Below is the OCR text representation for this newspapers page.

1 «■ V ■ "' < r SN wi s| l\ / ?.. -wMBv «X /(f\ * e ‘W / 1 gSEM A 'tiZ MX w^ ,9 °l ■ M® ■ \ L PxP- X - Gv^' ” ■/ \ H>l BrH®xW^>r AmXll j* •fi <> U ■ it fWEIijACK yS*r The Western Atlantic’s Other Names. A gentleman was talking to us a few days ago in reference to the above subject, and brought to our attention the fact that the name “W. & A.” had, with business people, several synonyms. For instance, we may say that the civilized world by this time knows that it is called “The Great Kennesaw Route,” and its manner of doing busi ness has made this title so popular that its chief competitor has endeav ored to cabbage it, and to persuade the public that it is “The Great Ken. nesaw Route;” but like all other en deavors against the W. & A. it has re coiled with redoubled force against the line attempting the theft. The watermelon and orange ship pers and the fruit dealers generally in the south and in the north and west know it as “The Great Fruit Route,” and when we take into consideration the fact that it transports hundreds of carloads of oranges, and between one and two thousand carloads of water melons, yearly, not to mention other kinds of fruits, it will be recognized that the title is well applied. Then it has been termed “The Hun ters’ Line,” by reason of the fact that the favorite hunting grounds for At lanta sportsmen are along its line, and its liberality to the hunters is a matter of general appreciation. Also, it has lately been termed, “The Elephant Line,” by reason of the fact that whenever a circus comes down to Atlanta, its managers send their elephants over the Western & Atlantic, as they are unwilling to risk them on a competing line. It is often termed “The Old Relia ble;” and this name sticks to it so tightly that it seems a part of the road itself. For many years past it has been known all over Georgia as “The State Road.” Os course, this title is emi nently proper, as it was built by the State and is the property of the State, and, furthermore, is justly the pride of the citizens of Georgia. To those who are martially inclined the title, “The Historic Battle-fields Route of America,” will have particu lar force, when it is taken into consid eration that there were over 80 battles or minor conflicts of the great Civil War immediately on or very near its line. It is known among shippers general ly as “The Fast Freight Line,” and the fact that it has four freight schedules per day from Chattanooga to Atlanta, besides its local freight schedules, proves that it is fairly entitled to this cognomen which so many other roads endeavor to appropriate as applying to themselves. But the boys within the past year have begun to know it by another ti tle, which was first given it in deris ion; but which it immediately adopted aud has used with wonderful effect, viz : “The Sidetrack,” or as they some times add, “The biggest thing for its size in Ameriky.” This latter qualifying clause is cer tainly very true. We don’t know of anything which has made its influence felt so widely throughout America as this so called “Sidetrack.” Its com p°titors have found that whenever anything is to be done in the railroad world, or whenever any special reputa tion is to be achieved by any one par ticular line down in this country, the “Sidetrack” is always on hand, aud al ways walks off with the bouquet when the play is over and the audience has thrown upon the stage the evidence of its appreciation for the one deemed most properly entitled to it. Hurrah for the “Sidetrack!” “Sidetrack” is the liveliest Game little thing; But you think when you’re with it ’Tis pluck’s nation’s king. “Sidetrack” has a rooster No bigger’n a bantam ; But the fear that he’ll fight ’em Daily, nightly doth haunt ’em. They thought they could whip it: But, ah! when they tried, They got so “ all knocked out,” They sat down and cried. Hurrah for our jewel! For it praise knows no lack ; Our sweet little, dear little Jolly “Sidetrack.” Merchants and other parties in South Carolina aud North Carolina would do well to bear in mind that the Western & Atlantic and its connections are what may be properly termed the “Fast Freight Line,” from New Orleans to Atlanta. The highest evidence of the truth of this statement is shown in the fact that a majority of the fruit business from New Orleans reaches Atlanta via the Western & Atlantic Railroad. Order Your Goods From New Orleans via The Western & At lantic Railroad. The magnificent palace buffet sleep ing cars which pass over the Western & Atlantic Railroad are the only ones which reach Thomasville in the day-time. THE KENNESAW GAZETTE. SUMMER and WINTER In Georgia, By H. T. GATCHELL, M. D., Atlanta, Ga. [ Copyrighted, 1886. ] Atlanta has been written of, in a general way, as a health resort for dwel lers in the low lands of the South. It is the intention of the writer to present some data to show that it is among the best of the low altitude re sorts for invalids from both north and south of it. The city is built on the Chattahoo chee ridge, at an elevation of 1,085 feet above sea-level. The ridge runs from the Blue Ridge Mountains, in the northeastern county of the State of Georgia, with an extreme elevation of 1,610 feet, and an average width of fifteen miles, to a point twenty-five miles southwest of Atlanta, where it dips into the general level of the coun try at an elevation of 500 feet. Northwest of the city the country descends to the Chattahoochee river, six miles distant, where it rises again, until 20 miles up the