Centre Democrat. [volume] (Bellefonte, Pa.) 1848-1989, 1880-01-01
Industries Of Atlanta.


merchants came back to their desolats
homes at Atlanta, Ga. Only one build.
ing, of all the commercial part of the
town, had survived the flames. Busi.
ness had TO be built up from the very
foundation again, and the energy with
which this task was attempted shows
the strong faith Atlanta men feel In
their lively town. One of the first t6
return was the present president of the
board of trade. He secured a cellar
under the sole remaining building (on
Alabama street, paying $50 month
for its use, and began the produce and
groceries trade, increasing his income
by renting ground privileges OF a fe W
feet square off his sidewalk of $40 q
month each. Soon the owner of a cor.
ner on Whitehall street built n brick
building containing two store-rooms
AS soon as these were ready, our mer-
chant and another moved in. paying
1000 year rent each, and giving hall
OF 1T in advance, in order 10 aid the
proprietor TO go on with his construc-
tlon. (The accommodations for which
that 80, 900 year was paid now rent
for 81 500 Thus by mutual help and
enterprise, together with vast amount
OF personal labor, the ruins were re-
placed by substantial business edifces,
new hotels OF magnificent proportions
were erected, churches more lofty in
ga1le and spire arose upon the sites OF
those destroyed, and the vacant streets
we're rehlled with people. Atlanta be
came at once the distributing point for
western products, and now finds trib-
utary to her wide range of country
She handles a large portion of all the
OTQIr nf 'Tannaccaa onH KaVt,,nlyu h.
sides much from the Upper Mississippi
valley Much of the flour of the north
western mills comes into her ware
houses, and thence finds its way south
ward and eastward. The same is true
OF the canned meats of Chicago, St
Louis and Cincinnati packing houses
this is a very important item of her
wholesale business. The provision mer
naturally were the first TO obtain foot
hold in the new town. After them came
the dry-goods people. Most of them
began in n very modest way-brough'
their goods tied up in blanket almost
yet now the jobbing trade in dry.
goods alone amounts TO some millions
of dollars annually. No tobacco car
be grown in the vicinity of Atlanta
hence she is without tobacco factories
but size used TO handle an enormous
quantity Of it, and there are half 9
dozen firms who deal wholly in it now
1t was found that Atlanta's dry, equablC
climate, consequent upon her great al.
titude, made this point the safest place
TO keep stores OF the grateful plant; il
would not mould, as it is liable TO do in
damp atmosphere. A few years ago
the revenue regulations were not as eff.
fective AS at present. The practice oI
stencil-plating packages of tobacco af.
forded easy means of evading the pay.
ment of duty, and great warehouses
here were stored with "blockade" to.
bacco, from which Uncle Sam had de.
rived very little. if any, pocket-money
Enormous profits accrued, but the in
PRODUCTION of the stamp system put q
stop to this, though Atlanta was left 8
very large legitimate business in stor.
ing and selling tobacco at wholesale.
Another source of prosperity to the
city is cotton. The cotton belt" oi
Georgia is a strip of country between
here and Augusta. Years ago the land
became exhausted, and the cultivation
of cotton came to be OF small account
Then followed the discovery of the
guano islands of Peru. and the subse.
| quent invention of artificial fertilizers
hAN W lllt
manure. These superphosphates are
manufactured mainly In Boston, and
cost the farmer about forty dollars ton
1t was proved that by their use the worn.
out cotton-belt could be made to produce
rs bountifnl crops in a series of five
years rs the Mississippi bottoms did
and, moreover, that cotton could be
| raised as far north as the foot of the
Tennessee mountains. Atlanta. there,
fore, has come to be not only a grea'
depot of supply for this guano, furnish
ing its vicinage hundred thousand ton.
year but also the entrepot of all the cot
ton produced within circle of nearly
two.hundred miles. This cotton is bough
mainly for foreign export, and Is shipped
under through bills of lading to foreigr
ports, thus lodging the factors ut New
| York, Savannah, and other coast cities
| The business is not done on commission
but by buying and selling on a margin
of profit.
There are other extensive business in
terests. Iron is mined near by. and ex
tensive founderies and rolling mill
manufacture il. Great crops of corr
and grain are raised throughout the cen
tral part of the State, which find thei
way into Atlanta distilleries, while he
wine merchants are many and rich
She can make the best OF brick. and -ha
a whole mountain of solid granite clos
by, with other building material acces
sible and cheap. She signs for only on
more commercial advantage. namely,
railway to the coal regions of Alabama
Now her coal is largely supplied from
| Ex-Governor Browns mines in the ex
treme northwestern corner of the State
-Hdrper'S Mnodzine.
Words OF Wisdom.