Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1886-10-18
AtIanta's Railroad Boom.

Atlanta boasts of being quite a rail-
road centre, and yet its business men
complain that not one OF the roads lead
ing from aud to 1t is controlled in its
interests. Every one OF these roads, it
seems, is In the hands of parties who are
charged with being hostile to Atlanta.
These roads have been built mainly by
outside capital, and the amount of At
lanta money invested In them is probably
small. The desire OF the business men of
Atlanta to have a road they can call
their own is very general, and they
are determined to crafty this desire.
if it can be done without costing them
much-in other words, Atlanta is willing
to furnish the hurran il the people along
the proposed lines who are to be brought
under the yoke of that city will furnish
the money. Several paper railroads have
been proposed and doomed, more or less
recently, but none OF them has yet been
put under contract. The tide water road
scheme was so stupendous that not even
the gas work for 1t could be inaugurated
with any considerable degree of sat
isfaction. The Hawkinsyille railroad
scheme has been a little more sue
cessful, but the Gate City seem
not yet to have su described its allotted por-
tion of the capital stock even on paper.
The fact is, Fort Valley has subscribed
almost as much TO it as Atlanta, and
should it be built it is not impossible that
It will tap Atlanta in the interests of the
trade Of the former beautiful and enter
prising little city. Nobody believes that
MIR. Henry Harris and his efficient cola
borers are taking such a deep interest in
this road just TO build a feeder for the ra-
pacious nav OF the Gate City.
Now new line Is projected from At
lanta TO the alleged city of Sheffield.
which is said to be terminating at the
head of the lower Tennessee river, and a
small branch of this road is to be built to
savannah, Port Royal or Charleston.
This is the largest scheme Of any that has
been conceived in Atlanta so far, but it
may be extended, indefinitely, to the
! North, East, South and West, il the paper
! and INK hold out, and 1t can be doomed
( without regard to existing lines. 1t IS
not probable that tnts scheme will
amount TO much within the next half
century unless three such great develop
ers as Bullock, Kimnall and Clews could
! get hold Of the State gOyernm mt aud the
railroad boom. In such cass
il might reach the bond-issuing stare.
! IL this great line rom SheH ia 10 The -ea
should ever be built 1t might even tually
| prove very valuable line to Savannah.
| All that would be necessary 60 make it 50
would be to tap IL at the nearest poiat and
| cali on the Railroad Com IA ission 10 give
this city the benefit of lhrou gh rates. and TO
! declare Atlanta mere way station. 1.-THE
Railroad Commission could be initiated
into the Atlanta ring, that city would not
need TO invest n dollar or spend cubic
linen OF gas on new railroads. H. is get
ting TO he believed IN some sections Of the
country that Atlanta does not appreciate
the railroads II has, aud that it is more a
lack Of the right sort Of enterprise than
railroad discrimination that is discour-
aging its business men.