The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1899-10-24
SEABOARD AIR LINE
BECOMING A GIGANTIC SOUTHERN RAIL
81. se g WAY SYSTEM
THEIR N0RTHAND SOUTH line

The shortest Line Between New York.
and Tampa and Cuba-AIF Arrange
~ments Made for Running Magnificent
Trains Solid Between New York and
ETampa To Build Other Roads
Through Georgia and south carolina,
Making short Lines to Chief Cities.
New York, October 19.-At q meeting
of the Florida, Central and Peninsula
Railroad Company, held in his city
today, j.. Shelton Williams. president
of the seaboard Air Line, was elected
president to succeed II. r: Duval, re-
signed. No other business of import
ance was transacted
Especial to the M~essenger)
Portsmouth, Va, October .19.-Presi-
dent John Shelton Williams, of the
Seaboard Air Line, made the
ment today tina his system has con-
cluded it's arrangements for the opera
ton Of through yestibuled trains be
tween New York and Tampa,
The ines of this system, in which the
Florida Central and Peninsula rail-
road and the Georgia and Alabama
railway are included, will. on January
/, 1900, be completed through from
Rishmond TO Jacksonville and Tampa.
Negotiations" said Mr.. Williams,
"'have been concluded with the Rich
mond, Fredericksburg and Potomac
railroad, from Richmond TO QuanticO,
and with the Pennsylvania railroad,
extending from -QuanticO to New
York, by which the trains Of the Sea
board Air Line will enjoy the same
-; or1+c a,I priyrt1onac hot vaarT pich "
mond and Washington as those en-
joyedf by the Atlantic Coast Line, and
from Washington to New York the Sea
board Air Line will be upon precisely
the same footing in the use of the
tracks of the Pennsylvania railroad as
either the Atlantic Coast Line, the
Southern railway or the Chesapeake
and Ohio railway"
The contract with the Pennsylvania
railroad has been signed by the off,
Gals Of both companies, and a final
agreement has been arrived at with the
Richmond, Fredericksburg and POtO-
mac railroad for the use of that CON-
pany's tracks between Richmond and
Quantico, where connection will be
made with the Pennsylvania railroad.
President Williams confirms the re-
port that his system has recently cOn-
tracted with the Pullman Palace Car
Company for four new magnigficent
NCSJIDuICu II ClllS, "IIICI oil L NC UStu
this winter by the Seaboard Air Line
in its new through passenger service
between New York and Jacksonville
and Tampa. These trains will be the
most elegant and luxurious that were
ever operated in.the south and will in
clude dining, sleeping, par1or n OBJ
servation cars, which will be furnish
ed with all the conveniences and luxu-
ries that art and ingenuity can con-
trive.
The new route thus opened will be
known as THE Florida and West India
Short Line" and will cover the dis
tance between New York and Tampa
by a line about 40 miles shorter than
the Southern railway, and about seven
ty-fiVe miles shorter than the Atlantic
Coast Line between the same points.
The link which is being built by the
Seaboard Air Lire ito connect its main
line with the Florida Central and Pen
insular railroad att Columbia, is being
laid with new SO-pOund steel rails.
The new bridges which are being con-
structed are all Of s,eel, and adapted
to the use of the heaviest locomotives
and the fastest trains.
The new projected lines of the Sea-
board system from Charleston to Au-
gusta, and from Augusta to Athens,
are now being surveyed. Several corps
of engineers are busily engaged in the
work, and nothing. definite will be Civ
ell out in regard ito this new line until
this preliminary work is completed.
If this new projected Dad should be
constructed, the Seaboard besides
being the shortest line by about 100
miles, between Washington and Tam
pa and Cuba, will nave the greatest
advantage of operating it's own rails
for the entire distance between. the
cities of Atlanta, Ga, and Augusta,
Ga, Atlanta and Savannah, Ga. Au-
gusta, Ca, and Charleston, S. c., Au-
gusta and Athens, Ga, by shorter
routes than any now existing between
the important cities mentioned.
The consolidation of the Seaboard
Air Line with the Florida Central and
Peninsula railroad, and the Georgia
and Alabama railway will probably
take place between now and the first
of January, This new system incIud-
ing it's projected lines, will embrace
about 5000 miles OF main line of rail-
road exclusive Of second track and
Sidings. This system also controls the
Baltimore. Steam Packet Company,
which for the past fifty years has been
operating the principal line of steam
ers on the Chesapeake bay between
Baltimore and Old Point Comfort, Nor
folk and Portsmouth.
The combined bonded debt of the
railroads comprising this system-is less
than that of any other system of like
1AiROAbd1iSC LII Lie oHILEu~ states Inc
present combined bonded indebtedness
per mile of the Seaboard Air Line, Flor
.da Central and Peninsula railroad,
and Georgia and Alabama railway, is
in fact less than ,0ne-half the debt per
mile Of the Southern railway, about
one-third of the debt per mile of either
the louisville and Nashville, the Mo-
bile and Ohio or the Norfolk and West
ern, and o~he-fourth of the debt per
mile of the Chesapeake and Ohio rail
way.
The new system will operate its own
trains from Washington, the capital OF
the nation, Through the capital cities of
six South Atlantic and Gulf states,
Richmond, Va, Raleigh, N. c., Column
bia, s. c., Atlanta, Ga, Montgomery.
Ala, and Tallahassee, Fla. 1t will take
in every important seaport from Bal
timore to Pensacola, including Norfolk.
Wilmington, Charleston, Savannah.
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