The comet. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1877-1882, 1880-08-28

some two or three weeks ago, with {
yearning for temporary relaxation
from the cares of State. He explained
at length the condition Of his, healtl
and mental proclvities TO The editor o
the COMET, in whom he found Il sym
pathetic listener and willing coadju
tor. The result of several grave con
ferences was the accumulation of hal
dozen clean shirts each, and an exc
dus, on Thursday night the 18th inst
for the Gulf Shore.
MERIDIAN.
The first point of interest encounter
ed was Meridian, where we spent Il
day. The city of Meridian has occu'
pied much of public attention for the
last fifteen or twenty years. She won
fame during the war, being n railroad
crossing of Importance to the Confed-
eracy, and the place where the re-
nowned hotels of JOSIAH Jones and
Col. Ragsdale flourished. The first
mentioned celebrity has now, alas
passed out of the struggle Of life, and
gone where all good hotel proprietors
go. Col. Ragsdale still holds out, and
he owns most Of the town, including
the Ragsdale House. This is mann
moth structure, built since the war,
with Groom No. 40' omitted, in good
style, well furnished, and capacious
enough for Saratoga or Long Branch.
Col. Ragsdale has settled conviction
that the city of Meridian is to be the
commercial center of the South. lie
is willing to concede that New York
is more promising town, having the
bulge and the start, and on account OF
her ocean advantages and harbor, but
further than that he will not consent
to Weld. When he takes hold of an
enterprise he shapes it up to suit the
city when it is grown. His hotel
would do for Philadelphia, and he has
now unucf lull lleau"dS
MAMMOTH COTTON COMPRESS
establishment, which is surprising
undertaking in the interior. There is
nothing like it OH the earth or under
the earth in capaciousness. 1t is the
biggest thing on record The great
cotton martS of the world may he
searched in vain for a compress and
cotton warehouse equal to it when it
is finished. Mr.. J. M. III. Hamilton is
the architect of the huge structure.
We visited the grounds with Col.
Ragsdale, and he marked out the lines
of the unfinished walls, and gave us
an idea of the dimensions of the build
ing--or rather-the cluster of build
ings. The structure is of brick, now
beng rapidly manufactured by
steam brick machine on the ground.
Sixty hands are employed, and
the ware house will be ready to re-
ceive cotton by the 18th of September.
1t covers an area Of 100000 square
feet, requiring 100000 feet Of lumber
to floor it. 1t is 500 feet long by 200
wide, and has storage capacity of
80 900 bales. This is about the number
of bales shipped by Meridian during
the whole cotton season of last year.
But Col. Ragsdale thinks that this
is only drop in the bucket
He expects to get i'll the course of the
il1n season fonr or -fXanf WIN
open II cotton market for all of east
and west Alabama.
There is in many other respects
well defined boom in Meridian.
Johnson street has had quite number
of elegant brick stores erected within
the last twelve months, and rents have
gone up one hundred per cent. The
The house of Joseph Baum, on front
street, is perhaps the largest CONNER
,ial store in Mississippi. He owns
jhrce large two story buildings, and
las all his rooms well stocked with dry
goods and groceries the year round.
He has drawn to his assistance quite
| number of active, intelligent and
accommodating young men, who have
largely to make his pop
liar emporium Of the east.
]. f. Cline, Esq, the auctioneer,
anne to Meridian in its dark days,
With SIX bits in his pocket. If he had
ONE there with small fortune, the
reliability is he would have found a
way to get rid of it, but having
othing, he had nothing to do but to
york and make something. He now
lOves into splendid new store, and
able to carry stock of from $50, 900
, $50 900.
Wagner is another institution of
[eridian. He runs Il furniture store, {
4 undertaking interest and a factory {
e builds cheap bedsteads by the {
IOusand, and is able to sell them in {
lvance without advertising. The q
ct is he can't supply the demand for {
IS goods. /
1t would take page of this paper to
scribe the new features Of Meridian, {
1t as we can't get the page the line O
ust he drawn somewhere, and nc +
we tear ourselves away alb o
pity from Meridian and take the d
ain for Mobile at s! o'clock. A six c
urs' ride brings us TO the Getty of q
e Gulf" n
A DEAD TOWN. Il
e call il dead not because il don't
vertise in the COMET, but because of "
inherent love for the principle
lich animated the bosom of the ia y
ar Of his country in his famous dis =,
sure in relation to the hatchet.
is chronicler enjoys some advan- .
res over Washington, and lac could 7,
about Mobile, but he won't. A y.
vn, i'm this country of continual -