Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1884-07-03
soUTHEAsTERN ALABAMA.
A Section of Country the Trade of Which
Ought to be Controlled by Savannah.

A Section of Country the Trade of Which
Ought to be Controlled by Savannah.
Correspondence of the Morning Nelos.
COLUMBUS, GA, June 30.-Draw out your
map and examine Southeastern Alabama.
You will find territory bounded on the east
by the Chattahoochee river, on the south by
the line Of Florida, on the west by the Mobile
and Montgomery Railway, and on the north
by the Montgomery and Eufaula Railway.
This territory comprises about 0ne-sixth Of
the entire State of Alabama.
Into this large section the Mobile and
Girard Railroad penetrates some thirty
miles south Of the line OF the Montgomery
and Eufaula Railroad running TO Troy, Ala.
An extension Of thirty miles more, say to
Elba, the county seat Of Coffee county, will
carry the road into the very heart of this Sec
ton and make that point the central place
for four county seats each 30 miles distant.
There are Ozark, in Dale, to the west, GEN
eva, in Geneva county, to the south, Anda-
lusia, in Covington, to the southwest, and
Rutledge, in Crenshaw, to the northwest.
There are no troubles Of any account about
roads in this section, and all roads Leading to
this projected line and terminus are good.
This extension will bring Ozark to within
96 miles to the projected line, about the juno
ton of the Pike and Coffee line, and will make
a gain to them of ii miles,.
Examining the advantages to Southeast
Alabama by the extension of the Mobile and
Girard Railroad, we find that it VIII bring
Ozark within 26 miles of the projected line
about the Pike and Coffee county line, a gain
az II miles in haul to a railroad
Newton. in Dale county, is three miles
nearer to Elba than to Columbia, its present
depot on the Chattahoochee. The terminus OF
the road would secure large portion of Dale
county production and freight in return.
The uncertainty Of river transportation
against the surety of movement Of freight by
rail weuld induce most Of the merchants Of
that county to seek Elba or the first station
,,o.tt, 90 fbofr danot The merchants Of 0za rIr
and Newton make moneyed arrangements in
Savannah. Ozark ships via Eufaula and
Newton via Bainbridge to Savannah, but, as |
have said in a previous communication, the
sharp competition by river on the east and
the Pensacola and Atlantic Railroad on the
south may lead them westward.
At Elba they would be secured to Savannah
and the East The lands tributary to Ozark
and Newton are very productive, and are
titled by an intelligent class of farmers, espe-
pecially so with the lands on Claybank and
and Bowls creek. 1t has been estimated that
the terminus of the road extended thirty
miles below Troy would receive the first year
at least six thousand bales Of cotton from
The middle and southern portion of Dale
and Coffee counties are improving rapidly,
and fine crops of cotton and grain are being
made yearly. The lands are becoming sought
after as they are better known, and quite
number of families from Georgia have during
the past year moved into South Coffee. South
tof Elba thirty miles is Geneva, the county site
OF Geneva county, slGuateu NJ tue junction OF
the Pea and ChOctawhatchie rivers. This
place is connected by steamboats, on the Choc-
tawhatchie river with the Pensacola and At
lantic Railroad. and thence to Pensacola. Mo-
bile and New Orleans.
Formerly the city of Troy controlled the
trade Of this entire county. and was the dis
tributing point for the immense amount of
fertilizers used in this section.
Geneva now divides very largely with Troy
in supplying this demand, and unless the Mo-
bile and Girard Railroad or some other rail-
road, is extended into this country from the
North. will continue to do so, with strong
probability of enlarging this business.
Furnishing the guano necessarily means
carrying cotton TO points where the guano
is had, and this also means the point where
other freights are received. Every bale of
cotton carried to. and every ton Of guano re-
eeived from Geneva and the Pensacola and
Atlantic Railroad means that much lost to
Savannah. u,