The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1913-03-06
CITY Of OCALA
VERSUS
THE A. c. |.
Continued from First Page,

according to the conditions as they |
then existed, and providing for the
facilities that may be rendered neces- |
sary by enlargement and growth in /
the future. While the city council /
took no action as body, the various |
members thereof announced their will |
lingness to pass any reasonable ordi- |
nance as to the closing of streets and |
otherwise, where it did not seriously |
interfere with the public interests, SO |
as to permit the enlargement of such |
facilities upon the scale as then con- |
templated / have not a particle of
doubt that if an ordinance had then
been introduced providing for such
enlarged facilities within the limits
of the scheme contemplated it would
have been readily passed by the city
council, but any man of ordinary COM
mon sense and reason would know
that the passage Of such an ordinance
at that time would have rendered it
impossible for the railroad company
to have acquired the necessary prop
erty in the immediate vicinity without
the payment of extortionate and tor
tuous prices. Believing that there
would be no objection to the passage
of any reasonable ordinance along
the lines contemplated the railroad
company quietly purchased practical
1 oil of fIn Irfc hafWnnr
Osceola street and Main street, run
ming east and west, and from South
Third street to the city limits on the
south At the time of the purchase of
this property between Eighth street
and South Third street, it was cover
ed by network of negro houses, and
the prices as paid by the railroad
company were largely in excess of the
actual or real value of the property
at the time it was purchased. The
railroad company went along in per-
feet good faith and removed every ne
gro cabin and house from the proper
ty referred to, and actually paid for
the property so acquired between $10,-
| 900 and $1,000, with the view of max
| ing Improvements as originally con-
/ templated. Notwithstanding this
fact, some critics have the hardihood
to say that the railroad company is
simply indulging in the hold up
proposition. If these critics were to
spend between $4,000 and 1900 in
lperfect good faith to accomplish GER
tain results, which would harm no
particular individual, and would re-
dound ultimately to the great benefit
of the public at large, l feel that they
would insist that such a criticism is
absolutely without foundation or JUS
Itice.
In an editorial In the Evening Star,
the statement is made that it is Who'll
lily unnecessary to close Sixth and
lSeventh streets in order to furnish
facilities to the railroad company and
the general public, as the company it
self has already acquired a tract of
land south of Eighth street, upon
which the contemplated improve
ments could be made. I presume that
the writer of the editorial is not a
Icivil engineer, for, if he were, it would
have been perfectly apparent to him,
as it is to every unprecedented individ-
ual, that it is a physical impossibility
for the railroad tracks to reach the
property south of Eighth street with
out absolutely closing every street
from South Thira street to the proper
lty referred to, the grade of the Eichel-
berger property being so high that
the present engineering science has
not yet developed the fact that a train
could be operated on the surface to
reach this property, and it is perfectly
evident that in order to reach it such
excavations would have to be made
as to render every intervening street
| impassable.
Unfortunately the original design
contemplated that the Eichelberger
property, which the company acquired
at great expense, would be included
in the improved facilities, and it was
purchased especially for that purpose,
but the committee of the city council,
to whom the original ordinance was
referred, objected to this for the rea-
son that it involved the absolute clos
ing of all streets from South Third
street to the city limits.
In passing. / respectfully ask the
editor of the Star to explain how the
Eiehelberger property could be reach
ed for depot terminal and yard facili-
| ties without the closing of all streets
from South Third onward to the city
limits This very feature necessarily
compelled the abandonment of the or
| iginal plans, and from that day to this
| the railroad company has been en-
ldeavoring in the utmost good faith to
| have the city council of Ocala pass
any reasonable ordinance that will adj
NIT of any enlargement of the present
facilities, and the construction of
commodious brick depot building.
The present, or last ordinance, en-
tirely abandons the original design.
and only seeks TO make available de-
pot accommodations and shipping IA
cilities, without any reference to re-
Law stations or shops