The Montgomery advertiser., 1902-02-16

0>~N>~sT~N<U<N>fN>~ - = " Crenshaw. It hassnot been sosvery. many years since travelling n1en. rom Mont gomery working the counties of Pike Dale. Henry and Barbour were forced to make the entire journey In buRgy. The trip formerly occupied several weeks and In some cases a month while now every principal point in the territory mentioned the outside. Generally the start was made at Eufaula, from there by Cfayt0ns aq9 Louisville in Barbour to Ozark in the county of Dab, then by DothaA down IT Abbeville and Columbia in that county. Some times boat was taken at Eufaule to Columbia wheu the drummer would. work his way back to Eufaula with q Central now has, a branch from Bufaule. by Clayton to Ozark. that part cf the' former trip being made in an afternoon when formerly several days were rs- from Albany. Ga.. touching Columbaa' and Dothan In the county of Henry down to Sellersville In Geneva County. An ex- tension of the Central has also been com the lower portion of. Pike and the north- ern portion of Covington Counties. In afct the Plant System .and the Georgia Cen srai have put .ss such ,.1s network 70 of a raii- that the olden time buggy trips ars . thing of the past and the livery peoplo have been almost put out of businese- The Georgia and Alabama branch of tho Seaboard Air Line has put Montgomery merchants into the position of almose having the key to the situation In tho rich County of Russell. 2 section of tho State that formerly did it's business .exr clusively with Columbus, Ga.
 The extension that the Seaboard pre- poses to build from Fort Davis to Bir- mingham will open up new territory that with proper efforts on the part q n<z ztev4rr rtSo mt tx~ to this city. This extension will run through . part of Macon County, through the lower edge of Tallapoosa, through the northeastern portion of Eimore, into the County of Jefferson. Most oAi this territory is as vet undevefoped-> virgin as to railroads-and 1t remains ts be seen whether Montgomery or Birs
 The Mobile and Ohio has opened up an undeveioped section of Autauga County. the Southwest part of Chiffon, the hear4 of Bibb and into Tuscaloosa. Most of the trade of this territory flows Into tho coffers of the Montgomery merchants and with q little energy the entire section from here to Tuscsloosa could be direct.
 The Western--both Atlanta and Selma divisions-are such landmarks that every- one Is familiar with them, but the trade of Lowndes and Danas. Macon and Lee, counties would be bitter pill for Monts
 
 richest territory that has been developed for Montgomery In the past few yearf Is the extension of the Louisville and Nashville from Georgtana In Butler Coun- ty to Geneva in the County of that name. From Georgtana the line Is through tho extreme southwestern portion of Butler through the heart of Covinston County;to Andalusia and on to Geneva. Nearly all of the business of Covington County formerly went to Geneva by teams, from where 1t was sent to Pensacola by river. Montgomery not only gets the trade of the entire County of covingtony.that is, road, but gets business from Geneva as we'll. If factories for the manufactory of wooden ware were located in Montgom-. cry all the wood is within easy reach, as some of the richest timber belts in the world are on the extension from Geor- -i giana to Geneva.
 The completion of the Pine Apple branch of the Louisville and Nashville gomery mercnants' should and probably do get, From Fiomaton the line cuts Es- cambia County into the southeast corner of Conecuh and through the northern edge of Monroe. Then 1t strikes the rich County of Wilcox. going into Pine Apple and branch sixteen miles Ioss from the main lineTfrom Acknowledgements into the town Of Camden. After reachtnE 2 Selma the Selma division ofthe western., which looks Oh the face of 1t to be vir-A tually an l.. and N. branch, brings 1t to. Montgomery. Another branch of the |. and N. opens up the rich County of Ma rengo. the terminus of the read at pres- ent being at Linden, and while this ter rttory looks to belong to Selma, still Montgomery should be able to get slice of 1t. This is, what the railroads have done for Montgomery. In truth they have done a vast deal for the town, but they can't do It all and If the business men of this city don't put their shoulders to tho wheel from now on the fault lies with tnem--and criminal fault 1t, will be. The railroads of the State are developing the resources of Alabama as rapidly as posi- sibie. These clear-headed railroad men have realized more than anyone else the tremendous possibilities that lie in the fi- ture of Alabama. This State is without doubt one of the richest in the South. Vast fields of iron, coal. marble, phos- phate and every known mineral cotton, timber, etc. lining every seam from the valley of the Tennessee to the shores of the Gulf of Mexico. All that remains to make Alabama a wilderness of ricnes'' Is for the railroads to have some help. and the magic is accomplished.