The Pulaski citizen. [volume] (Pulaski, Tenn.) 1866-current, 1888-04-12
NEW RAILROADS.
The Year 1887 Leads the
Van in Building.

Oil Ill OhAAsAA06s
The south's New Railroad System
Gradually Adjusting Itself.
Events Point Out With Unerring Certainty
the Center of the New Network
AT DECATUR.
The year 1887 goes on record
with the largest mileage of railroad
construction ever known-l2,724
miles. The best part of it is that
the south built the most of it. Kan
sas leads with 2,070 miles and Tex
as follows with 1,055. Alabama has
5l5 to her credit.
1t is the beginning of the new
era of railroad construction. The
lines mapped out for the south to
be built in 1883 will show even a
greater balance in her favor. In
the south, the converging poin is OF
railroad construction were Chatta-
nooga and Birmingham, but her
railroad system is adjusting itself
to the situation as it develops, the
lines tending towards manufacture
ing centers and through the miner
al regions.
Decatur is just year old and
railroad building necessarily goes
at snails pace, but let's see how
it is with her. She is already at the
intersection of two of the biggest
systems IN the south. From the
north east the Cincinnati and De-
catur road is slowly pushing its
way towards the Tennessee. To-
ward the south west road is being
built that crosses the Alabama
Great Southern at Alfalfa and goes
on thence into Georgia. Three
projected lines traverse the great
Warrior coal fields on the south
west-one to Selma, another via
Columbus on to the west and an
other to Aberdeen. On the north.
west line is mapped out through
Iron City and on through the coal
fields across the Tennessee to Milan.
1t constitutes a magnificent net
work Of road, not only reaching out
to all competitive points and max
ing all possible combinations of
connection, but they tap and make
tributary to Decatur ia all direc-
tions the finest and most inexhaust-
ible beds of iron ore and coal ex-
listing in the south.
True, much of this exists yet on
paper, but the impetus under which
it proceeds, and the reasons that
furnish the impetus, are developing
in increasing ratio and the final re-
suit is plainly discernable.
| One of the shrewdest manufac-
turers in the north west, a man of
means and representing large inter
ests, was in Pulaski the other day
and he said that ten years would
see the face of this country literally
dssected with railroads. He be-
lieves it evidently for he is trying
to invest 100000 on the prospect
of its contamination.
1t is plainly to be seen that De-
catur is. to be the neucleus of the
coming system. Chattanooga is too
, high up the Tennessee and is out
side our range. Birmingham is not
! on a navigable stream and is too far
: south. Decatur has every advan-
tage of location, transportation ia
cilitles, proximity to mineral sup
. plies and centrality with respect to
E population. She will be in the geo.
graphical center of the busiest and
richest section OF the new south.
We look, therefore, confidently
toward the end of this year and
during the next few years to see a
concentrating at Decatur of the
south's railroad system.
The L. & N. evidently believes it.
She has the whole south to pick
over and she goes to Decatur and
sets a thousand men to work and
1scrapes level so acres of ground and
to-day train-loads of brick are I'M
Heading there daily and scores of
trowels are ringing as her immense
new shops rise gradually into be-
ling.
. The United States Rolling Stock
8 Co. evidently believe it. Another
30 acres has yielded to the persis-
, tent scraper and presented itself a
!. broad plaza ready to be occupied by
. ap almost interminabie series OF
I shops, and the building proceeds,
!. and soon perhaps the largest car
5 building company in the world will
have its principal shops there.
The Memphis & Charleston PEG
a pie evidently believe it. They are
seeking s location for the building
! of their car shops there.
| Pullman, the prince Of palace
= cars, evidently believes it. He has
Q inspected the grounds in person,
!, twice we believe, ard has openly
said that Decatur is certain to be
!. the center of car-building.
Il You may 60 there today and
t see thousand men crowding each
;. other around the busy streets, each
busily interested upon his own en-
!, terprise, each of whom has banked
his fortune on it. They all evident
!. ly believe it, for they put in, some a
thousand, some an hundred thou
Island and some many times that
: much, building and putting in ma
chinery, and getting lie 'cadv against
that day when these things shall be
realized.
II Decatur is built upon iron bot
tom. Her great strength lies in her
central proximity to iron and coal
and her peculiar situation in turn
ing it to account in diversity of
ways. She is not confined to pig
iron. She does not content herself
with making rolling stock. She
Idoes not dump all her coal into a
furnace. She cuts her product up
into Thousand shapes and an infin-
tie diversity of forms and uses.
Built upon such foundation, launch
ing into such diversity of marufac
turing, sure OF such railroad ramifi-
cations, can there be doubt of the
result? II any doubt, let him go
there today and see the thing be-
ing accomplished with a rush of,