The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1913-03-18

closing certain streets for the Denent
OF the Atlantic Coast Line viii be be-
fore the council this evening, though
Ii cannot be decided at this meeting,
and perhaps not for two or three more.
The Star thinks it will be well for
the city IL this question is permanent
~ solved by the present council. They
are as upright and public spirited a
board OF aldermen as this or any other
town IS likely to have, and the Star
has no doubt that individually and col
Iectively they will do their best to
serve the interests Of their fellow citi-
zens.
They may be very sure that they
will have the solid and the almost
unanimous support of the town if they
draw a chalk line and demand that the
railroad walk it. The truth is that the
railroad is about at the point where 1t
is compelled to build a new freight
depot The sides of the antidiluvian
chicken coop, built in the middle of
osceola avenue by the little Florida
Southern about thirty years ago al
most bulge outward every time
fresh load OF freight comes in, pack
ages have to be piled on each other,
causing constant confusion and delay,
and there is no more room for the
clerks than for the freight. The city
has other means of obtaining freight,
it will be hauling fires ht over its own
line in a couple OF years or so, and so
far as the average citizen of Ocala is
concerned, he won't be out a dollar If
the Atlantic Coast Line never does
build a new depot. The council can
make it's own terms with the railroad;
IL the railroad Will not comeNto taw it
can make the railroad move its depot
out Of Osceola avenue. according to
the agreement 1t made, but never car
ried out, nine years ago.
AS the Star understands, the council
will demand of the railroad in return
for closing South Sixth and Seventh
streets:
That it shall take its present depot
and tracks out Of Osceola avenue south
OF South Third street.
That It shall reopen South Fourth
street.
That st shall change its line to the
eastward so as to take it's tracks out
OF South Main street.
That 1T shall build its new depot be-
tween South Fifth and South Sixth to
the west of the tracks, so that trains
from the city can have access to the
platform Of the freight warehouse
without crossing tracks and being ex-
posed to danger from passing trains.
That the railroad will put all it's
crossings in the city in good shape,
with high rail. enabling them to be
bricked clear across, as they are in all
large cities.
The Star is informed that the Coast
Line is willing to agree to these terms.
The Star has in the past few days
consulted a large majority of our bus
mess men. A majority of those con-
suited are in favor of a settlement on
the foregoing terms, most of them not
because they think they are all the
city should demand, but because they
think 1t better to have the problem
solved at once than to keep it pending
any longer.
A good-sized minority, however, and
among them some very influential men,
desire that the city shall demand
more. They stand by the Stars orig
inal contention that the road should
remove it's yard and depot to it's tract
south of South Eighth street.
The argument against this is that it
will 1engthen the haul for drays and
trucks from the business part of the
city to the depot, and spoil the resi-
dence section that is beginning to
gro" III IndI part Oh Town.
The gentlemen in the minority say
in reply to this, that even if the freight
house is south of South Eighth street,
1t will be no further from the center of
the city than the Seaboard depot now
is, that two or three blocks will make
no great difference, and that the haul
will be down hill instead of up, as it is
from the Seaboard. They also have in
mind what a disadvantage it will be to
the city in a few years to have a rail-
road yard showed in between its public
schools and in the heart of it's resi-
dence section.
The Star would not embarrass its
friends on the council who are doing
their best to settle a trouble score of
years old, they believe. for the ad-
vantage of all. But it will call their
attention to one thing they haven't
noticed, but that all the railroad men
could have told them from the first
The railroad yard, as proposed, from
South Fifth street to South Eighth,
between Osceola and Main, will be only
a pocket yard. 1t will hold only a part
of the cars that have to be in Ocala
now 1t won't hold half of those that
Will be here ten years from now.
IL WIN not hold "A long freight train.
pass thru now LnaL sometimes
reach from the present freight depot
to far south Of South Eighth street
Therefore
AS sure as a glacier moves down hill
to the sea, the Atlantic Coast Line
freight yard will in a few years run
dozen tracks across South Eighth
street, running that important boule-
ward, and closing 1t as South Fourth
Fifth, Sixth and Seventh are closed
into it's eighteen lot below South
Eighth. That is what that tract was
bought for That is where the yard will
grow to, as sure as water runs down
hill
1t is reported by some supposed to
be wise to the plans of the railroad
that the Coast Line intends to bring
its shops here, and will devote this
land to the necessary structures and
tracks. If there was a certainty of
this, 1t would put a different face on
the matter 1t would be worth while
for the city 10 make some sacrifice for
the sake OF obtaining a large body of
intelligent workmen and their famiI-
les, who would naturally settle right
around the disputed territory. But we
have only vague report of this. II
the Coast Line has any such intention.
IL should announce it in black and
white. 1t should excuse us If. in view
of the past, we are suspicious OF it's
promises.
The Star will feel bf0bIy aat+arad ~