The age-herald., 1900-08-05
Fastest Passenger and Freight < Service in the South.
Without Change of Cars From Gulf Points and Montgomery and
 Meridian to St. Louis.

Among the railroad systems of the south the Mobile & Ohio occupies an important place. It has been one of the most active developers of the southern resources for forty or fifty years, and is now doing a great work in that direction.
 The Mobile 6 Ohio was built from Mo- bile to Cairo, Ills, in the hfties, at time when the United States government was donating large tracts of land to com panies that would build lines of road through important sections of the country. These lands are amongst the best in the world, and the management of the road has bent every energy to have them oc- cupied by a thrifty population. The fore sight and conservatism of the officials of the company-have succeeded in building up the sections traversed by it's lines, and to- day they are amongst the most progress sive and prosperous of all the sections of the entire country.
 For years the line of the Mobile & Ohio extended only from Mobile to Cairo, but . the company operated the St. Louis & Cairo Short Line into St. Louis, thus giy- ing through connection to the latter city. Recently, however, the St. Louis and Cairo has been purchased by the Mobile 6 Ohio, which enables 1t to operate it's own line the entire distance between Mobile and St. Louis, GA miles.
 Last year the Montgomery branch was built to Montgomery, and is now in op- eration. This line taps the rich mineral district south of Birmingham, and plays an important part in the commerce and irdf1stru of that section 1t has also constructed the Mobile 6 Bay Shore road to Bayou La Batre and Ala bama Port, short distance below Mo- bile.
 The Mobile & Ohio is one of the oldest railroad systems in the south, but has kept we'll abreast in railroad improve ments, and now has one of the best road beds in the country and the best of roll ing stock It has for a long tine been the boast of the company th&t it's trains never killed | passenger.
 Upwards of 1 900 MI es
 The Mobile 6 Ohio Railroad has a mile age of upwards of 1000 miles, extending from St Louis to New Orleans, Mobile and Montgomery, with many branch lines lead- ing out to various prosperous towns along the way through fertile country. Leaving St. Louis, Mo- the Mobile & Ohio traverses a great belt of country, embracing the best portions of Southern Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Eastern Mississippi, Southern Mississippi and Alabama. The purchase of the St. Louis & Cairo road was made nee essary by the rapid increase of trade via Mobile with Cuba and Central America. The Mobile & Bay Shore Railroad, extend- ing to Bayou La Batre and Alabama Port below Mobile has just been completed, and is now being operated. The road has branches reaching Millstadt, Ills Aber- deen, Miss, Starkville, Miss, Blocton, Ala and the great Warrior and Cahaba ooal fields in this State. This great railroad ntersects and connects the yellow pine belt and mineral deposits of Alabama, the cotton plantations of Mississippi, the blue grass cattle pastures of Tennessee and Kentucky and the great grain fields and coal treasures of Illinois. The diversity of the products of the territory directly trib utary to the Mobile & Ohio Railroad makes 1t an ideal line of communica ton. Within the reach of its own tracks are found the products ot the forest, the field, the mine and manufactory and the natural exchange of commodities between the lumbermen, the farmer the miner and the artisan, is carried on from and to points with which 1t directly connects.
 Leaving St. Louis, Mo-, the Mobile & Ohio aRiroad trayerses a great belt Of Southern Illinois, Kentucky and Tennes- see, Eastern Mississippi and Southern Mississippi and Alabama. The home-seek- CTS, the pleasure seeker, the health-seeker, the farmer, the prospector, miner, capital ist, etc. are thrice welcome in the land of sunshine and plenty. The portals of the south are thrown open wide to the fugitive from the sterile hills of New England. from the frozen plains of the northwest, and the drought-stricken western farms. To all will ever be extended fraternal welcome, and with 1t the assurance that the fertile lands along the lines of this great rail- way system will always yield a compet- ency.
 No portion of this country offers bet ter inducements for settlement and new enterprises than the States which this great system traverses. It consists of rich agricultural land, immense areas of graz ing land, great tracts of timber, exten- sive mineral districts, teeming with coal and iron deposits, gold, silver, copper and lead ores. To the northern farmer we say, come at once, for there Is no more favored place on the globe for the raising of cereals of all kinds vegetables of every descrip- ton and fruits of every variety. The cli- mate is unsurpassed, the summers being cooler than in the north, and the winters are so mild as not to interfere with the crops in the pine belt, the land is used con- tinuously throughout the year, giving the farmer an opportunity to plant and harvest a crop of something every month. These lands are very cheap and are being taken up rapidly. Land on this road cain be pur- chased cheap, s per acre being the aver age price, and in some localities $1.25. Land seekers or tourists tickets are always for sale at low rates over this line of the road.
 A good home with two-room house, twen- ty acres fenced and sixty acres of un-