Democratic messenger., 1909-08-14
WOULD BUILD
SHORE LINE.
Business Men Of Baltimore City
Are Already Financing A
Railroad

1t will be remembered by the read
ers of the MESSENGER that about the first
of the year there was considerable agi-
tation, especially among the merchants
of Baltimore City. regarding the build
ing of an electric line through the coun-
ties of the Eastern Shore to help Balti-
City regain her lost trade in this Sec
tion.
The MESSENGER at that time suggest
ed that such road should be built
through every county on the Eastern
Shore, passing through Snow Hill and
down to Chincotegue Bay. from where
an immense trade in potatoes, oysters
and clans could be freighted to the city
of Baltimore.
The Baltimore Sun of Tuesday con-
tanned the following article regarding
the matters heretofore discussed and
we would suggest that the business men
of the Eastern Shore get busy and see
to it that the proposed road runs
through every county on the Shore.
The article in the Sun is as follows:
1t became known yesterday that the
Merchants and Manufacturers and the
Travellers and Merchants Associations,
working together, have quietly made
plans for the building of an electric line
through the Eastern Shore, with which
they hope to regain lost Eastern Shore
trade and also provide quick passenger
service to that section of the State.
The present plans of the new road
indicate that it will have as its southern
terminus Cambridge. From there it
will go through Easton, Centreville.
Church Hill and Chestertown. 1t is
planned to carry it from the latter place
to point on the Kent County shore,
either above or below Colchester, where
it will connect with ferry which will
run across the bay to point near Bay
Shore, where il will connect with the
lines of the United Railways and Elec-
tric Company.
Because of the manner in which the
plans have been made the exact status
of the situation is not known, but it is
understood that a company will be form
ed which will place stock on the marked
to be sold to investors throughout the
State.
Arrangements will be made, it is said,
with the United Railways and Electric
Company so as to permit the running of
the new company's cars over the
United's tracks from Bay Shore to the
center of the city.
The joint committee, composed of
representatives of both the Merchants
and Manufacturers and the Travellers
and Merchants Associations, who were
appointed to consider the problem. will.
after plans for the formation of the
company have been completed, go to
Washington to petition the Government
to open channel for the ferryboats
both at Bay Shore and the Kent County
side of the Shore.
Tee electric railway plan, 1t is UNDER
stood, is proposed by the associations
as a substitute for the plan proposed
some time ago of bridging the Chesa
peake. 1t is the opinion of many of
the members of the associations, it was
said, that the bridge plan was too ex-
pensive, and its completion would entail
loss of too much time.
The plan of having an electric railway
down the Shore was broached some time
ago and resulted in the appointment of
the joint committee; several propositions
were advanced, but, after considering
the problem carefully. the committee
decided, it is understood, upon the
present scheme.
The United Railways and Electric
Company already has tracks to Bay
Shore Park. and these could be run to
any distance past that point necessary
to reach spot on the bay shore where
the water would be either deep enough
for ship to come in or would entail
small cost to be dredged to sufficient
depth. The water at Bay Shore proper
is not sufficiently deep to accommodate
a ship of more than light draft.
The run from the western shore over
across the bay to Kent County shore is
about eight or nine miles. This could
be made in 40 minutes. To save time of
unloading freight provision viii be made
for loading the cars on to tracks of the
steamers. as is done by the New
York, Philadelphia and Norfolk line
from Cape Charles to Norfolk. 1t is
aaid howarer that this faafnra has