Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1901-01-11
TOWN GREW RAPIDLY
PROSPERITY FOLLOWS OPENING OF
A RAILROAD.
Moribund Region QuieLened Into
Life by Modern Transportation Ia
ciIiiIes-EIectric Lights and schools
Come With the Railroad.


Life by Modern Transportation Ia
ciIities-EIectric Lightsand schools
Come with the RaiIroad.
The completion Of the Gulf and Ship
Island railroad TO Jackson. Miss. with
in the past few months has opened up
TO the merchants of the capital city n
vast territory hitherto inaccessible save
by means of the antiquated OK teams
which formed the only transportation
facilities TO the interior towns.
Since the completion of the road and
the Inauguration of double daily pas
senGer and freight train service new
towns have sprung up. and old towns
have taken on new life to such an eX-
tent that they would scarcely he recog
nized as the sleepy villages where the
Inhabitants would almost stagnate for
want of chaI>,e. Newcomers rarely
explored that section of Mississippi
then.
i The advent of the new road has had
its effect on that part of the state and
what was once Il wilderness is now GER
tain to be a rich country, dotted here
and there with new towns, populated
with Industrious people who have In
vested their capital in farm lands and
sawmills and who will send the prod
ucts of their Investments to the COM
mercial ccntcrs.
The trade III the various new towns
on the Gulf and Ship Island road Is
phenomenal. 1t has probably broken
all records heretofore achieved by any
new road in any part of the country.
The drummers have found this terri
tory to be the most lucrative in Misss-
sippi, and the boys are working the
towns by the score.
The road traverses large area Of
the long leaf pine lands. This belt of
pine timber is SAID to he the most val
liable In the south and contains in all
about 1900 square miles of timber
Sawmills have already been erected at
many of the principal points, and 9th
ers are In course of construction.
Farm lands are plentiful, and, the fa-
cilitics for getting the cotton to the
market having been improved by the
construction of the new road, 1t is safe
10 say that the cotton acreage next
year will he increased.
There are numerous towns along this
Z nj n In al which
have forged to the front, but the lar
geSt and most widely known is Hat
tiesburg, situated at the junction of the
Gulf and Ship Island and New Orleans
and Northeastern roads.
That city now lays claim to popula-
tion of between 5000 and 5000. In q
few years time this number will be
doubled II has the wealth and the
progressive people behind 1t which are
an assurance that IIattiesburg is going
to gain.
The land on which Hattiesburg is
built was public land in 1881. and 100
acres Of it We're homesteaded by d. Ii.
Mclnnis. and the remainder or the
greater part Of it. some 1000 acres,
was entered ut the United States land
office by Captain w. II. Hardy. But
Hatticsburg. strictly speaking, is only
about IL years old dating the begin
ming Of its history from the opening Of
the New Orleans and Northeastern
road in November. 1888.
The town was founded by Captain
W. ii. Hardy and named for his wife,
Mrs. Hattie l.. Hardy, who died in
May, 1890.
For n number of years the little vii
lage struggled along. Those who had
faith in its future were content to re-
main. while others who We're not so
sangune as to the development of the
town folded their tents and departed
for more promising fields. Those busi-
ness men whose intellect was keen
enough 10 penetrate the future and in
| vest their money there are now reapins
their reward, and day by day they
have the pleasure of seeing their in
vestments grow in value.
On the completion of the Gulf and
SllID tSluui IDub tHtlC III lt'Co thS WV II
began to grow rapidly. On every side
Industries sprung into existence, and
| the town threw aside its mantle of in
dolence and invited immigration and
capital to come and share in its new
fortunes,
Banks were organized; mills were
built. waterworks and electric lights
were constructed; a high school build
ing costing $4,000 was erected; brick
stores took the place of frame ones; in
fact, the town grew almost by magic
into city of Importance.
In Haitiesburg one of the largest lum.
| Der mills in the south is located. The
j. j. Newman Lumber company owns
and operates this mill. which has ca
pacity of 100000 feet per day. 1t has
its electric plant and waterworks, the
latter supplied by two six inch artesian
wells, The company employs about
1,2OO hands and cuts the timber from
about 30 acres of land per day,
There are also located the G. W.
Rich Lumber company and the Hat
! tltSDulS IulllDel COulJdhy. DOtu uOluS
| q lucrative business,
The water for the waterworks Is sup
piled from two artesian wells, which
have sufficient pressure to force a
stream over a two story building.
The construction of an adequate sew
erage system Is one of the possibilities
for the near future, and bonds to the
amount of $4,000 will be issued for
this purpose.
improvements in the way of new
mercantile buildings and handsome
residences are manifest on all sides.
| The comnletion of the two nroipctnd