Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1882-04-17
ESTABLISHED 1850.

whose tOrtuOus course it follows to Knox
Vile and Chattanooga. Its next capture was
the Memphis and Charleston Road, 3lO
miles, from the former place to Chatta-
nooga. A branch from Cleveland, Tenn.
extended to Dalton, Ga. This was
blended with the Selma, Rome and
Dalton Road, and thus the interi-
or of Alabama was reached and the
way opened to the Gulf. More recently the
syndicate acquired the Macon and Bruns-
wick Road that cuts across Southern
Georgia from Macon to the sea, 1856 miles
long, and now it is building from Rome,
southerly, to Macon, distance OF $50 miles
or more, to bring the new acquisition in
connection with the main body. This new
line will pass to the west of Atlanta, and
when, next winter, 1t is completed, will
give this system. whose length, including
branches, is $50 miles, two seaboard
termini and one on the Mississippi, while,
If the plan to build to New Orleans is car
ried out, fourth will be added that will
belong at once to the Mississippi and the
Gulf.
The consultations in the State of Georgia
have brought under one management every
road entirely in the State To attempt to
explain them would be to confuse the read
er bevond the chance of recovery. II, how
ever, he will look at map of the State and
CACiOuC tnO AuC huOHu as bu6 ObdJ6 hDhu
from Atlanta to Chattanooga, the Macon
and Brunswick just named, and the Gulf
line from Jacksonville to Savannah and
westward to Bainbridge, he will then have
in the rest the Central of Georgia consolida-
ton. It embraces two lines from Macon to
Savannah, two from Savannah to Atlanta, to
Port ROYAL, Montgomery, Eufauls, Columbus
in fact, a network whose crossings aud in
dividuslities 1t would be hard to divine, and
whose identities 1t must be difficult for their
owners to remember. The mileage of the
railroads of this consolidation approximates
$500. Freight is shipped from New York
to the upper Missouri and northwest by way
OF Savannah, Atlanta, Chattanooga, St.
Louis, and by different routes to all the
country of which the latter city is the dis
tribuftng point. A great deal of Tennessee
aud Kentucky product bound to the East
finds its way over the same line.
The condition Of the Georgia system OF
roads is not what 1t might be II the several
lines were self-supporting. 1t would
seem at first blush that, the fact existing
that the railroads have only cotton to take
from the State, they must have return
freights of provisions and fabrics to bring
back. Such is indeed the case. but the
poverty of the country is so absolute that
there is not enough of export or import to
properly sustain the movement were It twice
as much both ways. Let no one be deceiv-
ed as to the prosperity of the South. 10
every cotton growing State fve-eighths of
next years crop is already pawned or
pledged for this winters provisions, and the
advances obtained by the planters have
been nearly spent already. The staple
articles of food-pork and corn-are no
longer grown to any extent, and the
most common forms of the cereals
hominy and meal-are brought from Indi-
ana and Baltimore. While the cotton bro
kers advance money to the planters they
sacrifice their credit with the Northern mer-
chants with whom they deal, and l make
the statement on the authority of the freight
agent Of a large Georgia road that out of
forty-nine cars OF meat brought into the
State from Cincinnati there was only one
delivered on credit. The other forty-eight
came into the State simultaneously with the
draft for the amount, averaging 81, 500 each
car, and to the draft was attached the bill
of lading. The cOnsignee got his bill of
lading when he paid the drafts and only
them.
OF course there is some lumber interest,
some mineral and small production of
naval stores. The quantity Is small. how
ever, considered In connection with the
vast territory from which 1t is taken. I'm
der such circumstances one need not won
der that the path of prosperity for a rail-
road is beset with difficulties. Nevertheless
ing in Georgia, and the extent of projections
is vast, indeed almost limitless. The
Louisville, Nashville and Great Southern
propose line to Brunswick. l have men
toned the like intention of the Erlanger
syndicate; and the Central Road of Georgia,
not to be left out in the cold, think they will
60 and do likewise.
| have only to name one other colsolida-
tton, and then will have given a compre-
hensive idea of the great syDdicates that in
the railroad way control all this region. 1t
Is called the Clyde syndicate, and its chief
line Is the Piedmont, or Air Line, through
Danvllle from Richmond, crossing central,
north and western South Carolina to At
lsnta. It traverses a tolerable sort of
country, and 1t is linked In with most of the
seaboard lines, not as q consolidation OF in
terests, but as business convenience. The
Clyde syndicate has about 1 900 miles OF
road-I give only round figures.
From what Fhave written we may now
make up the following summary: Five syn
d Gates or consultations practically embrs ce
the railroad service of the southeast of the
Mississippi river. They are as follows;
The Louisville and Nashville, $50 miles;
the Erlanger syndicate 4, 900 miles; the East
Tennessee, Virginia and Georgia, 1850; the
Clyde lines, 1,606, and the Georgia consoli-
dation, 2,2O0-in all nearly $4,000 miles of
road. There are other roads, Of course.
The New Orleans and Great Northern oper-
ates In the interest and In connection with
the Illinois Central and its parallel rival, the
Mobile and Ohio. Then in the consolida-
tion that is called the Clyde syn
dicate there are a number of lines
whose associations are more or
less remote. But the spirit for consolida-
tion is indicated, and its influence and ex-
tent shown in what have written. There
is not apparently a dangerous spread Of
what is called monopoly. The keen rival
ries and number of the consultations are
an effectusl barrier to such tendency, even
II it existed. On the contrary, the compe-
titions have brought about better service
and equipment for all the lines. Neverthe-
less. the prosperity of all these lines, repre-
senting as they do nearly a thousand mil
lion of dollars, is scarcely problematicAl so
long as cotton alone is produced and carried
away, and the necessaries Of life are the
only return freights. E.R.
a.