The gold leaf., 1907-03-28
Seaboard Secures Traf-
fic Right.
Over Tracks e de Sssthern Rail
way Betweea Ailanta and Ma
con, Ca.-Wm Greatly Streasth-
ea Pesitiea of Seabeard.

en Pesitiea of Seabeard.
Atlanta Constitution, 21st.
According to a special dispatch re.
ceived by the Constitution from Nor
folk last night, it appears that the
Seaboard Air Line will accept the
proposition on the part of the South
lern railway for traffic rights over the
tracks OF the >Southern railway be-
tween Atlanta, and Macon. In this
dispatch the Seaboard ofiicials state
that the matter now rests with Pres
ident Finley, OF the Southern rail-
way.
President Finley yesterday stated
that the Southern railway had made
O proposition to the Seaboard offer
ing trackage or traffic agreement
for the operating Of Seaboard trains
over the tracks OF the Southern be-
tween Atlanta and Macon, and that
the Seaboard was now considering
the proposition. From this state
ment OF President Finley and that OF
the Seaboard officials, it would seem
that this proposition would be ac-
cepted, land such traffic arrangements
soon be put into operation.
Ever since the purchase OF the
Macon, Dublin and Savannah by the
Seaboard some way OF filing in the
gap between Atlanta and Macon has
been expected, and this now seems
about to be accomplished. This will
greatly strengthen the entire Sea-
board system in this territory, will
provide direct communication be-
tween the rich coal fields and tide
water, will join the SeabOard lines
north Of Atlanta with those south OF
Macon, Ipermit OF through trains
from Atlanta to Savannah via Ma
con, and the Macon, Dublin and Sa-
vannah, and in many ways prove OF
great Importance to Georgia and the
southeast.
WHAT 1T MEANS.
The special dispatch from Norfolk
follows:
Norfolk, Va, March 2O.-(SpeciaD- AT
the general Offices of the Seaboard Air
Line here tonight, while it was admitted
that negotiations had been under way
between the Seaboard and the Southern
for q mutual arrangement whereby q
short line from Atlanta to the sea could
be operated, it was said that no official
Information had been received that Pres
ident Finley, OF the Southern, had agreed
to the proposition.
According to s. L. Kemps, assistant to
President Garrett, the matter was initi-
ated by the late Alfred Walter, when he
first became president OF the SeabOard
system, and was taken up by him with
the late Samuel Spencer, president OF the
Southern. The idea, therefore, was
originally planned by two officials whose
sudden deaths prevented their seeing its
contamination. AS outlined by Mr..
Kemps the arrangement will save 1853
miles of hauling between Atlanta and
Savannah. At present the Seaboard, in
handling freightfrom Birmingham, Chat
tanooga and other points in the central
south, is required to route it from Allan.
ia, through Spartanburg and Columbia
to Savannah, q distance Of 425 miles.
The new arrangement would allow the
section of the Southern between Atlanta
and Macon, 80 miles, thence over to the
Macon, Dublin and Savannah Railroad,
q stretch Of 80 miles, which has been
owned by Seaboard interests since last
December, to Vidalia. At Vidalia the
regular line of the Seaboard to Savan-
nah, a distance OF 80 miles, would be
used, making the total distance 262
miles against the 425 by the present
route.
Explaining the traffic arrangements on
which the Seaboard opened the deal, Mr..
Ramps said: "If President Finley has
accepted our proposition, as your dis
patch from Atlanta states, it means that
the Southern will own and control the
road between Atlanta and Macon. but
the Seaboard viii be enabled to handle
it's own engines and trains the same as
II this stretch were portion Of its own
line"
Such an arrangement would permit
short line to seaboard at Savannah from
Birmingham, Atlanta, Chattanooga and
other points in the cen trail south, being
OF mutual advantage to the Southern
railway as well as to the Seaboard.
When asked what be included In "mu-
tual advantage" Mr.. Ramps explained
that in exchange for the privilege OF
using the Southern tracks from Atlanta
to Macon the Seaboard would grant to
the Southern an equally broad traffic
arrangement whereby the Southern could
use the Seaboard tracks from Macon to
Savannah. Mr.. Ramps stated that the
new arrangement would give the Sea-
board a shorter route to deep water at
Savannah and give the Southern q line
to that point shorter than its present
line to the deep water at Charleston.