The Birmingham age-herald., 1905-07-17
RAILROAD WORLD.

saxby's Travellers Magazine which de- votes practically all of it's space to clever articles regarding the railroad men of the United States and Canada has the follow ing real or imaginary letter from c. E. Ryan, general passenger agent of the Sea board, who was at one time assistant gen. eral passenger agent of the Chesapeake and Ohio with headquarters in Cincinnati'
 .It is not my custom to publish per sonal letters, but received a private communication from c. B. Ryan, general passenger agent of the Seaboard Air Line, which, 1t seems to me, should be given to my readers on account of it's interest just at the present time. Here 1t is, in it's entirety If there Is breach of confidence in the matter. l shall have to stand for the apology, so I'll apologize in advance:
 rNorfolk, Va, July 4, 1905.
 My Dear Saxby:
 Can you realize that three years ago to the day, or rather to the nfgnt, we were gathered with so many of my good old friends around the banquet table in the St. Nicholas? Tempus fugit-it certainly does. It was the night I said farewell, on the eve of taking charge of the pas senger traffic of the Seaboard Air Line railway. Some one jocularly asked where the Seaboard Air Line railway ran, as they had never heard of it. and Warren Lynch quickly remarked: Give him It. tie time and he will let you all know Well. honestly, I have tried but the road grows so rapidly. you see, that before the information l have given mas mad time to fairly take root, off she goes in another direction, and I have to tell about that, too.
 "'First we reached down to the Lana of Manatee, on the west coast of Florida, far south of Tampa-below the frost line the country of succulence where land IS cheap and money grows on trees and In the furrows. Oranges, lemons and grape fruit, pineapples, lettuce, strawberries. canteloupes, watermelons-in fact, all or the citrous fruit and truck that come earliest for the market and command the highest price just grow there till you can stop them. For further particulars send anxious inquiries to Frank Foulds. who can tell of the fruits of the well as of the soil Why, the flsn are so game and SO plentiful in the Land of Manatee tbat I am afraid my veracity would De doubted If told all the truth about them
 "'Now I am busy telling about our new Birmingham line, recently completed De- tween that city and Atlanta. l have seen other new lines that were we'll construct | seen one equal to ours Through train service between Birmingham and the east was inaugurated July 2. the Pullmans run ming to New York over the Pennsylvania railroad from Washington. The new line connects us at Birmingham with the Frisco for Memphis and with the entire west and south wide Alex. Hilton), with my young fat friend. Charlie Stones Louisville and Nashville north and south, | and with tht great golfer. Rinearson l Queen and Crescent. also north and south. am quite sure all of my old drummer friends who make fand don't withhold the credit due them; the word has double meaning for the drummer not only makes in the sense of visiting but does to very, very large degree make in the sense of building and upbuilding a city)-anyway. when the drummer make Atlanta and Birmingham, and use the vehicle we pro- vide. they will tell all the others who dc not read our advertisements. We are start ing out with five-and-a-half hour sche- dule between those two cities. with four trains daily, but 1t won't be long before we take up a notch or two.
 "'And now 1t seems that my fondest dream will soon be realized. for while am not In the councils of those who will have the work in hand, feel that our en- trance into the coal fields of the Big | Sandy is assured. and that then we will reach the Ohi river and Cincinnati. My, but won't 1t be great to get mixed up with the old crowd again. What we will do with the initial train will be a plenty. Will you be one of us? Say Yes for ] yourself and all the old crowd of three ! years ago tonight!
 " Sincerely your friend,
 | "'C. B. RYAN,"