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8 The Kennesaw Gazette, PUBLISHED EVERY MONTH. Devoted to the Material Interests and Attractions for Tourists in the Mountainous Region of Northern and Northwest Georgia, BEACHED BY THE GREAT KENNESAW ROUTE: Western and Atlantic Railroad: Under the auspices of the Passenger Department, BY THE RECORD PUBLISHING COMPANY. A. L. HARRIS, MANAGING EDITOR. Atlanta., Ga., Oot., 1888. SUBSCRIPTION: $1 a year; six months, 50 cts. A limited number of acceptable adver tisements will be inserted in The. Kennesaw Gazelle, which publishes a very large edi tion every month, and it is safe to say that it is read by more people than any other paper in the South. Great numbers are distributed in Atlanta, to citizens and travelers, by the publishers and officials of the Western and Atlantic Railroad; and at other points where The Great Kennesaw Route is represented. For space and terms ad dress ?l|c Beimtfiiini ffiajetie, Box 57 Atlanta, Ga., and you will receive a prompt response. THE KENNESAW GAZETTE. Sixteen Pages. At the beginning of the year the regular size of the Kennesaw Gazette was eight pages. This proving insuf ficient for the large amount of original matter and the fine engravings pre pared for the Gazette, its size was in increased to twelve pages, with an in timation that probably a still further increase would soon be necessary, and here it is—to sixteen pages, or double its size of a few months ago. The Kennesaw Gazette is a suc cess. Its thirty thousand readers, aside from the hosts tributary to At lanta, are in every State and Territo ry of the Union. The Kennesaw Gazette is, without doubt, the most widely circulated journal in the South. Its war sketches are noted for their accuracy and fine original illustrations. Its exposition of the resources of North Georgia is complete, while the climatic advantages of the same region, in the way of health resorts, are fully and truthfully set forth. Everybody will read, in this num ber, the Atlanta Campaign, fully illus trated with accurate maps, showing the location of each engagement, and portraits of the commanding generals, Jos. E. Johnston and W. T. Sherman. Engravings of famous scenery along the Western & Atlantic Railroad are in course of preparation and will ap pear in future numbers. The Kennesaw Gazette will al ways be kept up to a high standard — attractive, interesting and replete with valuable information. Only one change of cars, (and that in the Union Depot at Atlanta,) for passengers coming over the Western & Atlantic Railroad between Cincin nati and Charleston, or Nashville and Charleston. There is no change of cars between Cincinnati and Marietta, Ga. “Pleading the Baby Act.” One thing which can be truthfully said of the Western & Atlantic Rail road is that it has never “plead the baby act;” in other words, although paralleled and surrounded by great railway systems, by the side of which it is in size a baby ; taunted occasion ally for its insignificance by being called a “Sidetrack,” it has never asked for any artificial advantages in the way of differentials, or anything else, to be allotted to it to make up for its “disa bilities,” but has bravely faced every obstacle, and by spending tens of thou sands of dollars laying down steel rails, ballasting its road-bed with rock, until it is in superb condition, and by im proving its train service and through car service, it has equalized its disad vantages and disabilities until it to-day stands a peer among its peers. Having done this, it does not con cede the right or power of its competi tors to force it to divide its inheritance with them. It makes no attempt to extort blood-monej and submits to none such. It does not shut up its line to its competitors and hold on to every advantage which it has, and then tell them, “I will ruin the worth of yours if you do not divide with me.” Having expended a great amount of money, industry and time in improv ing its terminal facilities, and road-bed; in constructing iron bridges over the water courses which it crosses, and having carefully and laboriously worked for years in the matter of fur nishing the public the highest grade of safe, comfortable and fast schedules, it will enforce a practical objection to the doctrine that a premium should be placed upon stinginess, poverty and lack of enterprise or judgment. It will be would if other lines would adopt the policy of the Western & At lantic Railroad in meeting and over coming disabilities instead of, as we have before intimated, “pleading the baby act,” and like a spoiled child, threatening to knock down the play house if it cannot have the best room in it. This advice, we think, we are per fectly competent to give them, and, in asmuch as this plan will have to be adopted by them in the end, they would be happier, ultimately, and more prosperous throughout, if they would adopt it at once. Convenient Schedules. The best schedules which have ever been made between Atlanta and Nash ville both ways are those which are now in effect. Business men can transact all of their affairs in Atlanta, and can leave the Union Depot in At lanta at 5:55, p. m., on Western and Atlantic passenger train No. 19, and arrive at Nashville at 6:20 a. m., in time for breakfast. Those desiring to come from Nashville to Atlanta can leave Nashville at 8:20 p. m., after supper, and arrive in Atlanta on West ern and Atlantic passenger train, No. 12, at 7:25 a. m., in time for break fast, and in this manner the entire day can be spent in Atlanta or Nashville and the run is only made during the night. THE KENNESAW GAZETTE. Western & Atlantic Employes’ Devotion to the Road. There is not, probably, another rail road in America whose employes, as well as officers, seem to feel so much of a personal and proprietary interest in the road as is the case with the Western & Atlantic. From long association with, and observation of the men on the Western & Atlantic, | we venture the opinion that we under stand the situation very well in that respect. In times of prosperity, when there is a big rush of business, the men, from firemen and brakemen, up to the yard-master and master machinist, seem in the best of humor, not only about the road, but with each other ; whereas, on the occasion of the wash out at Proctor’s and Noonday creeks, by the water-spout of 1884, and of the interruption of business by the freshet about the first of April of the present year, we noticed how the very counte nances of the men seemed to indicate their thoughts. On arrival at the scene of action, or rather at the point of interruption, one could see the grave looks of anxiety on the faces, not only of engineers and conductors, but of train-hands and porters. Every one seemed desirous of doing something with his hands to help repair the dam age, and no one seemed afraid that he would do something which was “not in his department.” It has long been a matter of com ment that an employe of the Western & Atlantic scarcely ever leaves the road to take merely an equal position on another road. There has always got to be promotion acquired by the change, or else he will make none. Unless he can make something by go ing, “The W. &A. is good enough for me,” is the general comment. Over twelve per cent of the present employes of the Western & Atlantic Railroad have been in the continuous service of the road for over fifteen years. Several of its men have passed over thirty years in its service. It has been said of the Western & Atlantic, that it is not a good road for a new’ man to get a good position on. The reason for this is that its good po sitions are acquired by promotion. Nearly every man or boy who enters the service of the Western & Atlan tic Railroad “begins at the bottom.” In the machine shops, for instance, a fif teen year old boy will start in as a “helper,” at a salary of fifty cents per day. His task will probably for a short period be merely to help some blacksmith in the elementary parts of his work. Within a few months, how ever, his salary is increased a little, and if some one else has been promoted, when his time comes he is given a bet ter position. After having been in the shops in various capacities for proba bly two or three years or more, he is put on an engine to run as a fireman. In this position he will probably pass three’ or four years, and will then be put in charge of one of the big iron monsters whose labor is not uily a benefit but even yet a wonder. In this way it will be seen that be-- fore he takes charge of an engine he has practically learned how to build an< engine, and he has also run oxer the road so often that he has learned where every public and private crossing is. He has learned where every grade is,, and, consequently, he knows exactly where to put his engine out for all she is worth in the way of using exertion to climb grades; or he knows just where to shutoff steam and let her own mo mentum carry her forward, thus econ omizing fuel and steam. “By this means also,” as one of the firemen was telling us, “the men on the W. &. A. all understand one another. Now, for instance, if we start out with five or six sections on a schedule, we all know who is ahead of us and who is behind us. We sometimes say of the man behind us, ‘he is a rattler; you had better look out and see that he doesn’t keep too close on to you;’ or of another, ‘he is all right; he is one of the most careful men that I ever saw, and not only is taking care of his own train, but he is taking pains not to give us any trouble.’ ” By this means also it can be seen that the organization of the Western and Atlantic Railroad Co. is well nigh perfect. There is a thorough under standing with one another, and with the cultivation of good feeling, which seems to be a principle with the West ern & Atlantic men, they are en abled to accomplish more than the same number of men on probably any other railroad in America. The same might be said of the con ductors. They all go on as brakemen r and some of them spend five or six years before there comes a chance for promotion, because, it must be said of Western & Atlantic employes as has been remarked of politicians: “Few die and none resign.” It is a noteworthy fact that nearly every man in active charge of the lead ing departments of the Western & Atlantic Railroad Co. has been in its service for a number of years. The Superintendent, for instance, has been on the road twenty odd years. The Road-master, thirty-four years; the Master-machinist, twenty years; the Yard-master, eighteen years ; the Gen eral Freight and Passenger Agent, nine years'; the Assistant General Freight Agent, fifteen years; the Train-dispatcher, seventeen years, the General Book-keeper, sixteen years, and so we might extend the list. The National Association of General Passenger and Ticket Agents held its semi-annualjmeeting in New York, Sept. 21. Seventy-five lines were rep resented. The question of uniform rates throughout the country was pre sented, discussed and referred to a committee. Nothing particular in the way of business was attempted, as pas senger running smoothly. The gentlemen renewed pleasant rela tions, compared notes and returned to their various lines to keep on in the work of improvement u oii passenger transportation..