The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-11-08
TEN YEARS OF ALABAMA
Mo- 69-The Alabama and Chattanooga Railroad
 (COntinuedl
1865-t874

In order to understand the potentality of artificial lines of transportation in Ala bama, it is profitable to make exposure, in word, of the physical character of the state. The railroad history of the state is distinguished by an extraordinary pre- cocity and railroad enterprise is com mingled with the most consistent ambi- ton of the civic organization. The origin of the North East and South West rail- road in the slave era, the methods then adopted for building, the utter wreck of so great an institution by political change, the absolute transfer of the property by original projectors, without consideration, to the representatives of a successful mill itary invasion. the political depreciation of the era following, into which the road was preciptated. and in which it became notorious and disreputable factor these circumstances and conditions plant an historical pivot of rare interest.
 The river transportation system within the 5l, l,54O square miles may be given in round numbers at 2000 miles, now open or liable to be opened by inexpensive im- provement. Fifteen hundred miles of this system concentrates in the harbor of Mobile
 The area drained by the rivers is, with unimportant exception. free from inunda- ton, well timbered and watered through out, except the prairie lands denuded by the axe of magnificent woods, and where a phenomenal supply of subterranean water is readily procured. Every one or 67 counties will produce all staple crops of the United States in extreme perfec- ton.
 In every congressional district there is of Half1a
 The mineral wealth of the state cov- CTS a large connected area and is so not able that by common consent that section will soon become the workshop of the country, south of the Ohio, and the Iron and steel distributing market of the com- mercial nations.
 The theory of modern transportation is contained in the interdependence of rail and water carriage. A railroad was found necessary to parallel the Erie canal. The water facilities of New York commerce made necessary the railroads that pene- trate the remotest land from that part.
 To show Alabama's early and consistent appreciation of it's resources and the rec ognized necessity of building railroads for development, we resort to the evil dence, derived from comparison with the original Atlantic coast statesA short track $isf- 1he~ coal fields of Pennsylvania seems to have been the earliest railroad in the lnlleu oldltS, III tAit Jc1t 4o-o' N'AN A'aA timore and Ohio was put in operation in 1S30; the South Carolina in 1888; the Cam den and Amboy, New Jersey, in 1884; the Washington branch of the Baltimore and Ohio in 1885; the New York Central, as far as Utica, in 1886. These enumerated were the pioneers in the united states and in the new world.
 The legislature of Alabama by act ap- proved January Is, 1S30, chartered the .'Tuscumbia Railway company" to build q road to a point on the Tennessee rlVer where now stands the town of Shelf field.
 On January IS, 1882, charter was grant ed to the ''Tuscumbia, Courtland and De- catur Railroad company" Benjamin Sher- rod, president This line was A miles. It was built entirely by the cotton plan tation slave labor of the vicinity. All the stock was owned by cotton planters, No rails were used. Flat iron bars were laid on wooden stringers and the cars were drawn by mules until small en- zine. using wood, was brought by river from Pittsburg.
 On January 20, 1882, charter was grant ed to Lewis Judson and 143 associates re- siding throughout the state, among them Mortimer Jordan of Jefferson, Daniel E. Watrous of Shelby, Jesse Beene and James M. Calhoun of Dallas, Jack F. Ross and Samuel St. John of Mobile. E. b. King of Perry, etc., to build railroad from Selma or some nearby point on the Alabama, or Cahaba river to Decatur or Ten Islands on the Tennessee. If the en- gineer in charge should find that the Coosa river, south of Ten Islands, could be made navigable to Wetumpka for less money than the estimated cost of build ing inc chartered railroad then the com many might consider itself authorized by the charter to open the river to naviga- ton, provided the federal government should never be charged toll for the use of the river Section 20 of the act pro- vided: should said railroad company ever ask or receive aid from the general government in constructing said road, this charter shall be forfeited"
 Work on this trunk line was begun at once Twenty-seven miles out from Sell ma was graded and s1000O0 was expended.
 The next legislature, 1S34-35. chartered 36 railroad companies All of these lines were projected to tap the Alabama and Bgbee rivers to feed the commerce Of Mobile.
 It was flush times in the southwest, Alabama leading in the mad rush for government lands. Lands in unbroken forest were disposed of by the govern ment sales to bona fide settlers at go to $50 per acre. Cotton was sold for 20 to 3o cents the pound. The panic of 1887 came and universal prostration followed in the United States and great financial distress in Europe. The rallfoau pulIuiils suddenly ceased.
 Political agitation dominated the public mind in the lS30's. The revolt against the Clay American system,' high pro- tective tariff in the south and west. led to the Clay compromise Of 1883. by which the system was gradually eXtinguished by annual 10 per cent reductions. In the year before the abolition party, destined to work the revolution of lS6l-65 was found ed The panic of 1881 closed the pro-