The Semi-weekly leader. (Brookhaven, Miss.) 1905-1941, 1907-02-23
PASCAGOULA
TO THE FRONT.
MISSISSIPPI CENTRAL AND OTHER I'M.
PORTANT CONNECTIONS.
As the Result Of the Acquisition Of
the Kansas City Road by
the Frisco.
Hattiesbarg Progress. |

Lit dcqu1SlllOn OF the MODlie,
jackson and Kansas City Railroad
| by the Frisco Rock Island Sys-
tenn, combined with other signiH-
cant occurrences the development
of the railroad in Mississippi has
turned all eyes in the direction of
Scranton and Pascagoula as the
next port on the gulf to receive
attention at the hands of the
developmental agencies. 1t has
been known for a long time that
the Frisco people were anxious, to
obtain control of the Kansas City
line. as it would furnish them the
desired opening over its own rails
to the gulf. While the Kansas
City road now makes its terminals
at Mobile, it is evident that the
Frisco has its eyes on point fur
ther west, and that indeed one
port will not suffice for the opera
tion Of the big system. The Kan
sas City road is now so near to a
physyical connection with Pasea
goula tFat the Frisco people could,
if they desired to do so, complete
the connection in weeks time.
Running northward from Pasca-
goula on the short line belonging
to the Denny Lumber Company,
built on standard guage, with
heaviest rails and supplied with
steel bridges of the best construc-
tion. This short line is now with
in seven miles of Donovan, a sta
tion on the Kansas City line, and
the contract is already awarded
for the completion of the gap.
When that is done the Frisco will
be able to send its cars to deep
water at Pascagoula anG the flu
ture of that port will be assured.
Pascagoula is conceded by the
engineers who have surveyed the
harbor and by the mariners who
have navigated it, to possess bet
ter natural advantages as a port
than any other place on the Gulf
of Mexico, with the exception of
Pensacola, which is too far east to
figure IN the development of the
western transportation business.
The people Of Pascagoula are lib
eral, they are organized and ready
to encourage every proposition,
such as this which the Frisco is to
hold out.
But the Frisco is not the only
big railroad which is figuring on
an outlet at Pascagoula. During
the past week it has been made
known that the Birmingham and
Southwestern road, which as yet
exists only on paper, has secured
a river frontage of a mile in
length to be used as terminals at
Pascagoula. 1t is furthermore
known that the Mississippi Cen
tral has made all arrangements to
build on to Pascagoula from Hat
/ tlesburg within the next eighteen
months. Now it is stated that the
Edward Hines Lumber Company,
which during the past week let a
contract for the constr uctlon of a
seventy five mile road from Pop
larville, Miss, to Gulfport, also
proposed to run a line over to
Pascagoula to open up the timber
country in that territory and to
secure the additional facilities of
the port. The Hines Company is
chartered to build from Vicks-
burg to a point on the gulf, and
its ability to carry out its purpose
is attested by the fact that the
Hines Company, itself wealthy
corporation, is backed in this en-
terprise by the Weyerhauser fam
lily, of Duluth, said to rival the
Rockefellers as the wealthiest
family in the world. Mr.. Fred
erick Weyerhauser is on the
BOARD of directors of the railroad
company.
i For some reason difficult to ex,
plain, Pascagoula has been left
behind in the march of progress
on the Gulf Coast up to this time,
but the knowing ones have always
predicted great future for the
port, and the residents of the town
have waited patiently for the
magician's wand to touch them
and convert the village into :
J great port Of entry. That time is
about at hand.