Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1910-04-15
BROWN DENIES HE WOULD
REVIVE TERMINAL OPTIONS
Nails Report That He or Agent
Is Making 0yertures to Get
Chattanooga Property

A report that Governor Brown has been
negotiating to revive the options on the
Chattanooga property intended for term
inals for the states railroad. the West
ern and Atlantic, was quoted to Governor
Brown Wednesday by a Journal repre-
sentative, and the governor was askei
about it.
He denied 1T. He stated that he has
authorized no agent or individual to make
tentative or definite overtures for him.
and that he has made none himself and
intends to make none.
The governor received the matter from
The Journals representative courteously
and discussed the subject freely, though
with smiling reservation as to the rea-
sons which he on previous occasion de-
elined to reveal as his motives for allow
ing the options to lapse.
Governor Brown said that he had not
authorized any one to use his name in
making overtures to revive the options;
that he knew nothing about any matter
of this nature; that if any overtures were
being made by anybody, they were prob
ably with selfish motives of specula-
ton.
Asked if he himself had taken any
steps to revive the options or get the
property, Governor Brown said he had
not. Nor does he intend to make any,
he said.
GIVES SOME OBJECTIONS.
Talking further about the now famous
tracts which the last legislature directed
him to buy for new terminals, that the
state might realize on the valuable posi-
bilities of its present terminals in the
heart of Chattanooga, Governor Brown
cited several objections which he has to
the property and drew a map OF it to il
lustrate his points.
BY that map he drew the junction be-
tween the Watkins tract (Which he was
authorized to buy in his discretion) and
the Vinson tract as very slight and al
most nil on account of segment of
other property cutting down in between
them nearly to the railroad frontage.
He estimated the width of this junction
as about 40 or so feet, and certainly less
than 100 feet.
Mr.. Watkins is quoted on good authority
as having said that the width there is
over 400 feet by actual measurement.
That was one of the objections which
the governor gave, saying that in order
to effect a greater physical junction be-
tween the two tracts the state would
have to buy part of the segment at any
old price the owners might choose to
ask
Another objection cited by Governor
Brown was that the whole property is
subject to overflow from the Tennessee
river in time of freshet. Sometimes the
water even overfows the tracks, he
said He remarked that such a condition
would be disastrous to shipments of
flour. for instance. The freshets some
times deposit corn stalks and such refuse
up i'm the trees on the land. he said.
AS TO OVERFLOWS.
This Is a well known fact. 1t is equal
ly well known that the tracks at the
present terminals have been under water,
as have also the streets of Chattanooga;
and river water has stood in the lobby
of the Read house, across Ninth street
from the state terminals depot. But
these freshets have been rare. And in
spite of them the persent terminal prop
erty is valued at thousands per street
frontage foot.
A third objection given by the governor
was that if the state purchased the
three proposed tracts it would have to do
agreat deal of filing to make them
available for railroad yards, and would
have to get the dirt elsewhere, as there
is none too much anywhere on. the prop
erty. This same objection was conceded
by the legislative committee that recon-
mended the purchase. as was also the
belief that Mr.. Wilson's figures were too
high.
other objections given by the governor