The Wilmington morning star. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1909-1990, 1946-02-17
Citys Transportation
System Shouting Groluth
Two Airlines And Air Cargo Transport Cor
porations Provide Wilmington With Fast,
Efficient Air Service To Many Points
GO BY AIR
Atlantic Coast Line Railroad Pursues Huge
Rehabilitation Program Following Alb
sorpti0n Of Florida ABC System

Prosperity Travelled by air, by sea and by land as
Wilmington entered the year of 1916, and the labyrinth
of transportation links spraying from the city to
kes all over the world healthy, hopeful harding
or to the people of Southeastern North Carolina.
For Wilmington was the wholesale distributing
fer of the section, and she helped to determine the
feasibility of the farmers products the flower growers
flowers the fishermans catches And she was also the
gateway to the section for fertilizer ingredients from
Chile oil from Texas and Louisiana sulphur from Gulf
ports sugar from Baltimore and Philadelphia refser-
The oldest links still were intact U. S. Highway
II connected Wilmington with New Bern, Elizabeth
City, Norfolk and points north; it ran south to Con-
wav Charleston, Savannah and all points south. U.
S. Highway 421 linked the city with Carolina Beach
and Fort Fisher and wound its serpentne way north
west to Clinton Dunn and Sanford.
National Arlines had regular air service into Blue
henthal airport as 1916 began NAL planes leaving Mia
mi for New York already operating splt-mnute
schedules and Wilmingtonian could Seat lunch on
Front street and dinner on Broadway.
Southeast Airline pushed air tentacles from the port
into western North Carolina towns Schedules begin
ming in Wilmington called for oneday roundtrlp serv-
ice to Ashevile via Fayetteville, WinstonSale, Char
lotte and other major cities
Air Cargo Transport corporation began transport
inq the famous cut-foWers of Castle Hayne to Pha-
dephia, New York. Boston, Chicago ST.. Paul and St.
Louis, Mo. Just what the air service would do for
local flower growers hard to define But the fact
that the flowers from Castle Hayne, Brunswick coun-
ty would compete with Florida and California flowers
pointed to an enlarged market and better prices.
And ACTC plans did not stop with flowers. The
plans included the possibility that Wilmington and
Southeastern North Carolina seafood will soon be
flown to New York, and that the return trips would
find the planes loaded with merchandise for local
chants. Pershabe foods have been successfully car
red on continental aunts, and farmers seemed
to have found another trade outlet.
Trucking transfer companies - Batson, Murray,
Farrar, Northrop Talmanstood ready with fleet of
and ample storage space to accommodate shippers
of all types of articles Forty trips week made
into Wilmington by outside trucking regu-
lar schedules that carry the trucks to Charlotte where
the switch is made for Richmond and Norfolk. Regu-
lar schedules also maintained between the city and
High Point Greensboro Durham, Clinton and Raleigh.
The Atlantic Coast Line railroad, in the midst of
costly renovation and rehabilitation program appeared
to be ready to continue recordbreakng, wartime trans
portaton feats ACL absorbed the Atlanta Birming-
ham and Coast railroad in Florida and increased the
trackage of the company whose is the bestknown
trademark in Southeastern North Carolina. And Sea-
board Railway company kept up the level of it's eff
cent, quick operational procedures in handling rail
traffic.
In any discussion of transportation, the Port OF
Wilmington was a main subject in 1916 For quick
Idea of the increasing Importance of it, glance at the
1922 shipping record of petroleum products compared
to later tonnages was enough. In 1922, 470020 tons
passed through the port in 1921 the total 1921,
z6 tons But storage and terminal facilities
needed before the port would be in position to tap
me rich exporting centers of WlnstonSalem, Durham
anu focal