The age-herald., 1901-02-24
TRAVEL SHOWS A
 LARGE INCREASE Railroads Are All Doing Heavy
 Passenger Business
THE AGENTS ARE HAPPY
Indicates the General Prosperity of the Country-Gulf Coast Resorts Are Popular-Local Traffic
 Has Also Improved.

Our business has increased about 30
 per cent. during the present season."
 said P. Sid Jones, district passenger l agent of the Louisville and Nashville
 railroad. While last seasons business
 was good, that of this season is much better. This is owing to several causes. | There seems to be more money in the | country, and when people have a sur l plus they will travel, and can better af- l ford to spend the winter at the resorts.
 Yet, our business, for both through and local travel has been exceptionally good. There has been a good Mardi Gras travel
 to New Orleans and to Mobile; also to the | Gulf coast points, and to Florida points | from the north.
 'The inauguration of our Chicago lim- tied train, which puts passengers into St. Augustine from the Windy City in twenty-nine hours, has greatly increased travel from the North. Many of these
 stop off at Birmingham for a few days, While the Florida tra, el has been good,
 that to the Gulf coast points has also been good, and continues so. People from the Northwest seem to prefer the Gulf coast resorts, as they are then on a trunk line and are nearer to New Or leans and In direct communication with
 the East These points are not only pre- ferred by many, but the Gulf coast IS pRoving to be a great rival to Florida, for when the season for Northern tour
 ists ends the Southern people begin to flock to Biloxi, Pass Christian, Misss- lcirN I1or I ,,,;-
 Waveland, Gulfport and other new and | smaller resorts. l may say, and business | justifles 1t, that the Louisville and Nash | vile railroad is what the thermometer is to the weather-it is an indication of
 the business transacted, and marks good
 or dull times. For example, our business l has been so good that we have not | enough elbow room here, and in about | thirty days will remove to our new of fee building at Nineteenth street and
 Morris avenue"
 The Southern.
 Travel over our road shows an ir- | crease of about 25 per cent over that of | last season." said c. E. Jackson, travel | ing passenger agent of the Southern
 Railroad. "The heaviest passenger tras- | fc is out of Birmingham eastward,
 though it has been good all along the I linz both local and otherwise. The Flor ida business has almost doubled over l that of 1900
 We also did a very good Mardi Gras | business, our trains to New Orleans and | to Mobile being crowded to their ca | pacities during that season. The cause
 of this must be-owing to good times, for | when people go on such excursions the | indications are that money is more plen- tiful and that business is good. Then I again, the opening up of mines through | out Alabama makes local traffic good. | Laborers must be brought in to work the | mines, and their development brings in | ad litiona. capital, tradesmen and invest
 ors in other lines. and this naturally es- 1 tablishes new business centers for the
 variou districts, which naturally causes | more travel and contributes to the | growth of the city and the State" | "We are well satisfied with the present seasons business said Solon Jacobs, | commercial agent of the Georgia Central 1 Railway. "Our business has increased at | least 25 per cent, if not more-both local and through passenger traffic. There | has been a large volume of travel to | Florida points, and we have done a very | nice business in .ttat lir.c. Ire season, which opened early in January, bids fair to last until late in April, and there has been a continual streams of passengers from the north a.d t'7e no, hw-ct to oi fn piy
 vice. and of course good accommodations facilitate travel.
 Local travel is also good-much better than last seasor which indicates
 healthful condition of affairs and that
 this section of Alabama is prosperous
 and growing rapidly"
 The Kansas City Route.
 "rravel on our system is better now
 than 1t was last year, said c. M. Bill
 hemer city passenger agent of the Kan
 sas City, Memphis and Birmingham Rail-
 road. "The spring tourist travel to the
 Northwest is now becoming active and
 will no doubt be more so, when the reser-
 vations in the Indian Territory are thrown open for settlement. Our Tues days settlers excursions are better pat rorized than ever, and we are also doing a good passenger business with Tennes- see and North Mississippi points. Local travel is also better, though it is nov between seasons
 The Queen and Crescent.
 "Our passenger traffic holds up well and is increasing both North and South, said an official of the Queen and Cres- cent System. In addition to the Florida travel, ttere is heavy travel to New Or leans and the Gulf coast points. The gen eral condition of the country is healthier and travel is better than it was last sea-