New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1911-12-31
THE CHIEF RAIL FEEDER.

That the Mobile & Ohio Railroad is Mo
bile's own" cannot be gainsaid. for II was
concaiyed. brought into existence and
reared 10 fit ii with the vigor and staying
nouer that have characterized ii during
Is long career. here; the authors of its be-
Ing we're Mobile enterprise and capital
Its first entry upon the then small trans
portation stage may be said to have been
unicue. for il was chartered in FEBRUARY
1s.s nv the concurrent action Of four
states. Alabama. Mississippi Tennessee
and Kentucky; their legislatures were all
in session on that date, coincidence that
has never since happened. It was theh'
TOO. the greatest railroad enterprise that
had ever been launched.
Completed to Columbus Ky, on April 2
1851 il was during the Civil War, bone
Of contention between the ConfederateS
and Fedcrals. at one moment the property
NJ tho one and the next the spoil Of the
other
II now counts over fifty years operation
between the port and its first interior ter
minus. Columbus and it has never killed
passenger! 4 history as unique among
railroads as was its debut
Later. through the absorption of the St.
Louis < Cairo Railroad. it was extended
10 81. Louis, making Of it an important
line Of communication between the North
and Northwest and South and Southwest,
and a servtor Of six states-Alabama, Mis-
s.ssirui. Tennessee, Kentucky, Illinois and
Nissouri-in particular and, through its
alliance with the Southern Railway, Of
eight others in general 1t may be added
that this allied Southcrn-Mobile & Ohio
system. reaching termini at three points
on the Big Muddy, st. Louis Mo; Mem
uhis. Tenn. and Greenville, Miss; two
Michigan cities on the lake of that name,
and Cincinnati on the north; one at the
national capital and six on the Atlantic
coast West Point and Norfolk. Va;
Charleston S c.; Savannah and Bruins
witch. Ga, and Jacksonville. Fla, con-
meets not only with every other railroad
system. hut with every form of transporta-
Hion in this broad land.
Mobile was not included in that list be-
cause in the system it stands alone for the
Gulf of Mexico. and ALI roads" Gas with
Rome lead" or will lead to- it OF
through il, TO reach the great trade of
the east and west coasts Of Central and
South America. and TO pour into foreign
bound ships the grain and the animal prod
ucts Of The Vest and the more varied
staples Of hcr hlnterland, the world-sought
yellow pine, hardwood cotton, coal and
iron being the greatest Of these.
But while the export business Of the
Mobile d Ohio is gathered from all parts
Of the country. its southbound stuff comes
% it chiefly through the gateways Of ST.
Louis and Cairo. through which il directly
connects with the great grain fields OF
the West and Northwest 10 speak more
Specifically Its imports are likely 10
come 90 IL from any point in the world
reached by tidewatcr
IN the territory il reaches, either with
Us own or allied lines. other railroad sys-
tens are competing for business TO rival
ports. but the Mobile & Ohio has d de-
c.ded advantage Over these. i'm the strategic
position Of its tidewater terminus-Mobile.
The rails Of the system have a cOmpre-
heusyc and excellent ocean complement
Tor its through on export and import
business iu the shape Of regular and oc-
'dsoaai steamship service The first is
represented by the Leyland and the llar-
nson lines 10 Liverpool. the Leyland and
. me Manchester 10 Manchester; the Man
chester and Cuban 10 Bremen: the Ham
. blrg-American TO Hamburg; the European
Lumber and Transit 10 Rotterdam and
Antwerp: the Lamport & Holt 10 Nayre,
and The almost daily service Of the United
Fruit Company 10 the principal ports Of
Central America. The second, by the At
lantc & Mexican Gulf and the United
Fruit Lines to Panama and South Amer
Tea, the Munson 10 Cuban ports. and the
seebers 70 the Windward and Lceward
Islands
The Mobile & Ohio has already effected an
arrangements. too. for the establishment OF
regular lines OF steamers between this and
rosario, Argentina, and the principal ports
o. the eastern coast Of South America.
this Will make tributary 10 Mobile out
gong calgoes OF agricultural implements.
furniture. pine timber in various FORMS
packing house products, machinery ana
merchandise. and importations Of coffee,
fertilizer materials. etc) And IL has. IN
aooition 10 all these, the weekly coast
"he steamship service 10 New York