Evening star., 1922-11-26
GIFT BRIDGE SOLD;
BRINGS $585,0l0
S2,OOO,OOO Structure, Do
mated to the Sellers, Now
! Owned by Maryland.
Special Dispatch to The Star.

Special Dispatch to The star.
HANRE DE tiRAcE,S Md. Novem-
her o5.-The original something for
nothing article now is the property
Of the state of Maryland
1t cost the state S5SJ.OO The
men who sold it received it for moth
ing from the Pennsylvania railroad.
II is the highway bridge that crosses
the Susquehanna river between this
city and Perryville. Not only did
the railroad company give the struc-
ture to the men who have just sold 1t
." the state. but so anxious was 1t
TO get rid of it that II converted
il from a railway bridge to one suit
able for vehicles of all kinds.
This bridge is known to more au-
tomobile owners proba bly, than any
other in the United States. 1t is on
from New England. New York, Phila-
delphia and the north to southern
points. And the fee charged for auto
passage was sufficiently high to make
every one who paid It remember the
transaction
states Snvin. SiO3.OOO
At that it was pointed out today
the state saved Sl05 0G0 hy entrust-
Ing the purchase to COMMISSION
made up of John y. Mackal). chairman II
of the state good roads COMMISSION.
Attorney General Armstrong ard Will
liam Il Naloy, instead OF buying IL
at the fixed price of s69o.ooo estab-
iished by the legislature.
Originally the railroad company
offered the bridge to the state. 1t
vas refused. Then it tired to have
Ihe counties of Hartford and Cecil AK"
it over to maintain as 4 highway
bridge. Again nothing doing. FINAL
Iy in 1920 the company turned II over
20 corporation to condu"t II as a
toll highway bridge.
Then the romance OF money began
For the first two or three years the
earnings were below the cost of main
tenance and those paying the hIlS
wanted to quiz. But II w.ts 50 much
better located than the state bridge
at COnowinso. nine miles further uI
the river, ii was decided To stick.
Auto business began to increase. Nor.
and more people used the bridge
When the war broke out there was
already good account on the credit
side of the ledger
Travel Largely Increased.
With the railway congestion, result
ing from the movement of munitions
and the like to the seaboard. travel
over the highway increased by leaps
and bounds. For Il long time the
earnings of the company averaged il
excess OF SJu,uUo ANNUALLY " III
estimates vary as to what the oW ners
have received since they began oper-
ating their gift thoroughfare' it is
admitted that the sum was well over
the half million mark. Some estI-
mates put it at S15O.000. For years
there has been bitter complaint over
The fees charged and once the public
service commission directed that they
be cut in half. But the company
went to court and the state court OF
appeals decided that the commission
had no jurisdiction. inasmuch as all
it could do was to determine whether
The rates Were fair return on the
original cost of the bridge. The fact
that it had cost the present owners
nothing did not enter into the case
when it was shown that originally
the Pennsylvania railroad paid $1,000,
900 to construct it.
The state will continue to charge
tolls until the bonds for the purchase
are paid for. but it is understo ood there
will be very material reduction OF
the amount.
Copyright. 1922