The Birmingham age-herald., 1915-03-21

primarily laid off as gigantic specula- ton a suitable background for what was prophesized by it's promoters to be a great iron and steel manufacturing center, the events that transpired during the--firsr decade of the city's history. will, in the light of facts disclosed. invite the con- cidsion that land speculation was the main chance and industrial development would follow as side line, or stern necessity of the future. It thus appears tliat the looked for industrial develop lnent.' stationed itself safely in the rear, where it has, up to the present period, r, mained at @ respectful distance, receiv- ins from time to time. such enforced at- tention as cruel circumstances have re- quired.
 The building of suburban railroads was soon found to be one of the sober neces- sties in the work of exploiting the vari- cus land companies. the promotion of which furnished the basis of a wonderful activity, which, while largely speculative, afforded the opportunity to make -casy money" which pleasant occupation found many adherents.. The building of the various railroads in question was attend ed with many difficulties, involving the | investment of considerable sums Of money | in what proved losing operation, to be sustained. of necessity, from the profits derived from the sale of the land.
 The first among the suburban roads to
 be brought into existence was the High
 land Avenue and Belt railroad. construct ed by the original Elyton Land company
 to enable it to sell the property now em-
 br,.cing our beautiful South Highlands tEIs road followed a tortuous trail for | five miles around the mountain side to the south of us, where now is Highland l avenue.
 l Next to follow was the line to East
 Lake, built and oprated in behalf of the
 East Lake Land company, and among
 the few that appear to have escaped the l hands of a receiver, when that route was
 a popular one for departing Birmingham street railroads. Next came the North Bh ningham railway, built to promote the sale of its land by the North Bir | mingham Land company-then quickly ] came the East Birmingham Street rail- | way, to perform for East Birmingham l like function. Then to the west of us came the Ensley City railway, and ths l Birmingham and Pratt Mines railway, l and the Birmingham, Powderly and Bes- | mer railway, and soon it was discovered | that the Gate City Land company had to | have a railroad, and the East Birming- ham Street railway was extended to that
 point And over Red mountain into the I quiet vale beyond, forged the festive dummy line and the Clifton railway
 putfed and struggled for a few brief
 months up the mountainside, but finally succumbed to the inevitable.
 l All of these and numberless other lines
 were either built or projected in the in 1 terest of suburban real estate develop
 ment. It will be recalled by many now living in Birmingham that the West End lI.anC company found great difficulty in ldisposing of its property, although dc | slrably located, because of its inability to guarantee to its patrons street car | service, and finally the property of this company was sold under foreclosure. w,lie worth many times its mortgage debt Birmingham is, therefore bristling
 with reliable data showing the importance I of transportation in real estate develop ment work.
 In the course of events. each of these roads proved to be a great financial bur den to the land companies, in the inter- est of which they were built and operated and in time, many of them passed into receivers hands, and were either aban- | do1ed or absorbed in the construction oi our present street railway system, facts
 abundarty serving to demonstrate tha'
 real estate development in and about our growing cities has awaited anxiously upon the heels of transportation.
 ! It is right here that the subject ol
 the new iitney, which some claim will lin time supplSnt the use of trolley lines
 in our municipal life. becomes to those
 engaged in the real estate business a
 matter for consideration and concern 4 Tt is not at all clear how the intermit-
 tent service, of which the jitney is capa-
 hlc, can be depended upon to take care