The Grenada sentinel. [volume] (Grenada, Miss.) 1868-1955, 1900-08-25
VOLUME XLVI.
The City of Laurel.

eru side of the State, would, were they
to make a personal visit, be ready te
exclaim, as this writer did recently
the half hath not been told!
The census of 1890 gave the 'village'
of Laurel a population of $50. The
census of 1900 will give it population
of more than 1000. Indeed the entire
county of Jones has been on CONNER
cial and industrial boom for several
years. The total population in 1896
was 1888. The census of 1900 will
show fully 1900. The increase in edu
cable children in the last ten years is
3,9OS, and in this, as in some other i'm
portant respects, Laurel leads, the as
SCISSOR having enumerated 1911 children
of school age, an increase of 3S7 since
the enumeration of 1896.
Laurel is on the line of the New Or
leans & Northeastern railroad, sc
miles south of Meridian, and 1876 miles
from New Orleans; miles to Ellisville;
10 to Hattiesburg. A branch road af
fords direct communication with Jack.
son over the Gulf & Ship Island rail
road. Several handsome coaches of the
Gulf & Ship Island were there on the
branch track.
After good breakfast at electric
lighted Hotel Laurel" we called on
the editor of the Laurel Chronicle, Mr..
Edgar A. Bishop. Like Blakeslee, OF
New Albany, he believes that the pos.
sibilities of his town are beyond calcu.
lation. And the Chronicle office is a
fair specimen of the general progress
and prosperity. tits thoroughly equip.
ped with new material, the press being
operated by gas engine. Mr.. Bishop
will be a competitor for the State
printing when proposals shall be in
vited for the next four years contract.
To our request for few dots about
Laurel he promptly responded about as
follows:
"Well, sir, there are the Eastman,
Gardiner & Co. saw mills, planning, dry
kiln, electric lights; annual capacity,
about 6o,00O,0oo feet dressed lumber;
employs about 1900 men.
"Then there is the Kingston Lumber
company-saw mills, planning mills,
dry kilns, electric lights; capacity S5,.
100000 feet; 45O men.
The Laurel Lumbar Company; cuts
hardwood; is now making improve
ments that will cost about $40, 900; ca
pacity $4,000, 900 to 10000, 600 feet.
ice factory; capacity six tons daily;
consumed by local trade.
Laurel Cotton Mills, now building;
capital s:5O,0Os. Will be in operation
this fall.
Laurel Oil and Fertilizer Company;
capital $4,000; plant will be in opera
tion very soon.
"A $4,000 school building, erected
last year, but proving too small for our
increasing population.
"A steam brick plant.
Zone bank in operation, and another
chartered.
Five church societies; three new
churches to be erected this year. e.
The New Orleans & Northeastern
railroad is one of the biggest and best
of our attractions; and then there is
the Laurel branch of the Gulf & Ship
Island, that runs 10 miles west, and
will connect with the main line at Sar-
atoga, 40 miles west of Laurel.
"And then we have-not by any
means the last or least-the Laurel
Chronicle"
The average citizen of Laurel can
tell you all about her past and present
and future. OF course that is the
special function and often the preroga-
tive of the local editor; but we found
another citizen who is not only thor
oughly posted about Laurel, but who
told us what he knew in such an inter-
esting way we made mental steno-
graphic notes of his interesting state
ment. Here is about what he said:
"The town of Laurel, as you doubt
less know, was founded about the year
1884, when the New Orleans g. North
eastern railroad was constructed from
Meridian to New Orleans. The princi-
pal industries have heretofore been
lumber manufacturing. At present
there are three large saw mills, ship
ping each year between 100000 and
lO0,0OO,000 feet of lumber. These mills
have monthly pay roll in the neigh
borhood of $50, 900. A saw mill is often
looked upon as variable quantity
here today and gone tomorrow. In
this particular case, however, one can
obtain an idea Of the permanency, from
the fact that these mills now own a
timber supply to operate for twenty
hve to thirty years, without adding an
other acre to their holdings. In addi-
ton to this actually owned, there are
thousands of acres to come into mar
ket, which will be cut at this point.
f'kecently move has been made
toward the establishment of other
manufacturing industries at this point.
The Laurel Cotton Mill will be operat.
ing next winter 10,00O-spindle mill,
loom capacity for making in day time