The Montgomery advertiser., 1904-12-15
MONTGOMERY MAY GET IT General Offices of the
 |. < N THEY ARE TO BE MOVED vii! Consolidate With the
 Coast Line. Report in Circulation That Wilmington and Louisville Ofices VIII Be
 Transferred to This
 City or Atlanta.
THEY ARE TO BE MOVED

A bit of railroad gossip of far,reach- ing interest and importance to Mont gomery, is in circulation. The story is that the general offices of the Att lantic Coast Line and the Louisville and Nashville Railroad Company will be located either in Atlanta or Mont gomery.
 The headauarters of the Coast Line In Wilmington, N. C.. and those of the Louisville and Nashville in Louisville are too far from the working territory of the two railroads, and as the inter- ests, physical, commercial and hnan- cial, of them both are common, the story has a plausible ring. From a monetary standpoint the beneficial ef- fects of such move can hardly be estimated, and the commercial inter ests of Montgomery would receive an impetus if this city is selected.
 Of course if the headquarters of the two companies are consolidated many employees in the general offices at Lou isville and Wilmington would be dropped. Even with the consolidation, however. a great number of office men would be required to carry on the work. These men will of course spend a great deal of money, and every branch of trade locally would feel the effects. Another consideration is that the con- tracts for oil. fuel and equipment sap- plies would be made here, and this would mean a far greater circulation of money throughout the city every mcnth
 Numbers of railroad changes that di- rectly or indirectly affected Montgom- cry closely have been made in the re- cent past that looked most improbable when they were alluded to months be- fore their consummation. It has been rather an interesting study, this un- folding of railroad deals.
 good many years ago a railroad was projected and was finally built mainly through the efforts of Colonel Hawkins of Americus, Ga, the road running from Montgomery to Ameri- GUS and eventually on to Savannah. Ga. It was called the Savannah. Americus and Montgomery. John Skelton Will Hams and the Seaboard Air Line be- came interested in this road. which de- veloped from the old IS. A. M" to the Georgia and Alabama. Later the road bee anne a division of the great Seaboard Air Line system.
 Years and years ago a little narrow gauge railroad ran from Montgomery to Ada. twenty -one miles, in Montgom- cry County, and from 1t sprang what is now a branch of the Atlantic Coast Line. The gradual expansion of this little narrow gauge piece of property Is perhaps one of the most interesting developments in Montgomery railroad history. By degrees the narrow gauge line was extended until the border line of Crenshaw County was reached, fin ally getting through to Luverne About this time a railroad was projected and was eventually built from Montgomery
 to Bainbridge, Ga. Not long after this nf rat at that time one of the biggest things in this part of the United StatesS-ab- sorbed the road from Montgomery to Bainbridge The little narrow gauge also went into the Plant fold, the two being made a division of the Plant Sys- tenn.
 Some years ago stories began to cir- | culate in different newspapers through out the country in connection with a
 rumored merger of the Plant System
 with one of the powerful Eastern lines
 This story was scoffed at by certain railroad men who continued to dis credit it until the deal was actually
 closed whereby the Atlantic Coast Line absorbed the Plant System.
 When the newspapers began circu- lating stories in regard to the Louis vile and Nashville being absorbed by one of the Eastern lines there was 6 general laugh. railroad people saying 1t was putting the cart before the horse. few years ago, however, the deal was sonsummated. whereby the Atlantic Coast Line absorbed the
 Louisville and Nashville in its en- tirety.
 The same incredulity was freely ex'
 pressed when stories were circulated | about the Mobile and Ohio being ab- | sorbed The Southern Railway, how
 ever. effectually stopped the doubting by eating up the Mobile and Ohio al
 one big moutnful, so 1t seems that
 there is nothing new under the sun
 in railroad matters. and the tconsoli-
 dation of the Louisville and Nashville | and Atlantic Coast Line headquarters
 may after all not be such vague | story.