The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1898-09-13
AMONG THE RAILROADS.
Big Passenger Business and Bright
Prospects.

prospects,
With The end Of the war in sight and
the business of transporting troops about
| at an end. ana the general Improvement
in the business world. the prospects are
that the era Of prosperity in the pas
| senccr DEPARTMENTS of the railroads will
, continue for Il long time
The volume Of trayel over the local
lines this summer has been
and the passenger agents are correspond
ingly pleased over the encouraging re-
ports tina nave come III from their de-
rartmentS. On both the Seaboard and
the Southern all previous records We're
broken for the months of July and Au-
gust. the number of people carried eX-
cceding by several thousand that of any
| corresponding period ever before known.
There is one good feature Of this pros
porous condition.. and that is that there
| does not seem to be any signs OF q fall
ing off in this months business.
Notwithstanding that the close of the
season is near at hand. the crowd that
left here on the trains yesterday morn
| ing was one of the largest that has gone
out this year.
A significant indication of the outlook
for railroad business in the South IS the
| large number of orders recently given
by Southern railroads for rolling stock.
These orders. the Manufacturers Record
| saws. aggregate two and a quarter mil
lion. The Southern railway, for in
| stance. is having 1850 cars built, of
which 600 are coal cars, 80 fiat cars
and 800 box cars. The Southern has
also ordered one passenger car ana four
combination passenger ana baggage
coaches. All these cars will be built
nn4l
will be Of large capacity.
\ dispatch from Augusta, Ga, an
]nounccs the Seaboard Air Line has
nearly completed arrangements to extend
its tram service to that city, and it is
expected solid trains will be operated
from Portsmouth. Va. the tidewater
terminus of the Scaboard Air Line. 1t
is stated that the company will use the
tracks of the Charleston and Western
Carolina railroad from Greenwood, ).
c.. running between Portsmouth and
Greenwood on its own tracks. Offices
nave been secured for the road. BY this
decision of the Seaboard Air Line Au-
gusta obtains another direct route to the
North. which will greatly increase its
Importance as Il railroad center.
Mr.. l.. T. Nichols, superintendent Of
the Carolina and Northwestern railroad,
informs the Manufactures RECORD InaC
it is expected to complete the 1O-mile
gap between Newton and Hickory, y.
c.. within the mex thirty days.
Vice President st. John, of the Sea-
board Air Line, thinks he Will have the
branch line between LoganSyille and
L~awrenceville. Ga, in operation before
October l.. The branch is eleven miles
long, and the track is now being laid.
One of the principal promoters of the
combination of roads intended to connect
Bristol. Tenn. with Charleston. $. c..
is c.. II. Nimson general superintendent
of the East Tennessee and Western
North Carolina railroad, at Cranberry,
\. c.
The Southern Railway is considering
the construction of Il 4O-mile branch line
near Birmingham. Ala. 1t will run out
to the plant of the Ivy Coke and Coal
Company.
The Atlantic Coast Line will soon be
gin the construction of new machine
shops at Florence, s.. c..