The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1906-09-05
CHAMBER OF COMMERCE NOTES
A Few of the Matters That Secretary
Reardcn Has to Think About.

-
Belts Lumber Conpany's railroad
farther into the Shiloh, Beulah and
Salem sections, from its present ter
minus, and then extending this line
! into Sumter from the Belts mill,
abour three miles from Sumter. The
| importance of a railroad connection
between Sumter and the Shiloh and
| Pudding Swamp sections is so very
important to the merchants Of Sum-
ter that it is hard to realize how the
business men Of such wiGa-aWake
! and hustling business city as Sumter
is can go to sleep over such an i'm
| portant proposition, while thousands
and thousands Of dollars in trade,
which formerly cane to Sumter e-e
known to be going to Mayesville,
Beulah, Tinamonsville, Florence,
Manning and other places smaller
than Sumter.
In addition to letters from retail
merchants and others in the sections
above noted to the Chamber Of Com
nlerce travelling Representatives OF
Sumter business houses are being op-
rortuned to stir up the business men
of Sumter to the importance Of assist
ing in making a commercial line out
Of the Belts Lumber Company's road
as above suggested. A representative
Of the Sumter Chamber Of Commerce
last Saturday, while on the train from
Sumter to Lanes in the morning, no.
ticed a large number Of people board
that train to Alcolu, bound for Man.
ming. He was told by one in a posi-
ton to observe daily the travel along
the Alcolu and Central railroads, that
hundreds Of these people come down
on the Alcolu road which makes con-
nections at Alcolu with the train to
Manning every day, and go to Man.
ming to trade, instead of coming to
Sumter as they formerly did before
the Alcolu railroad made it con-
venient for them to go to Manning to
do their trading.
Well, while that was well known,
but nevertheless sizzling hot curved
ball remark to OUR commercial or
ganization representative, who can
stand a lot of "Jarring," yet it was
unquestionably a solid, materialistic
proposition, without any hot air COM
position, and a fact which you
could not run your hand through as if
it was steam vapor, hacterilogically
sterilized, and analysed. 1t was in
fectious, and contained the germs ct
discomfort and nervous prostration
which affected the mental equilibrium
of that Sumter spieler so much that
he was in profound meditation for so
long a time that Conductor Welch
thought the secretary was hypnotized
and he called on Clerk of Court L. I.
Parrot, who was on board to use his
hypnotic healing powers to wake up
the Sumter howler.
But like Banquos ghost, ye secre-
tary'' would not down. And now the
Chamber of Commerce has awakened
without falling out of bed, at least no
one mas heard anything drop, and
the business men of Sumter will be
asked to wake up and do something
which will look like a railroad con-
nection with the Shiloh, Pudding
Swamp, Beulah, Turbeville, Salem,
sections to get back lost trade.
But the business men Of Sumter
have been told time and again by the
Chamber of Commerce through this
paper and also at meeting of busi,
ness men with Manager Allen of the
Belts Lumber Company of the i'm
portance of making the Belts Lumber
Company's railroad into commercial
line. Mr.. Allen says he is now ready
to talk business with the merchants
of Sumter. He has authority to go
ahead and complete business arrange
ments for making a commercial line
out of his road.
VIII anything be done? Will this
be built? Or will it continue to be
farmers dream?
Mr.. w. r. Phillips, travelling rep
resentative of the Geo. D. Shore g
Bro. wholesale house of Sumter says
that th> farmers, retail merchants ana
the consumers of the section through
which this road would run, are ateel
him very often to urge the business
men of Sumter to take steps to oullo
this road They Will send Delegations
from their sections to a mass meetlnS
at Sumter at any time. They Will SUP
scribe money for stock, give rights OF
way ard patronize the road. Let US