The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1893-02-23
THE SOUTHS FUTURE.
A REGION UNSURPASSED IN ITS POSSIBLE

of his series of articles in the Engi-
neering Magazine on the 'Industrial |
Development Of the South" writes
as follows of the future:
Looking at the great results &C
complished by the Louisville & Nash |
vile Railroad, and the coal and iron
traffic which it handles, it is difficult |
to realize that in 1880 Alabama only |
made 1900 tons of iron and mined |
less than $4,000 tons of coal. We
forget that ten years ago Birming-
ham had scarcely 1000 people; that |
for five years later Bessemer was un-
thought of and it's site forest; that |
Admission was simply furnace town
of probably 1000 inhabitants; that
Roanoke was an almost unknown
way station of 600 people; that Mid
dlesborough came into being less
tban four years ago; that Newport
News gave no promise of it's present
importance; that Chattanooga, Knox
vile, Atlanta, Norfolk, Dallas, Fort
Worth and dozens of other places of
present national prominence were,
with few exceptions, simply fairly
prosperous trading centers. And
yet how great can the growth Of the
future be without overdoing South
ern industrial development.
Here is a region Of unequaled
natural resources, of coal and iron
in exhaustible qualities, in close
proximity and at low cost of produc-
ton, of great timber wealth, of soil
adapted to every branch of agricult-
ure: in fact, combination for the
creation of wealth greater than any
other equal area in the world pos
sesses. It's population is still sparse,
its manufacturing aud mining inter
ests still in their infancy, its towns
and cities less numerous than in any
other part of the country. With all
the industrial advance of the last ten
years, the whole South does not yet
equal the one State of Pennsylvania
III the value of its manufactured pro
ducts. West Virginia alone has far
more coal than Pennsylvania, its coal
area exceeding even Great Britian's;
it has many times as much standing
timber as Pennsylvania; and it can
develop it's industrial interests until
they exceed in value the present ag
gregate of the fourteen Southern
States and still not be more crowded
than is Pennsylvania. What is true
of West Virginia is true Of Other
Southern States. Some years age
Col. A. K. Mcclure Of Philadelphia
said of Alabama: There is not {
source of mineral wealth in Pennsyl
vania, excepting only our soil prod
uct, that is not found in Alabam
in equal or greater abundance, witt
J the matchless advantages of climate
J of easier and cheaper production
and of vastly cheaper transportation
Natures great gifts to Pennsylvani
} have been not only iberally supple
J mented in Alabama, but to ther
have been added every possible &C
vantage for their cheap developmen
and delivery to the markets Of th
} world Alabama is $500 squar
miles larger than Pennsylvania
D Every manufacturing enterprise no
} in existence from Mason and Dixon
D line to the Rio Grande might be Il
Gated in Alabama and still that Stat
with far greater resources tina
0 Pennsylvania, would not equal it
0 its present industrial product.
0 There is no danger, therefore, (
0 Southern development reaching tE
0 limit of profitable advancement
= Many thousands of miles of ne
railroads can be wisely built int
;. virgin mineral and timber region
# which will afford paying traffic fro
i the day the first train rolls ov'
them, and also into settled parts