The Pensacola journal., 1913-02-23
IS BEING BUILT
ON MODEL LINES
Many Men and Nearly a
Hundred Mules Forge
Ahead Over the Right-of-
Way-Mules know When
Dinner Time Comes and
Insist on Getting Their
Hay.

If one should choose a clear, sunny
day, go to the roof of the American
National bank building, and look
straight to the westward and beyond
Bayou Chico, he could doubtless see a
straight, level yellow streak reaching
far back into the perspective
That yellow streak, looking like a
path Of gold extending through the
center Of miles of greenest lawn
(Which is really scrub and dwarf pal
mettos), is the grade Of the Memphis
and Pensacola railroad. 1t Is only one
of three in the same direction which
have this city as their southern ter
minus. To the right of the golden
path. and running parallel with 1T only
few hundred feet north for several
miles, is the line Of the Deep Water
Route, already running trains on regu-
lar schedule. To the left of the golden
path the Iron horse" already draws
trains laden with lumber along another
stretch of track, that being the Pen
sacola. Mobile and New Orleans rail-
road, best known as the tMcLaughliu
road
Two of the roads, then, are now in
operation and the third will have
trains running by the first OF August,
at the latest, if 1t lies within the power
of four men in charge. a small army
Of workmen and mere than a hundred
mules to complete stretch approxi-
n1ately fifty miles in length by that
time.
THE FINANcIER.
The first of these by virtue of his
Office, is w. P. Dickinson, of Chicago
president Of the Memphis and Pensa-
cola Railroad Company.
Mr.. Dickinson comes to Pensacola
frequently, and has many friends In
this city. He is unassuming, even in
temperament and impresses one as
being a man hard to throw from his
natural poise by any combination of
adverse circumstances
He is theorist; at least, he is the
oretical. He is so theoretical that he
personally planned a railroad all the
way from Pensacola to Memphis
which should not only be the shortest
railroad between the north and the
gulf by sixty miles, but which should
have a maximum grade OF one-half of
one per cent-not more, that is. than
six inches Of climb for an engine to
every hundred feet Of travel.
Now a railroad from this city to
Memphis might have been built at
much less per mile had that little bit
of mathematics been eliminated and
capital might have come much more
readily, for there are some gentlemen
who know about railroads that told
him he was undertaking the impos-
sible He didn't believe 1t and he went
ahead, convinced that he must ulti-
mately find a man with money whose
logic has not been too greatly cramped
by possession of It.
With that in mind he personally
backed a survey. After the survey
was made he took a walk south from
Meridian along its line. He decided
that the survey had not been made
altogether in the interests of the pro-
posed Memphis and Pensacola rail-
road and he had another survey made.
Besides, he engaged E. L. Young. an
engineer of excellnt practical expe-
rience with the Rock Island lines and
the Illinois Central. He sent him
down.
Already he had found H A. Wright,
a tall, handsome chap who likes to
take his surveyors apparati and camp
out. He fished him out of a Michigan
university and put him on the job.
He is out along the Perdido river, now,
locating the line.
Charles Merritt, Of Pensacola, land
(Co1&yo,,aS ~ Da~o r4L-a.