The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1921-10-12
WALKER FAVORS
THE PACE TRACT
Tells OF the Advantages Of the Free
Site Offered for the Municipal
Docks.
LILO Pensacola Journal:


Your recent editorials. Patiently
Waiting and "Pensacolas Disgrace. /"
are most timely, and as you say. all
this discussion has kept the matter
cor dock site) from languishing. 1t
does really seem that If the subject is
70 be saved from another yawning
pigeon hole some of US will have to
keep hammering at it with a big noise.
have really little to add to what 1
said Of this subject at the public meet
Ing held at the city hall on Sept. 21st
and would not now further burden
the records except that The Journals
brief report OF that meeting was to my
mind conspicuous by its absence Of
any mention Of what myself and 9TH
ers had to say about the Pace site be-
tween Ninth and Eleventh avenues.
and the further tact that not only has
No serious attempt been made to Off
cially and expertly investigate this
great piece OF water front property
but the offering OF tho property to
tho city free gratis, and for nothing
mas never, so far as / know, been ade-
quateiy acknowledge. From all OF
which It would seem that by either ac-
cident or design, the act Of offering
the property and the property itself.
seem to have been either damned
with faint praise" or ignored alto
gether Why is this? AS I recall the
proceedings OF that meeting at the
city hall. there was just one advocate
for sites west Of Palafox street. real
estate man. and Of course money or
the hope of money was naturally on
HE mind. For the sites east OF Pala-
fox street. there were half dozen adj
vocates, none Of them real estate men.
and no one Of them actuated by money
or the hope OF money And every
speaker for the east side was applaud
ed. For the special benefit Of Capt
Peterson want to say that this APP
plause was not. as he says done by
three men brought there for the pur-
pose." The captain has many times
said and written that he wants facts;
but here he Is dealing In pure fiction
or imagination. when he says sthe APP
piaua0 was made by interested par
ties" Pure fictionI 1t Is bunk. it is |
hot afr. This isn't all. He wants ITO
see thu dock built where IL would not
''be under the domination of the L. a. \
N. r. r. More bunk-iust common, 1
ordinary rot. II the r. a NJ. could |
dominate traffic TO and from any ter
minus on the east side Of Palafox
street they could dominate It west OF
palaf0x street, or anywhere along the
entire water front. If the city docks
were the means OF creating new bust I
ness. business that does not now come
TO Pensacola port the L, & NJ would
be either & direct or an indirect bene-
fioiafy Of such Increased traffic. and
Captain Peterson ought to know 1t.
And whi1esI am finding fault with the
captain. / am wondering what in the
world made him pick on Miss Shear,
BECAUSE she isn't sufficiently versed
in steamship. etc" Was that HIS real
reason. or wasn't It because she had
the temerity to say a favorable word
about the Pace site and the city's Ce-
vailos-Alcaniz sitter He entirely ig-l
nores the two good big points that the
lady made: "a No initial purchase
cost, and 90 abundant room for flu
ture expansion.
Lest we lose sight in these little
chickering's OF the main purpose of
this letter let me 90 over the main
points which 1 brought out at the ]
public meeting as to just why this (
Pace site is at least worthy Of serious I
consideration.
1t has roughly one thousand (1,000) !
feet Of frontage. 1t carries riparian (
rights clear to United States bulkhead
line. IL embraces all the land south
Of Intendencia stsset, east OF Ninth
avenue. Il foots on a 20 foot avenue
(9th) and on 100 foot avenue (1Oth),
and this avenue has standard gauge
railroad track some half a mile long,
connecting the 4. & N. on Wright :
street and running clear down into
the property; and this Tenth avenue
is the only thoroughfare in the city
that Is traversed by both steam and
electric railroad tracks. Its titles Gas :
Mr.. Biount uused to say are indefeas-
ible. for they go clear back to the 4
spanish Grant. (Hr. Caldwell please !
note.l This avenue can be connected !
with Government street, already laid
with electric tracks and last and best J
Of all the property II offered free.
want to ask seriously, are all these !
natural and physical and potential adj
vantages to be turned down for ever? r
For the offer win never be repeated.
And speaking of railroad tracks. AS
the Pace property is not only served I
by q standard guage track but is j
on one side by the electric
belt line Untendencia street, If. and :
when the city. with some filling and I
grading shall make direct connection, :
street with Tenth avenue, !
what's the matter with the Electric Z
co. moving SO much of its belt tracks I
- makes such a bad angle-Intenden-
cia street-Eighth avenue--as would \
make through this Pace property, a | 4
direct and easy curve connecting !
Tenth avenue with Government I
.treet2 IT could be done with no I
more. and perhaps less. rail length, a
md so traversing this Pace site as to b
make II feasible for the city and the
Electric Co. to enter into such a mu- 1
.ual traffic arrangement as would save Il
he city from having to spend any Of e
hat portion Of the bond money that n
e appropriated for a public belt? n
Don't you believe the Electric Co. 4
would jump at a chance to earn a lit
10 more revenue? / think the ayes {