The Montgomery advertiser., 1902-05-31
TRACK FIGHT RECALLED
RAILROADS WHICH WARRED
ARE NOW UNITED.
All Companies, Except Plant System,
Which Engaged in Clay Street
Struggle are Now Property
Of the Southern.

The fight between the Seaboard and
Belt Line Railroad III Birmingham brings
back to local railroad men some exciting
sceEes near West Montgomery some years
ago This was the celebrated battle OF
Clay Street" when the Montgomery,
Trs caloosa and Memphis road was struy-
Cling to get into Montgomery.
The Hanover Construction Company
had brought the road almost to the foot
of Clay Street. At this point there were
a number of tracks-the Mobile and Mont
gomery division of the Louisville and
Nashville, the Selma division of the West
era and the Plant System. All these
tracks emerged from the big cut, and
Major Voolfolk and the Hanover Conn
pany was trying to get the new road into
the foot of the cut and thence to the
union railway station.
But just here something happened quick
and hard.
The Plant people were holding out a
helping hand to the stranger who was yet
in swaddling clothes. The Louisville and
Nashville and Western people. however.
were not so Hospitality inclined. They
not only refused point blank to welcome
the stranger. knocking at the door. but
they were doirg everything in their power
to prevent it from getting q toe hold"'in
Montgomery dirt.
To get over to the Plant tracks the new
road would have to cross the tracks of
the Western and Louisville and Nash
VILE and these roads proposed that this
should not happen. How tracks were
built at night, loaded cars run on them
and derailed, how deputy sheriffs police
men. Justices of the Peace and all the
machinery of the law was brought into
action as well as other incidents OF an
exciting week, is well remembered.
There were hot words and hotter ac-
lions. In fact it was all exceedingly
warm. Finally. a damage suit resulted
which dragged its weary body through
several courts for several years Only
few months ago the end came when the
Supreme Court gave the victory to ]. N.
Hall of Montgomery-a victory which
amounted to several thousand dollars be-
ing drawn from the strong boxes of Mil
ton III. Smith and the Louisville and
Nashville Railroad Company.
As politics makes strange bed fellows.
so does the trend of time in the railroad
world perform likewise. One would have
given vent to a smile of incredulity at the
statement at that time that most of the
railroads engaged in that crossing fight
would In a short time be under one man
asement The Louisville and Nashville
which was the 'pons asinorum in the
Clay Street fight is now under the magic
thumb OF ]. p. Morgan. due to the little
Gates episode of a few weeks ago. The
Western is something of an unknown
quantity. 1t has always been the bone at
which those big dogs, the Louisville and
Central Rave snarled over Ihe LOUIS
Vile and Nashville being under the DOM
nation Of the Morgan crowd and the
| O. ntral being one of the Southerns pieces
| of rror erty. it would seem to augur that
| the Western is also "hypnotizcd" by the
| Southern.
| The Mobile and Ohio-primarily the In
strument that brought about the crossing
| fight at Clay Street-has been bought by
| the Southern. This leaves every road en-
gagged in that merry war properties OF
| the Southern. That Is, all but one the
| Plant system. and a few weeks ago that
corporation passed into the grasp OF the
Atlantic Coast Line.
| II is now officially announced that
| President John SHELTON Williams of the
Seaboard Airline Is at last going to DO
what has been SO often predicted--com-
| pIete the gap between Atlanta and Biz
| mingham of the former property of the
| Kellys. the East and West Railroad.
If the Union Springs and Northern Is
| extended from Fort Davis to Millstead.
and thence to Birmingham as is CON
| templated, 1t will give Mr.. Williams a
straight shoot over his own rails from
Washington. Portsmouth and Richmond
through Atlanta and Birmingham TO
Montgomery. But his getting out of here
Is the knotty question. He has line to
Albany. Ga, but how to get from AL
bany to the Florida Central and PENN
sular at Monticello, Fla, is the ques-
ton.
1t is now known to all men that the
Southern owns what it has been accused
of owning for some time-the Atlantic.
Valdosta and Western Whether the
Southern will fill in the gap between Al.
bany and Valdosta and run a branch of
its Florida service from Montgomery and
Albany remains to be seen.
At Naldosta there Is the Georgia South
ern and Florida, a road that has belonged
to the Southern for some years, and II
may he that the Florida Service will be
opera ted from Atlanta to Valdosta over
the Georgia SouthcrI, and thence into
Jacksonville over the Atlantic, Valdosta
and Western.
Notes and Personal.
General Foreman Briggs OF the Louis
willie and Nashville shops will leave in