The Milan exchange. (Milan, Gibson County, Tenn.) 1874-1978, 1874-07-02

what n Correspondents OF the Mem
mis- Avalanche Says Abeua Ia.

pbis Avalanche Says AboHa Ia.
The Avalanche Of last Friday con-
tanned letter from this city with
heavy display headings, to this effect:
E" Experiences of Days Intercourse
Among the Milanese-'The Future
Metropolis of Tennessee Cotton
Shipments and General Trade of
Milan-Some Facts of Importance for
the Consideration Of Memphis Mer-
chants" etc. 1t is a good letter, in
many respects, and will let the outside
world know something Of us. The
writer puts the population down at
fifteen hundred, when two thousand
would be much nearer the mark. His
remarks on real estate interests ought
to put every landowner to thinking.
They would make money to even give
away alternate lots in many instances,
requiring parties to build good houses
on them. Bring down rents and the
prices of lots, and many industrious
mechanics viii move here. Read the
letter:
MILAN, Tenn. June "a.
at is bound te be a great city, sir,
said one of the representative Milan
csc, as he looked around him with an
air of pride and satisfaction, and called
the Avalanchian's attention to the
piles of brick and lumber which partly
Distracted the streets; sits bound to
be a great city, sir, and, if you would
be up with the times, the best thing
you can do is to move the Avalanche
up here and become a part of the
community. Memphis is nothing to
what Milan will be in the course of
few years. Why, sir, we have put up
100 stores and dwellings since Christ
mas, and, as you will observe, building
is still active, in spite Of the hard
times. In brief, sir, | introduce you
to the future metropolis of Tennessee.
81 presume the place will rival st.
Louis or Chicago in course of time"
was the meek suggestion Of the Ava
lauchian.
"No doubt of it, sir, no doubt of it"
was the response of the public-spirited
and enthusiastic citizen as he famed
himself vigorously, and, complaining
of heat and dust, suggested it might
be well to patronize one of the many
saloons which lined the principal ave-
nue. of traffic. Perhaps he thought
that if the Avalanchian looked through
the bottom of an inverted tumbler he
would be more likely to discover the
importance of Milan
If there were no other indications
of future Importance for Milan, saying
nothing of its present, the number of
saloons in the place Int to impress
one with a feeling akin to conviction.
1t reminds me of Cairo as it appeared
during the war, when one could hardly
enter an establishment that was mt
saloon or restaurant. | have Mt time
to count how many there are in Milan,
nor am | prepared to give any idea of
the quality of the fluids they dispense.
Milan is one of those places to which
the progress of railroad building has
given sudden growth and animation.
Since the completion of the extension
of the Mississippi Central Railway
from jackson to Cairo, crossing the
Memphis and Louisville Railway here,
it has changed from a modest and
unpretending way station on the latter
thoroughfare to a noisy and somewhat
pretentiOus crossing of both thorough
fares, and expects to become before
long
A RAILROAD CENTRE
of very great Importance, two other
railways in course of construction be-
ing expected to cross here. One of
these is the Tennessee Central, an ex-
tension of the Nashville and Chatta-
nooga, which is already partly graded
between Milan and Trenton, as well as
on the eastward. Its starting point is
Nashville and the objective point orr
ginally was Fulton, on the Mississippi
river, but indications now are that it
will seek Memphis instead, through
junction with the Memphis and Padu-
cab Railway, being leased and operated
by the Nashville and Chattanooga
Railway. Theother embryo thorough
fare on which the Milanese base great
expectations is the Evansville Railway,
which is to begin and end l know not
where.
1t will be seen that the Milanese
have grounds for their expectations
and pretensions, especially as since the
completion of the extension named
above the city, less than twelve months
ago, Otis Incorporated and hasa Mayor
and City Council, has nearly doubled
in size and population. The popula-
ton is now estimated at 1900 to 100,
but from look at the place one would
hardly estimate that number, and pro-
badly 1900 is fully as much as count
would show. 1t is located in the
midst of
A FINE FARMING COUNTRY,
near the northern border of Gibson
county, which produces good crops of
corn, cotton and wheat, with some
tobacco, and this, with its railroad
facilities, constitutes an element of
strength and progress not to be sneered
at, however much the reader may in
cline to differ with the views of the
enthusiastic gentleman first introduced
in this letter. The Mayor of the place
is Mr. A. Jordan, whom l did not
chance to meet
BUSINESS INTERESTS.
Besides the numerous saloons re-
ferred to above, there are some twenty
business houSes here includino tbrea