The age-herald., 1898-08-06
GREAT BUSINESS
 OF THE RAILROADS Millions of Dollars for Handling the
 Troops. BlRMINGHAM'S SHARE OF II Costs $i2,OOO to Move Regiment From ChiCkamauga to Jacksonville. OUTSIDE BUSINESS IS VERY GOOD Freight Traffic Is Better Than for Years Shipments Not Confined to
 Army Supplies Other
 Railroad News.
BlRMINGHAM'S SHARE OF II
OUTSIDE BUSINESS IS VERY GOOD

Eighteen hundred and ninety-eight has been a great year for the railroads of the southern states.
 "Of course, only the war department in Washington could tell exactly" said a prominent railroad official of this city yes terday, "how much the government has ex- pended in moving great army from one part of the country to another, but I should guess that Uncle Sams railroad bill amounts to over $2, 2,00o,000 in the south alone.
 with the exception of the troops mobil- ized at San Francisco to embark on the Philippine expedition. nearly every regiment in the regular army and in the volunteer army has been mobilzed al some port in the southern states, either on the gulf or on the Atlantic. Previous to this. many of them were first taken to Chiclkamauga park.
 Some idea of the cost of moving troops may be formed when the fact is consid- cred that the Southern railroad gets $1200O for every regiment of a thousand men which it moves from Chickamauga to Jacksonville, Fla. To Tampa, the sum paid is proportionatey larger.
 Cost of Moving First to Mobile
 "It cost the government nearly S40O0 to move the First Alabama volunteers from Birmingham to Mobile May 1. Even this was under the regular fare of 2 cents a mile, for it was moved under a special contract
 Some of the government land grant roads-the Alabama Great Southern is the ai,,eyl yl,.ar are required by their charters to transport soldiers for 11a cents a mile. The Illinois Central used to come under this head, but they got an act through congress putting them on the same basis with the non-grant roads
 Two Cents Mile
 "The regular rate for handling ten sol diers and over is 2 cents a mile. Some times when road is especially anxious to handle a certain regiment or certain regiments of troops, they make a special rate. This, I understand. the case with the Mobile and Ohio when they moved the Second Alabama from Mobile to Miami All the other regiments that were to be moved from Mobile were sent the most natural route. that is, up the Louisville and Nashville to Flomaton and thence direct to Miami But the Mobile and Ohio had just opened their new road from Columbus Miss, to Montgomery, and they wanted some of the business out of Mobile. By a shrewd bid they. were awarded the con- tract of moving the Second Alabama. They took these boys all the way up by Meridian to Columbus and then south again by Tus- caoosa and Montgomery, where they turned them over to the Plant system, and by this route they were taken to Florida.
 When less than ten men are sent in a squad the full fare of cents a mile is charged This rule has been bonanza to the railroads under the plan the gov ernment adopted of recruiting the regi- ments of 10S4 men up to over 1908 men.
 For instance, since June there have been sent from Birmingham alone to Mi- ami about 250 recruits, most of them in squads of from three to ten men. The full fare to Miami is about $25, so it is readily seen that these Birmingham re- cruits have cost the government just about $6,250 for transportation.
 This has been going on all over the country. and nearly every train that has t sized squad of recruits going to fill up the volunteer and regular regiments in Tampa, Jacksonville, Miami Cuba or elsewhere.
 Troops Through
 It is hard to give any figures as to the number of soldiers handled through Bir- mingham since the Maine was blown up, on February 15 The Louisville & Nash- vile has probably had more than any other as it was the direct line from the central states to the gulf though the Kan sas City Memphis & Birmingham has handled a large number of them, especial ly of the western regiments.
 All of the troops coming in ~over this road were given either to the Central of Georgia or the Southern to Atlanta, and a few regiments to the Alabama Great Southern, to be taken to Chickamauga. The Queen & Crescent system and the Southern have probably handled more troops than any other two roads in the United States, as all the regiments mov- ing in and out of Chickamauga must pass over some of their lines.
 "Not only have the railroads profited by the movements of troops, but the ordinary travel. so far as Birmingham is concerned, has been greater than in number or years. And as for freights, it is hard to teu when this business has been better. Sl,ipp,apfc have mi hpan confined fO