The Montgomery advertiser., 1903-11-12
TO RAZE COWLES HOUSE
OLD BUILDING TO GIVE WAY TO
 MODERN PROGRESS.
Historic Mansion in Railroad Yards is to Be Torn Down = Other News of the Railroad
 World.

World.
 The memorable march of progress will
 in the near future ci use the demolition of
 the Graves mansion in the railroad yards.
 a building that for half a century has
 been the pride and boast of Montgomery.
 Away back in the early Sos Major
 Thomas NJ. Cowles erected residence , that at that time was not only the most palatial building in Alabama, but one of
 the finest in the South, costing $S0O00. } Some years afterward it passed into the
 hands of General J. T. Holtzclaw and . later was purchased by Captain W. II.
 Graves.
 The old Plant System bought the build ing converted the handsome drawing , rooms into offices and ever since then it has been known as the general office building first of the Plant System and later of the Atlantic Coast Line. The big building is at present something like an island a high and lofty eminnece sur rounded far below on both sides by rail- road tracks. In former days the front gates of the big building opened on a pretty little park of trees which sloped gently and gradually down to the foot of Moulton Street.
 Immediately after acquiring the proper ty the Plant System and Mobile and Ohio Railroad began working steam shovels ana raplOly the nlll was cut uOWH to grade with the Belt Line and Mobile and Ohio tracks to the left and in front of the building and to the tracks to the right on River Street.
 Several days ago The Advertiser told of the plan to pave River Street, the Louisville and Nashville and Atlantic Coast Line bearing the expense jointly. The work was to have been commenced Immediately but the Coast Line officials had to wait until 1t was authorized by the general office of that company in Wilmington. Yesterday that authority came and Superintendent J. I. Mckinney of the Mobile and Montgomery division of the Louisville and Nashville, who is to have the work done, instructed Road master Shields to begin the work which he will do in the next few days.
 After the street is paved the Cost Line will build an additional track on it's side of the street and the Mobile and Mont gomery division one on it's side Of the ,street The street is now on a grade with the Water Street yards of the Mobile and Montgomery and the building , of the additional track means virtually an extension of these yards or room for twenty additional cars in the yards.
 The paving of the street and building of the extra track by the Coast Line
 means the doom of the old Cowles resi- dence, for 1t is merely a question of time
 when the building will be demolished and l. the Island" will melt away before the
 greedy maw of steam shovels until 1t is t on a grade with the tracks to right and l, left of it, making a most commodious
 yard.
 i; At present the freight depot of the 5, Coast Line is in a warehouse at the cor
 nor of North Court and Columbus |; Streets, the Belt Line tracks from Tal- t, llapoosa Street entering the Court Street fztI aR khA oRnhA l; is the only railroad entering Montgom- }. cry which has not built its own freight depot The Seaboard Air Line has its E. own building on North Perry and Colum- 7. bus Streets, the Western on Tallapoosa
 and Coosa Streets, the Louisville and 7; Nashville at the foot Of Lee Street and I. the Mobile and Ohio on the same street.
 The plan of the Coast Line is to build a I. handsome freight depot on its property m between Bell and River Streets and pos
 sibly on the spot that the old Cowles n, building occupies. now. the superintendent
 and office force of the Coast Line now a in the Cowles building to occupy offices D. in the union railway station. It may be
 some time before anything is done r
 regard to this, but The Advertiser has il
 from good authority that the foregoing ,r plan has been determined and will even S. tually be carried out. m Burglar-Proof Pay Cars. Id Burglar-proof pay cars is an innovation s s in railway equipment soon to be introduc'
 ed by the Pennsylvania system. The
 company is now building at the Colum
 bus shops new style car for the use
 of the paymaster which is said to be a:
 near burglar proof as 1t Is possible tC CT make them and if the car proves success
 full it will be adopted as the standard Id style on the Pennsylvania system. Ere r. uuently thousands of dollars are carried "A To, uyh CT if any instances where highwaymen at y, tempted to hold up the pay car the of -ir ficials are anxious to replace the present r. style with cars of more substantial build ty The general use of steel in the construc ct tion of railway cars and the various other n- devices made so prominent in late years ed has made it possible for the railroad com id pany to greatly improve the pay car 1T ed the matter of safety.
 CT The first burglar-proof car will Dc
 turned out of the Panhandle shops al le Columbus this week, says The St. Louis n- Globe Democrat. It has been built af e. ter plans especially designed by officials IS of the road, and provides necessary pre-.
 caution for the production of the money d handled over the road on pay day The ID car is covered with steel sheetng and is le said to be absolutely bullet-proof, as wei In as sufficiently substantial to resist the
 entrance of burglars. Many improve. le mentS nave been eHeCJlVe III the interior IS of the car which combine to make 1t the st most modern of it's kind in the country IS The interior arrangement Is radically 1t changed from the old style, and in ad
 dition to the protection afforded the cal
 is otherwise convenient for the men em ployed on it.
 4 The first trip of the new car will be
 made with the pay for the present month
 The old one that has done service fol
 some time on the Panhandle has beer
 sent to Columbus so that the books ant \ other contents may he transferred to the
 new car. It is said that the Pennsylvania
 intends to adopt this the standard
 style of pay car for the whole system
 and others are to be built at once.
 Special Rates Authorized.
 A supplementary order has been issued
 by the Southern Passenger Association
 relative to excursion rates for movement. of repularlV organized fbea coD,-