Mr. C. J. Haile, the general passenger agent of the Central Railroad, of Georgia, is taking advantage of the excursion rates offered to prospectors, by authority of the Southern Passenger Association, to distribute in the Northwest circulars setting forth the agricultural attractions of the country tributary to his roads. Mr. Haile is an enterprising and progressive railroad man, and fully comprehends the value of having the country traversed by his road thickly populated by Northern farmers.
Mr. W. C. Rinearson, general passenger agent of the Queen & Crescent route, is trying to arrange with the Southern Passenger Association to have tickets for his line, via Chattanooga, carry the privilege of stopping over at Chattanooga, so that travelers may have an opportunity of seeing Lookout Mountain, the National Military Park and other Chattanooga sights.
At the request of Col. C. P. Atmore, general passenger agent of the Louisville & Nashville Road, the passenger agents of roads having interests at Memphis, Tenn., met in that city February 14, to arrange a passenger association.
At a meeting of the truck farmers, held at Chattanooga, S. C., February 19, to consider the matter of transportation of vegetables and fruits to New York, a member had this to say in praise of the famous Old Dominion line of steamers:
“They have fast steamers especially constructed for carrying highly perishable freights; they have ample tonnage for handling all the business that comes to them, and their deliveries in New York are not only convenient to the trade, but are made more rapidly than any other line with whom we do business.
“In addition to their already large fleet they are about to launch two splendid new steamers, the “Jamestown” and “Yorktown,” which will be ready by April 10, and are expected to be the fastest coastwise steamers out of New York.
“Our experience with the Old Dominion Co. covers more than thirty years. During that time they have always been found willing to do all in their power to assist the grower both in improved service and in giving as low rates of freight as are consistent with fast transportation.”
The Atlantic Coast Line system has been one of the most liberal and progressive roads in the South in fostering the trucking business along its line. It has made a specialty of its truck traffic for many years, and to its enterprise is largely due the magnitude of the business which is now done out of Charleston.
The Middle Georgia & Atlanta road, from Atlanta to Milledgeville, has just been completed. It is seventy-five miles shorter from Atlanta to Milledgeville by this route than by any other. Over forty miles of the line between Covington and Eatonton has no bonded debt whatever, $450,000 of the stock being taken and paid for by Georgia people. The ultimate destination of the line is Savannah. W. B. Thomas is general manager.
The Atlantic & Danville, which extends from Danville across Southern Virginia to the Seaboard, has attracted considerable interest from the fact that a company has been organized, composed largely of bondholders of the road, to build a line from Danville to Bristol, Tenn., to be called the Virginia Seaboard & Western. The Atlantic & Danville is to be sold by order of the court on April 3, and, it is expected, will be purchased by the bondholders. The new road, if built, will be about 115 miles long and connect with the East Tennessee, Virginia & Georgia system at Bristol. It would give the latter an outlet on the Atlantic seaboard and develop much mineral property of east Tennessee and southern Virginia, the product of which now has no means of reaching furnaces.