street railway people are laid
up TO the right-of-way of the South
-ern on both sides of the crossing, but
here the rails stopped.
on Thursday. about seven O'Clock
il the evening, Mr.. w. J. Cash, who
has been employed by the street rail
way company for some time, with
gang of trusted men, was on the
scene. and. within the short space of
thirty-seven minutes after the work
was begun. the crossing had been
completed and the Southern sent a
line of cars across the new line with
out being any the worse for the trans
action. In the meantime man on
horseback was speeding towards Abb
erdeen as fast as the animal could
carry him for an injunction 10 stop
and restrain the Southern Railway
Company from tearing up the track
or in any way interfering with the
employees OF the street car company
until the matter could be heard in
the courts. The man on horseback
reached the city on Friday morning,
Judge Sykes having issued the in
junction. which is sweeping, and
which is all that the street car peo-
pie want, and straishtway it was Civ
fn into the hands of Deputy B. d.
Erwin. who hunted up Supt. J. W.
Webb and served the necessary pap
ers on him. Mr.. Webb, being super
intendent of the Southern, is fre-
uuentIy called up at all hours of the
night, and was not surprised with the
call until he learned that ii WAS an
efficer. and he then said that the in
junction was just in time. for his
company would have ordered him TO
tear out the crossing that morning if
they had not been restrained there
from
The case is rather an interesting
one. The Southern was willing for
the local company to cross its line.
but it attached such conditions TO the
grant that it amounted TO practically
crossing the line at all To begin |
with, the Southern wanted the street !
car people TO agree TO pay the cost
OF all subsequent crossings of the car
line track by the Southern: 10 agree
to erect and maintain a signal |
house, with electric gates, at the /
crossing, and TO agree 10 keep a man |
on duty there at all times; 10 put in |
d derailing switch, which would de- |
rail the street cars when the crossing /
was blocked, and other conditions |
against which the car line company /
0OJSCAGd ENeIN SHOII ~ S6IIIS tte
matter was attempted, the street car |
company endeavoring TO have the law |
amended to specifically give them the |
right-of-way over railways.
No solution of the trouble was ever |
effected, and relying upon the rights
Of their charter and the Constitution |
Of the State, the car company pur-
sued the course above outlined
which ii seems has solved the mat
ter. 1t is doubtful if the matter will
ever be heard of asin in the courts.
At one time during the building of
the crossing il looked as if there
might be some trouble. As soon as
the Southern officials learned of the
work, a train was started towards
the crossing. AS a measure of pre-
caution. and TO save trouble, Mayor
Gunter had sent police officer TO
the scene. and when the train started |
down the spur of track in dispute,
the officer stopped it. The impending
crash was ayerted and the workmen
were allowed to proceed with their
work unmolested until their task was
completed.