A glance at the State map must convince even the most casual observer that Montgomery possesses rail and water transportation facilities, which not only bring her in easy reach of the varied resources of the State, but also connect her with the large commercial cities of this land, and with foreign ports.
The Alabama river, which is navigable from Montgomery the entire year, is her water way to the Gulf, and is an important factor in the question of freights. Connecting her with New York and foreign ports, it is a perpetual check to freight discriminations against her by railroads. When the obstructions to the Coosa river are removed, a matter now engaging the attention of Congress, Montgomery will have water communication as far north as Rome, Ga., which will open up to her a country rich in mineral and agricultural wealth.
The great Louisville and Nashville system, which has contributed so largely to the development of the State, reaches out from Montgomery in two directions. It connects her with the markets of the entire country, north, northeast, northwest and south, and supplies her with coal and other products of the mineral districts of the State, and lumber from the timber belts.
The Western Railroad of Alabama, from Montgomery to Atlanta, connecting with the Kennesaw and Piedmont Air Lines, is a link in the great line from New York to the Gulf. At Atlanta it connects with the Georgia Railroad, giving it a through line to Charleston, and at Opelika with the Central Railroad system, forming a direct route to Savannah, two of the most important ports on the Atlantic.
