The Ocala evening star., 1915-10-09
OPPOSED TO THE UNION DEPOT


Editor Star:
{. A union passenger depot is Of /,
no use TO anyone except a traveller /!
wishing to connect with another road |
passing through the same place. The
Seaboard and the Ocala Northern
now have such a depot in Ocala.
II is only for the very few, proba-
bly, not an average of two a day, that
transfer to and from the Atlantic
Coast Line, and the two roads above
mentioned, that a union depot would
be OF any accommodation.
Of what benefit TO a town is the
travel that does not stop in it?
,. 1t is not supposable that if the
union depot is established that the
A. c. L. will continue the '.se of its
present depot; therefore, all persons
in Ocala wishing to travel on that
road must go to the union depot, and
all persons coming to Ocala must
leave the train in it.
That certainly means:
(a) Residents of Ocala will, in
nine cases out of ten, especially if
they have so much baggage as va
lise, wishing to take the A. c. l.,
have to expend % cents carriage hire
going and coming. With the present
site of its depot that is unnecessary.
OBJ Many travelling men come
here for a night or Sunday over the
A. c.. L., and have the two hotels in
a few yards of them. This class of
travellers frequently wish to take the
two early morning trains on the A. c.
L. To have to go to the proposed
union depot means rising half an hour
earlier, and the 80 cents carriage hire,
provided a conveyance can be had in
Ocala so early in the morning. Can
any sufficient reason be given why
we should throw any obstable in the
way of these people patronizing cur
hotels?
Besides the travelling men, many
other business men spend the night
here in order to avail themselves of
these early trains, south and north.
(c) What about the convenience
to the people living south of Ocala
on the A. c. l., who are able to step
off the train into the heart of the
business places of the town, espe-
ciaIIy the very many who run up here
on the one o'clock train, and have an
hour ad three-quarters in which to at
tend to their affairs, and step back
on the train for home. 1t will incon-
venience them, take up one-third OF
their time, and should they not
tramp it," cost them 30 cents for
carriage hire. If / am not badly mis-
taken, the business of these people
/ is of considerable value to the bust
ness interests of Ocala.
Has it occurred to the merchants
of Ocala that these people might, say
it costs us but small additional sum
to go to Gainesville, and we can re
turn home on the same trains that w6
go out of Ocala, so we will just take
the a. m, train to Gainesville
where we will be landed at the store
doors. And it might be that Gaines
vile merchants would offer induce
ments that would Offset the addition
al expense.
The Dunnellon people that come
here to trade will suffer like incon
venience and expense. Is that bust
ness not worth keeping?
We have a train three days in tn,
+, week from Wilcox, arriving at tel
!, ana leaving at three. This enable
the people of Reddick, Mcintosh am
other points north of us on the A. c
L., to come VIII they do it whel
they are to pay an additional so cent
per head, when they can go to Gaines
vile for but little more than the
: would have to pay to get up town aft
! er reaching Ocala?
I'D Nothing advertises this tow
more than the numerous tourists tha
Jump of the one o'clock train an
walk up to the public square durin
: its 20 minutes stay here. What Wi
they see when they view the tow
from the site of the proposed unio
depot, and what will they think of
= people that would put their depot q
! such a place?
Ocala has received some prett
;, hard knocks in the past two years;
:. hope it will be spared this, fear, tn
: hardest of all. 1t is not too late
> avert this great mistake. The onl
! reason that have heard advanced
: favor of the union depot is that th
present ones are badly kept. Whi
assurance have we that the new or
would be kept in any better como
ton? Besides, the railroad commi
2 sion can require the present depo
= to be kept in proper condition.
r McCOuathv