The Savannah morning news., 1900-08-12
A THRIVING TOWN
That Contributes Much to Savan-
nah's Trade.

That Contributes Much to savan-
nah's Trade.
Sumter, s. c., Aug. I-Trooping down
the corridors of memory come recollections
of the days of AUD lang syne" when
this present game cock city" of Carolina
was little else than a ceatral cross roads
with the conventional Court House on
one side. the road and the grim jail house
on the other, some three or four retail
stores of general merchandise, hauled over
many miles in wood-aXle wagons. a few
scattered dwellings and an old-fashioned
sanded-tloor inn or tavern, cons tituted the
congeries knows as Sumpterville. A trip
to Savannah in those days involved much
preparation and comprehended a three
days weary plodding to Charleston, then
tortuous route through the serpentine
channels of the inland passage to Yama-
craw bluff, a landing and an exhausting
pull up the sand bank to Bay street by
which time one had undergone enough 10
fray the piety of the very elect-only the
piety of those days was of the three-ply
sole leather sort-while savannah herself
then comprised but small fraction OF the
area, population trade wealth, health and
beauty Of the metropolitan city of to-day
that reaches out her iron tentacles to ev-
cry point and portion of inland territory,
and brings them in close intercourse and
their products within the grasp of those
other prehensile organs, her steamships
and other ocean craft. Among the many
other points recently brought within
quick reach of Savannah lies this pretty
midland Carolina city OF Sumter. The
sandbed X-roads have given place TO broad
paved boulevards crossed and recrossed by
numerous streets, lined on either side by
busy marts of purchase and sale. There
are factories and boundaries, warehouses,
shops, banks, churches, palatial residences
and all else that goes TO constitute a live,
hustling. thriving and growing city, the
heart of seven iron highways, a veritable
Atlanta in embryo, and surrounded by
magnificently fertile undulatug hinter-
land, capable of producing everything nee
essary to the sustenance, comfort and lux
ury of the human or brute crea-
ton. The city is a cotton and
tobacco market of no mean
proportions, besides the barter in much
other country produce. To-day instead of
a weeks weary numbering TO reach your
city, one may take midnight lunch here.
at the foot of the Piedmont escarpment,
board train to Denmark run down the
straight stretch to the border river enjoy
an easy breakfast in Savannah, dine, sup,
attend a play and breakfast here again
among the soughing pines without much
attrition of his ptety or abrasion of his
purse. The writer speaks ex cathedra,
having accomplished just such trip the
past week, the occasion being the second
excursion during the week from this point
to the Forest City, and they will not prob
ably be the last. Our own city is only one
of the many points of busy traffic and
commerce tapped by the Seaboard Air
Line Railway and brought within daily
communication with Savannah, there are
numbers of other smaller towns, villas and
hamlets already launched out and growing
in business importance, and still other
fiedglings rapidly featheripg and ambitious
to spread their commercial wings and
catch the trade w1ds." We predicted
one year ago that there would be trade
advantages opened up and golden oppor-
tunites presented In this direction and
preached the subject to many of Savan-
nah's business magnates and men of lesser
note, with view to anticipate and seize
them by some systematic effort of adver-
tisement Information and instruction as to
the citys advantages and trade induce
ments, shipping facilities, health, etc. A
few of the more enterprising and public
spirited saw the opportunity and did a
generous part in forwarding the effort,
izlng; but there were too many who treat
ed the matter with an amusingy, pro-
voking sang-froid, a self-complacent non
chalance, or an apathetlc Indifference, and
yet we overheard an intelligent man. on
the train coming down, one who has trav-
eled some and is officially addressed as
Your Honor" say to his wife, IT guess
we can get bath in that yellow % wa
ter at Savannah; we'll have to drink yell
low water anyway" Sic! Our people are
prosperous. are asking no Odds no fav-
ors. Savannah brooms and Savannah
candy are sold right here in reach of the
writer's desk, but only incidentally A
Savannah firm has one or more cotton
buyers in this county, a successful mer-
chant has removed his business to your
larger business sphere besides others who
were more or less attracted and influenced
by the letters written and broadcasted
from Savannah last year. These are mere
"straws," but they are sufficient to indi-
cate trend of the current which, with
little inducement might be made to flow
in that direction. Excursions are promo
tive Of pleasant intercourse, but might be
made more powerful auxiliaries to more
substantial mutual acquaintance in the
way of trade relations. The trade Is here
We are too near now to be any longer
strangers. If you will reach out in the
proper spirit nnd disposition we are all
within the grasp of our big and beautiful
and fiourishing Forest Sister.