Western &Atlantic Railroad, near Kennesaw Mountain, at Marietta, it is at an elevation of over 1,100 feet. The country in and about Atlanta is seamed and scarred by the erosive forces of nature, leaving the Chatta hoochee ridge to mark the former southern limit of the Blue Ridge Moun tains in Georgia. The geological formation is arch jean, or mother rocks disintegrated to form a soil not at all detrimental to health, and responding to fertilizers as quickly as any other soil in the South, and when properly tilled, rewarding the husbandman liberally. Atlanta is a city of progressive ideas; a city of money, brains and culture ; a city of energy, liberality and thrift. It has been built since 1865, from blackened walls and lone standing chimneys, with many a Rachel mourn ing tor her children, and many a man with all of his capital in his head and hands; it has grown to be a thriving place of nearly 60,000 inhabitants, with costly public and private buildings of modern architectural design. Its streets are well lighted with gas and electric ity ; the principal ones are paved with granite blocks, the sewerage system is good, as the mortality report will show, and being constantly bettered. The water supply is adequate and being increased by the boring of artesian wells, one of which now yields 200,000 gallons a day. Atlanta is supplied with all of the public buildings usually found in a city of its size. The Kimball House stands at the front of Southern hotels and the peer of those anywhere. The building and furnishings cost over $700,000. The Markham House stands near it as a popular first-class hotel. Among others of less prominence is the home-like National Hotel, which has a patronage among the solid men of the country. There are others of lesser proportions, of eminent respect ability. Among them may be men tioned the Metropolitan, Grant House, Hotel Weinmeister, Adams. Arling ton, Talmage and others. Through out the city are many comfortable fam ily boarding houses. Among the best known are the Leyden, on Pea ihtree street, Mrs. C. D. Smith, on Houston street, and Mrs. C. C. Morralls, at No. 89 E. Mitchell street, facing the new Georgia Stote capitol. DeGive’s Opera House is frequently used by gatherings of representative bodies from all sections of the country, the ample hotel acccommodations mak ing Atlanta a favorite place for such. Right here may be mentioned a rea son for those seeking to escape the rig orsof a northern winter, or the extreme heat of a lower latitude, visiting a city or its suburbs, all other things be ing equal, instead of a crowded and fashionable health resort of small pop ulation, e. g. one can always suit his accommodations to his purse. The millionaire may have rooms en suite, the person of limited means can procure good substantial board at from $5 to $lO per week. In the .city, one may isolate himself from persons who are diseased, the association with whom is depressing, and, if the theory of the contagiousness of consumption is well founded, he would not be so likely to have a ground already sown with the seeds of disease from being still further inoculated as he would at a crowded health resort. Among the numerous suburban re sorts near Atlanta no place ranks high er for salubrity than the pleasant town of Marietta, twenty miles up the Western & Atlantic R. R. This place is at the foot of Kennesaw Mountain, where Sherman and Johnston brought their hosts together in a series of the most sanguinary battles of the age. Time has not effaced the marks of those dark days; it has only softened them. Marietta is at an elevation of over 1,100 feet above tide-water. Its sum mers are pleasant aud its winters in vigorating —yet, still warm enough for out-door sports, recreation and exer cise. The town is amply supplied with pleasant hotels and boarding houses. The Whitlock House, owned and conducted by Mr. M. G. Whitlock, is one of the best family hotels in the South. The Kennesaw House, Glen burnie, Oakland Hall, L. S. Cox’s boarding house and Mrs. J. H. El liott’s are all highly commended. One of the attractions, is a run up the Marietta & North Georgia R. R., to the North Carolina line, through a country picturesque enough for the painter or poet, romantic enough for the school-girl, full of delightful sur prises to the tourist, with fish and game for the sportsman and health for the invalid. Such a wilderness of water falls, cascades, mountains, valleys, cliffs, glens and tablelands, is seldom found. There are six passenger trains, each way, on which the sojourner in Mari etta may visit Atlanta. . From records of the United States signal service observers, the writer has gathered data relating to the climate of the region about Atlanta. In ev ery instance, unless otherwise stated, the observations have extended over a period of not less than five consecutive years. temperature. Atlanta has a low average of high temperature ; a medium average of low temperature, and a small range, or dif ference, between high and low temper atures. It has not an equable climate in the sense that the Pacific, lower At lantic and Gulf coasts have. On the other hand, it has no extremes of tem perature either way. A person visit ing Atlanta in the summer need not expect a temperature of over 97.5° F., which has only been reached once in seven years observation. If in the winter, he would not be likely to ex perience a lower temperature than one and one-half degrees below zero, which was the lowest recorded during the winter of 1885-6 —the coldest since 1835. The extreme highest tempera- 5