Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1884-03-05
MoDILE, Ala,
No Longer Great Cotton rEarFe9, II is
Likely 10 EeeOIne Famous
For Coal, Timber, TurpeHtine and
Small Eruek.Farns5ag.

From an Occasional Correspondent of the Appeal
MoBLE, March 3.-lhis is a lazy old
town. The strangers who came in to
Mardi-Gras have folded their tents like
tho Arabs, and as quietly stolen away, not
however, without leaving behind many
shekel.
A leisurelyswalk down among the ware
houses and cottOn-presses displayed blocks
OF dingy brick walls, and numerous Offices
deserted, save by the spider and the rat.
Mobile is no longer great cotton market.
This last season only two out of the six
congresses were in operation, for steam
congresses are growing as common up
country as a ginhouse. While Mobile has
lost this Dig feather from her cap, another
plume takes its place. The coal and iron
trade are now in their infancy. But this is
destined to be the great coal market OF the
South. There is trouble at present about
high freight on these commodities; yet
the town need.not long reman in durance
vile by railroad exaction, when it is so
blessed with river facilities. This
i5 a great point for naval sup
plies, and the lumber trade is
something enormous. Down on the
wharf OF the Mobile river yesterday we
observed several vessels taking on timber
And while scanning the various crafts that
moved in the placid water, an innocent
looking turpentine man accosted US, and
eonyersed at length on the Tlin5tjs Of his
business. His conversation. was invested
with universal rendalism, and when he
vouchsgfed the information that he guess
ed he killed 100000 trees yearly, he
showed mouthful OF foxy teeth, and
seemed to glost over the startling TACT. The
trees upon which he operates are bought
by the acre from the government, a tree
rfG IN y. oil - ~
turpentiRe per annum, and in five years,
having yielded mp its life-blood, the poor
tree dies. Is it not strange that the peo-
pie permit this wholesale destruction Of
timber that thousands Of years may not
replace?
The weather clerk actsd as queerly here
as further north, and in consequence the
flowers and vegetables are far short OF the
usual crop. Very few cabbage-growers
escaped heavy damage, One, MIR. Homer,
has 100000 head, from which he expects
to realize nice little sum, as the scarce
crop runs up the prices. Truck farming
employees 5000 or 5000 laborers here.
The shell road is quite famous drive,
and must have been very pretty before
those rickety fences and slipshod houses
were strung along the land side. Far out
on the horizon biack-winged vessels
fr0wDed at us across the dark, seething
waters that threw up at our very feet all
manner Of unsighlly debris. We were sur
prised to see men spreading shells On the
road, for we imagined the oysters were
accommodating enough to crawl up there
and die. We imagined that sentiment
out loud, and were rewarded by con-
temptuous look from one OF the spreadeTs,
Grand old oaks and huge magnolias
abound. and approaching summer must
render the Shell road beautiful; but now
it is wintry, and the cold sea breeze makes
il desolate indsed.
The city is blessed with many noble
charitable institutions. The Widows
Home, conducted by the Womsn's Benev-
olent Association, is truly home OF sweet
ness and peace TO many poor women.
Provision is made for twelve, and the
Home is usually iull
Strangers are much impressed by the
strong ard healthy look of schoolgirls,
and, though we have not as yet visited
any school, we feel sure that Mobile must
be far in advance of other Southern com
munities in its school system.
The weather is warm and delightful;
the air is full of the music of bees wings,
and from yonder budding magnolia the
melody OF a dr0wsy mockingbird is watt
ed. THOMAS