The Pascagoula chronicle. (Pascagoula, Miss.) 1905-1920, 1919-05-31
COAST iNTERURBAN RAILWAY

COAST INTERURBAN RAILWAY
Biloxi, Miss, May 24.-Awarding G
contract here Wednesday to Jane
NV. Billingsley of New Orleans by tn
executive committee of the Gulf Coas
lnterurban League for making prelim
mary survey of the proposed munic
ipally-owned trolley line that will con
meet New Orleans, Mobile and Pensa
cola with the Gulf coast, marked the
beginning of work that means much
in the way of development and prog
ress in this section of the country.
The executive committee of the In.
terurban League, after careful inves-
tigation of the situation through sub
committee composed of Thomas L..
Willis, city engineer, of New Orleans;
L. c. Erwin of Mobile, and H. s. Wes-
ton of Logtown, Miss, found that a
preliminary survey of the interurban
is absolutely necessary. The com
mittee obtained estimates Of the cost
from two engineering firms, A. Wad-
dell and Company of New York, and
James w. Billingsley of New Orleans.
MONEY FOR THE SURVEY
Until the municipal interurban COM
missions are organized, as provided in
the acts passed by the Legislatures of
Louisiana and Mississippi, and in the
bill now pending in the Alabama Legis-
lature, no funds will be available to de-
fray the expense of preliminary work.
Under existing laws the municipalities
are not authorized to appropriate
money from their treasures until the
commissions are created in
to legal bodies.
Considering 1t necessary to proceed
with the preliminary survey, the exec |
utive committee decided to call for !;
public subscriptions to raise $4,000, i
the amount required This sum was
among the different sections
of the interurban route as follows:
New Orleans, $3,000 Slidell and st. |
Tammany parish $1,000; Hancock
county, Logtown. Waveland and Bay
st. Louis, $1,250; Harrison County
Pass Christian, Long Beach, Gulfport,
Handsboro and Biloxi, $4,000; Jackson
county Ocean Springs, Pascagoula and
Moss Point, $780, Mobile and Mobile
county, $4,000; total, $4,000.
INVESTMENT GOOD
The executive committee considered
hat this money will be good invest
men for all the municipalities interest
I'd, because it will bring them informa-
ion that can be used in advertising
md many other ways. The commit
zee was of the unanimous opinion that
he total sum to be raised-$12,OO0-
would be worth more than that amount
or advertising purposes alone.
The committee appointed II. S. Wes-
on, of Logtown, Miss, president of the ;
hancock County Bank, as treasurer of I
he fund, and the subcommittee, Mes {
Erwin and Weston, was con-
inued in existence to supervise the dis
ursement of the money.
The preliminary survey to be made {
y Mr.. Billingsley will cover wide ]
lnge. 1t will not only show the ap-
roximate cost of construction of the !
lterurban, but it will give an estimate Z
the revenue to be derived there
ON, together with the operating ex- I
ense. This information always is re- S
Tired by banking houses before ac-
,pting bonds or securities like those q
be sold by the municipalities a
WORK TO BEGIN JULY 1 t.
The work of making the preliminary j
rvey, is is estimated, will require
ON four to six months. The commit W
e plans to raise the money within the Il
'xt thirty days, so as to put Mr.. Bill X
lgsley's forces to work by July l. lie
Mayor Behrman pledged that New is
leans would promptly contribute its
are of the survey fund. Other mu-
cipalities along the route. it is under b;
,od, will appoint committees to So Gu
it public subscriptions. No trouble c.
anticipated by the committee in rails
: the money. Fl
The Spanish Trail national highway TO
Il parellel the Gulf coast interurban, Sc
d the same bridges will be used by ST
tn the trolley line and the highway. di
e early completion of the preim-
Try survey will. therefore, hasten the
lstruction of the highway and open re
! coast to automobile traffic. The Nj
'hway is of as much importance to mi
. Gulf coast as the interurban fiji
The American four-masted schooner tn