The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1890-05-21
CoLUMBIA's NEW LINE.
The People Going to Build to tn
Choctawatchie


Choctawatchie.
Information has been received in this city
which points to the building of a narrow
gauge railroad from Columbia, Ala, on the
Chattahoochee, westward to Geneva, on the
Choctawhatchio, a distance of fifty miles.
The people of Columbia have awakened
to the fact that they must do something, or
the heretofore thriving little city of 1000
souls will fall into innoc1ous desuetude.
There are two things which appear to have
stimulated the people of Columbia to
action. First, the Central, which extended
the Southwestern from Albany to Column
bia, and built a magnificent bridge across
the Chattahoochee with a view of extend
ing the line to Pollard. on the Louisville and
Nashville road, seems now TO have aban-
doned any further extension of the road
westward from Columbia. On the con-
trary, it built the Eufaula and Clayton
railroad from Eufaula to Ozark, and has
projected a road to Pollard from Ozark,
leaving Columbia the terminus Of the South
western.
This would not have operated unfavor-
ably against Columbia, but would have
given it an outlet for a territory it then
commanded, but the completion Of the Ala
bama Midland from cambridge via Gordon,
leaving Columbia nine miles off the line, to
Troy and Montgomery, has invaded the
territory tributary to Columbia and Co.
lumbia is beginning to feel the decadence,
while Dothen, on the Alabama Midland,
which few years ago had but one house,
and that log cabin, has now grown to a
stirring place approximating 1900 souls,
while the new town of Ashford, few miles
southeast of Dothen, on the same road, is
rapidly building up, and promises to rival
the city on the Chattahoochee.
lie loo rnad fhof h., boz
gained and the stock is being rapidly
taken to build the road from Columbia to
Geneva. Capt. John I. Davis of the bank
ing house of John T. Davis & Son, a CAPT.
talist and large land owner in and about
Columbia, and a man of push and enter
| prise, is at the head of the railroad enter
prise, and it is said he raised $45, 900
in subscriptions the first day
| the subscription paper was circulated few
| days ago, and this amount has been swollen
| to over 100000 since. 1t is expected that
| Columbia will take $l75, 900 of the stock and
| Geneva $4,000, and the rest will be secured
| elsewhere
Geneva is thriving town on the Choc-
tawhatchie, with a country tributary TO it
that is rapidly settling with an industrious
class of white farmers. The town has
no railroad connections, but its trade
is by boat to the Pensacola aud
Atlantic railroad. a distance of twenty
miles. Geneva handles 1900 bales of wool
and from 5000 to 1000 bales of cotton au-
nually, and this will be largely increased.
This wool and cotton now goes to Mobile,
and by the new road it will come to Savan-
| nah.
The pew road will pass through the rich
| est virgin pine timber of Alabama, and its
lumber and naval stores trade, aud soon to
be increased agricultural products, can be
brought to Savannah. The topography of
the country along the proposed line
is such that it is estimated that the road
can be put in running order for $4,000 per
mile, a total outlay Of about $500, 600 1t is
understood that it is the intention of the
company to build the entire road without
| floating any bonds. The route proposed
will cross the Alabama Midland between
and at some distance from Dothen and
Ashford. so that these towns, which are
now strong and dangerous rivals of Colum.
bia, will be left out in the cold, and can
derive no material benefit from the new
| road to the detrinent of Columbia.
| An engineer has been engaged by the mar
row gauge railroad company, and he will
put corps in the field in few days to
| locate the liue. 1t is believed that the Cen
| trail will aid the road aud offset to some ex-
tent the encroachments the Alabama Mid
land has made upon its territory.