Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1920-02-20
MACON MAN BUYS
ATLANTIC COMPRESS
PROPERTIES IN CA.

The physical properties and all
the assets of the Atlantic Compress
company were purchased Tuesday
afternoon from the several rail-
roads which jointly owned them by
Richard f. Willingham. Of Macon,
for $1,45O,O00. The sale is effective
Immediately, but the actual posses
sion Of the property will not change
hands until July 1, next.
The company is to be reorganizCd
under the name of the Shippers
Compress company, with a capital
stock Of $3.O0J,O0O, par value 500
I. share, the sale of shares to be re-
stricted solely to cotton shippers,
buyers and bankers in the .erritory
tina tbs served by the enterprise.
The sale includes, according to the
announcement of Mr.. Willingham, all
Of the properties of the Atlantic
Compress company-land, buildings,
congresses, warehouses, equipment,
machinery tools, contracts and
leases.
Involved IN the arsnactions are
congresses in Atlanta, Albany,
Athens, Augusta, Columbus, Savan-
DclIL \oyS DOll1olAJ @AAc' N-I' AAOAA . iii
cry, Opelika, Troy, Ala; Millen,
brownsville and Pensacola, Fla.
It is the purpose of Mr.. Willing
ham, Immediately upon the reor-
ganization Of the company, to ar
range for the expansion Of the bust
ness. The compress in Atlanta, which
is located on Edgewood avenue, at
the Southern railway belt, will be
doubled in capacity at an expense
of $250,000.
The Atlanta property includes ten
and one-half acres of land, with
warehouse capacity for 100000
bales of cotton. The plant at pres
ent is equipped with three COM
presses, having a twenty-four hour
capacity of 5000 bales. With the
addition of other congresses, as Mr..
Willingham plans, the COMPRISING
capacity of the Atlanta plant will be
materially increased, so that it will
afford additional facilities for the
handling and transportation of cot
ton from the local market.
The congresses at Augusta, Sa-
vannah and Athens, also, are to be
enlarged at a cost of $250,00), by the
installation of additional congresses
to take care of the increasing de-
mands.
The sixteen plants have a COM
pressing capacity of 100000 bales
per season and for the past ten
years they have been operated at
the maximum, charging fees Of rs
cents per bale for standard COM
preston and $1.10 per bale for high
density compression.
News of the sale Of the proper
ties created widespread interest
among bankers and cotton men In
Atlanta, when it became known
Wednesday morning that the sale
had been consummated. 1t was a
source Of qualification to them to
learn that southern cotton interests,
rather than the Delaware corpora
ton, had acquired the properties,
and it was freely predicted that Mr..
WilEAgham will experience no diff
ficu1ty in the. organization of the
company that is to operate the bust
ness.
Mr.. Willingham is one of the
best-known and most successful cot
ton factors in the south. Although
comparatively young man, he has
displayed rare business ability in the
president of the Shippers Bonded
Compress Of Macon, the r. F. Will
bingham corporation, Willingham's
Warehouse and the Spinners' Cotton
company, all of Macon.
For the present the new company
will devote it's efforts to the enlarge
ment Of it's plants and the erection
of such additional warehouses and
congresses as the demands of the
cotton business may justify. That
is the reason for the 100000 cap
italization. 1t will give to the COM
pany capital for further expansion"
The Atlanta Compress company
has been owned and operated by the
railroads for many years. AS bust
ness proposition it has been one of
the most successful enterprises In
the south. 1t has earned handsome
returns upon the investment involv-
ed. Until his death some years ago,
Mr.. J. Barbour Thompson, vice pres
ident of the Southern railway, was
president of the Atlanta Compress
company. He was succeeded by
Captain J. C. Haskell under whose