The Greenville times. [volume] (Greenville, Miss.) 1868-1917, 1897-08-18
The YazOO-Belta Railway CO.-ltS LO'
cation, lis Promoters, and What II
Means 10 GreeRTllI0.

tercsis of Greenville and the l)ella,
company of twelve of GrccnvlIle''
representative business men assembled
At the southern depot Friday morn
nv for tour of inspection of he
Ynzoo-Deltu Railway aud the country
through which II passes
Promptly n s a. m. unde7 charge OF
genial Conductor Edgar NJ. Baggell,
sealed in one OF the handsome coaches
Of the Southern Railway, we pulled
out of the depot, rapidly passing old
Sloneville, which, perhaps, with one
exception (Lcotu) is the only town in
Washington county that has failed 70
keep pace with the giant strides ana
onward march of the Delta; Eliza
beth, which we might term Washing
ton countl's infant town (beng Its
Youngest aud SMALLEST swain, the
shipping point for all that magnificent
section of Washington county lying
south OF the Southern H. r, ana cast
of the Bogue; Holly Ridge, where an
extensive numbering aud timber bust
ness Is carried on; Heathman, the
town OF the lamented Jas. NJ Heath
man, than whom the Delta has never
claimed worthier, more public spirit
ed citizen and elegant, cultured gen
tleman, power in his day III aid OF
all measures which tended to develop
the Delta; luuiSl ola, the thriving
queen city and county seat OF sun
flower county, which is making such
rapid strides, its latest acquisition be-
ing a magnificent cotton oil mill and
manufacturing company, to be III op'
Grafton in time to manufacture the
present crop of seed. We extend our
sister city our best wishes, and hope
that her public spirit may not be sati-
ated until she has accomplished her
every desire aud brightest hope. Next
crossing the beautiful, historic Sun
flower river, a placid, modest little
stream. In anti-rsilroad days, back
in the 70s, it bore upon Its bosom
nearly the entire trade aud travel or
all the middle portion of the 4azoo-
Mississippi Delta, aud there are those
yetlu that county who say that "tur
former days" the days of steamboat
trsye, and traffic, the days of bear
deer and turkey bunting, OF "dugoul
travelling, of ox-tesm transportation,
&C, were better than the latter days
of railroads, telegraphs aud express
companies, bicycles, &c, aud your
scribe will not galnsay it.
Modest, placid little stream you
look as if you feel tuat you have &C
comphshed your mission, aud have
been shelved by the railways and new
ideas. Not so. The mighty railways
in their slavery to master time bur
riedly touch as at tangent our great
Delta. They have given great I'M
petus to the development of oar coun.
try, aud soon there will be upon your
banks a continuous series of planta-
items from source 10 mouth, and you,
dear old ounhower, claiming that
time was made for slaves, your course
running all the points of the oompsss.
"Noddlng and bes ding in the breezes,'
(memory fails me on the balance.
Dear Thos. Il. Torroy, If he were liv
ing, could sing it for US as no other
could bearing on your bosom splendid
steamboats, and water crafts the year
round, which has been made possible
by the vigilant and valued services OF
your able representative in Congress,
the Hon. T. G. CAtchings, whose use
fulness 10 the Delta in Congress has
only begun (for as Soon as the levee
system is secure and safe and under
control of the national government,
and our great danger from without is
accomplished, he can turn his great
abilities and influence to protecting
and building up within the levces),
then "the latter days vii! be better
than the former"
Close by the banks of the Suuhower
hes the thriving little city of Bairds,
so named and the home of Hon. Jno.
r. Baird, who is not stranger TO
Greenville, being President of The
Bsird-Smith Co, and owner of con-
siderable real estate in our city.
Our next stop was at Moorhead,
where was in waiting cordial recep-
ton by that splendid gentleman and
enterprisiHg citizen, Chester II. Pond,
Esq, founder of Moorhead and presi-
dent and promoter OF the Y.-D. z. W
Co. who took US in charge IS his
guests. We venture to say without
fear of successful contradiction that
Mr.. Pond has done more towards de-
veloping Sunhower county, and add
ing to the assessed taxable valuations
of the county in the past seven years
than all other agencies combined. By
reference to y map of Sunhower coun
ty it will be seen that two-thirds Of
the county's area is east of the Sun
dower river, and that two-thirds of
said portion lies north of the Sou hern
Railway Co. When Mr.. Pond cast his
lot with the county in 1890, locating
at Moorhead, this eutlre section was
practically an unbroken forest. We
do net know whether Mr.. Pond, when
he arrived at Noorhead, then a howl
ing wilderness, spoke or thought as
Peter the Great when he located aud
founded the city of Petersburg that
"bsre l will build city" but this was
in effect what be did. AT a cost OF
100000 to $60O,GOO be has established
there six manufacturing plants, built
first class hotel, several stores and a
great number of cottages and resi-
denees. Here is located the Almeda
Gordon training school. Not content
with these achievements Mr. Pond
with a surveying corps has plumbed
the middle of the undeVeloped coun'
try east OF the SunEower river, aud in
effect, if not in words, now says;