Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1890-05-29
OUR CITY OF THE SOUTH
THE WILMINGTON DELEsATI0R'S
TOUR TO PIB DAONTs
FEATURES oFSouTRERN TOWNS
A HIRGIN FIELD OE LABOR FOE
CAPITAL AND BEAMS.
Piedmont, .'DeIsware's Southern
city, Itr Characteristics and Pos-
sibIlities-EaOly Delaware Energy
Gave tho Place a Room,

u
sibiIitIes-Eao,v Delaware Energy
Gave tho PIace a Room,
stan Correspondence Of Gazette and Journal
PIFDMoST, Ala, Mey 2l.--After q
journey of SO hourE, the special train of
-FOUR sleepers, dining coach and COM
missRry car landed the Wilmington dele
cation in "DslRware's Southern CITY," az
Piedmont ia known. 1t was O'Clock
when the locomotive after q hard pull
over the foot hills, drew up ct Piedmona
and the engineer pulled open the whistle
OF his iron horse. The town was not yet
sstir Us Lasny Of the people had awaited
the coming of the Delawareans until late
into the night and were refreshing then-
selves in preparation for tha busy to-day.
The special was sbcut eight hours late,
delay occasionod in the main by the in
Yssion OF Virginia by BaTnum, which taxed
railroad travel through the night and
further by the heavy freight traffic the
development of this rich section begets.
An inquiry into habits Of the Piedmont
folk disclosed the fact that they are early
risers and brought to mind that we had
crossed ihto central division of the
| standard line gauge, so while every
| honest time piece on the train indicated G
| O'Clock il was really 8 O'clock ct Pied
mont. TIE ubiquitous Lattimer gatnail
was .he frst to welcome his former
townsmen to the prospective metropolis
| of Alsbams, and he was shortly followed
! by the hslf.Bcoge or more other Delaware
/ residents. Soon tha town was estir and
people fooked from every direction 10
set about their tasks for the day. The
| two hotels or the town were crowded to
. {G.., aty ~
beginning OF sotiva huilding operations
aud the wisdom of carrying along bed
and board was gratifyinsiy manifest.
The trip from Wilmington to Piedmont
was delightful in every aspect. A dash
ing rain all along tne line OF travel on
Monday evening had designated the dust
as mud, putting 1t past sll annoyance
and refreshed and reinVigorssed all yege-
tation. The landscape on either side was
fringsd with heavily timbered mountains,
2ising in picturesque irregularlty almost
into the clouds, Broad, rich valleys
dotted with typical southern homes, in
dicated the wealth Of the agricultural re-
sources of the new south, and cotton
plants just pushing their wsy through
the soil lent variety, o novelty, and
charm TO the northern eye.
Word having been passed along OYER the
wires that large party OF prospectors
seeking investments for capital were
t1aveling through the south Gent crowds
OF people to every railway station.
! Wherever the train halted informal
invitations were extended the party to re-
main over for an inspection Of the towns,
10 take luncheon, or meet "tha people,"
Finding it was the intention Of the pros
psctOrs to adhere TO the original schedula
the cars were flooded with all manner Of
!, prospeotrses and newspapers relating to
that particular town. The chamber Of
, commerce OF Knoxville sent one of its
officers to formally invite the party to
stop over for banquet on Friday even-
ing, hut there ia not time for such delays.
The rapidity with whi0n the south is
developing is conceGed by every one in
} the party to be lneryelcuH. II 10 indeed
/ | phenomenal. The story o! ~. growth Of
some of the southern cities would read
like piece of fiction, but their progress
and prosperity speak for themselves.
Ihsrs sfe probably but few patallels of
q modern development, Under the inspir-
= ing action OF Northern gold, push and
I pluck towne that stood but little speck
; in pastoral landscape Rre now hustling
8 and austlinR with energy and industry.
a The population of pns town in mind
: sprang from $50 to DO, 900 in the space Of
: FIVE years while its industries to-day rep
! resent an original investment of over
: $50, 600, 600. This is not on Iselatsd case.
: There sEe other towns which with asmaller
Q start have grown commensuSately, and
/ are increasing in wealth and importance
J, day by day.
= Ons of the striking features Of these
9 southern towns is their spParert new
!. ness, although it may have had eorpor-
ate existence of more than half q century.
The new buildings are both ornAta and
!, substantial and in high contrast with the
a homes and houses Of the old south,
y built before the golden floods came pour-
i ing down from the uorth. There ID
q activity, energy and industry every
: where, condition as strange to the
!, towns which have not yet been disturbed
4 by 'promotersn as anything conceivable.
Men and women have come from every
!. quarter to this newly rejuvenated SEQ,
7 ton, and one hears the breezy, boiaterous
lirgo OF the wild west and the nasal
= twang of the Down Fest Yankee, COM
: mingled with tongrs-twistine Psnnsyl-
, vania Dutch, Rll in rsnk discord with the
soft, mellow pronunciation Of the native
= folk. This conglomeration of accents
tells the story that people from every
section OF the country are aookiug to
this newly developed Ell Dorado, and the
tide of migration can scarcely be said to
!. have fully turned this way. But it is
y coming, gathering cumulative force as
it moveg along, until il must eventually
y spread through tine whole OF this section.
e Prospec ing parties are in every quarter
:, Of the new Fouth Capitalists from
J England, from Massachusetts, New
= York, Philade,phiG and the big cities OF
. the west fnd awaiting it, in this land
rich in ores and timber, coal and cotton,
q tho largest returns. Farmers from Da-
e kota and other sections Of the great
= northwest are here aud others are com-
y ing. Here there are no psriis of the
Z blizzard, no winter to subsisG through
which requires al. their simmer garner.
y iugs. Up amo5g the hill ops here the
u u air is hesling and inyigorsting and it gets
~ but listle warmer in midsummer than ths
- weather one encounters iii Delaware, and
= the nights are said to be always cool.
q The great linss OF freight trains that
hsve bsen fling past our coaches to-day
% attest the development CT this section
sud yet its development has scarce
=, begun. What has besn achieved in the
n way OF marketing the products of the
4. new south is but particle and only
enough to illustrate what virgin field
3. OF labor may here be found il sought oui
,p by capital and brains. The iron rails ol
or Tie great highways Of commerce ara laid
On ties of yellow pine OF tho fines'