The leader. [volume] (Brookhaven, Miss.) 1895-1905, 1900-10-31
BPooKHAVEN TO GULFPoRT.

BROOKHAVEN TO GULFPORT.
tbs LEADER pointed out last week
some of the advantages to accrue to
Brookhaven by a connection with the
Gulf & Ship Island Railroad, via the
Pearl River Lumber Co.'S. route. The
distance from Brookbaven to the point
of connection would be about 40 miles.
The Pearl River Lumber Co. has be-
tween 10 and IL miles OF standard
guage track laid aud in running order,
and about s miles more of track ready
for rails making a total of 1s miles
that will very soon be completed.
The p. r. L. Co. owns over 100000
acres of finely timbered lands lying
along the route it will follow to its
Gulf & Ship Island r. X connection,
and the Gulf & Ship Island itself runs
through portion of the Pearl River
Lumber Cos. lands and secured from
this company its right of way for that
part of its line.
As stated last week, however, the
Pearl River Lumber Co. is a private
corporation and its road private and
not public carrier In pursuing this
subject, to ascertain what is the pros
pect of an early connection with the
Gulf a. Ship Island Railroad via this
company's route and the conversion OF
its line into public carrier, with reg
ular daily schedules and an ample
supply of rolling stock, The LEADER
regrets to say it finds some difficulties
in the way, which the management OF
the Pearl River Lumber Go, would
doubtless not undertake to overcome
unless there we're sufficient induce
ments offered for it to do so by Brook
haven and the people along the route
of the connecting link and at the point
of connection on the G.. d S. This
company was originally chartered for
manufacturing purposes, and the
building of railroad was simply in
the nature of an adjunct for the pro-
motion and carrying out Of that object.
The stock holders went into it for this
purpose, primarily, and not for the
purpose of engaging in general pub
lie railroad business.
1t would require the expenditure OF
many thousands of dollars for rolling
stock and the assuming of other i'm.
portant responsibilities, never contem.
plated by the company as private
corporation, to convert its road into a
common carrier, which would not be
at all necessary, if the original objects
stated in its charter are adhered to
The Pearl River Lumber Co. will. in
| the course of time, and for its own
convenience and advantage, complete
its railroad to the G 4 S. r. r., but tC
do this and derive for itself all the ad
vantages to be secured from having
direct railroad communication with
Gulfport, for it's lumber output, it is
not at all necessary for it to depart
from its original purpose. Besides, il
it only adds to it's line as it uses up its
timber and it becomes necessary t.
reach more, it will be years possibly
% or 30-before it will connect with
the G. & S. This is the history of rail
roads built by saw mill companies
Brookhaven certainly cannot afford to
wait that long for such a desirable
railroad connection.
Furthermore, it is learned that while
several of the principal stockholders are
prominent Brookhaven men noted, for
their public Spirit and enterprise,
there are a number of nonresident
stockholders of whom do not
even live in Mississippi-men who
have put their capital into the Pearl
River Lumber Co. purely as finan-
cial investment. and who could not be
expected to consent to having the
Company's original plans enlarged or
changed, without some substantial in
ducement to meet the additional cost.
Brookhaven must have a connecting
link with the G. & S. r. R. at no dis
tant day and the additional transpor-
tation advantages that direct commu-
nication with Hattiesburg and Gulf
port would insure. 1t must have such
a road to retain the trade it has hith-
erto enjoyed from the eastern country,
and to secure still greater growth and
but our people must not
go to sleep and expect the road to be
built and equipped by the Pearl Riv
er Lumber Co., under existing condi-
tons, and without their ever giving
any aid or encouragement to such an
enterprise.