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6 The Western & Atlantic Rail road’s Terminals, Sidetracks, Etc. There is not, probably, in all Amer ica, a railroad which has such magnifi cent terminals and such an abundance of sidetracks, at all necessary points along its line, as the Western & At lantic. The main line of the Western <fe Atlantic, from Atlanta to Chattanooga, is 138 miles long; but it has 42 miles of sidetracks in Atlanta, Chattanooga, Dalton and at other points along its line, making a total mileage, of main line and sidetracks, of 180 miles. By reason of this profusion of side tracks, between Chattanooga and At lanta, there is practically no difficulty in changing freight and passenger schedules and making different meet ing points for the various trains. One trouble about some railroad lines is that they have such a scarcity of sidetracks between their terminals, that when they are handling a pretty fair amount of business their freight trains are unable to get into the scant supply of sidetracks at meeting points, and the result is that passenger trains have to take the sidetracks to allow freights to pass, or else the passenger and freight trains get mixed up and have to “see-saw,” thus killing some times many minutes, and, probably, an hour, before they can go forward on an unobstructed track. Herein is a great strength of the Western & Atlantic. Although there are, in the busy season, frequent instan ces of where it runs from six to eight trains on a schedule, yet passenger trains are never put to any inconve nience from this cause. When they arrive at meeting points the freight trains are in the long sidetracks, and the mail tra'ns rush by as if there was not a freight train within a hundred miles of them. Passengers going over the Western & Atlantic, therefore, have reason able assurance that there will be none of those petty annoyances in the matter of delays which sometimes, and on some lines, frequently cause the miss ing of schedules with theirconnections. The perfect system with which the Western Atlantic Railroad is worked ; the thorough understanding and almost brotherly feeling that ex ists between its officers and employes, make it the strongest road for its size in the country, or as it has been said, “The biggest th Ing for its size in Arner iky.” The terminals of the Western & Atlantic are especially and notably su perior. In Chattanooga, for instance, its passenger trains run into the union depot, and its freight depot and yards are immediately alongside Market street, the business thoroughfare of the city. In addition to this, the East Ten nessee, Virginia & Georgia Railway Co. rents from the Western & Atlantic the right to run its trains through the Western & Atlantic’s yard, thus connecting its Memphis & Charles ton division with the other divisions. I ATLANTA, GA. MAP SHOWING THE BUSINESS PORTION OF THE CITY, ETC. ji uu i 11 7l 11 I i I/A I 11 11 1 |[ ~ ~2c, fco F~l J prAbdin “j morris! iTVAAfaX J I S A I □ 17WCT RRMH~I PH PH P" nnnr r Ini M PBgWpn nr 111 _ LI 1 TIT") OEZ fcfInDaBEEDDnBBEQOr HDDqgaQDMnMnHW REFERENCES. 1. Union Passenger Depot. 2. —Kimball House. 3. Artesian Well. 4. —Western Union Telegraph Office, Southern Express Office, Wholesale Dry-Goods, Drug and Hardware Houses. 5. —Markham House. 6. —Georgia Railroad Freight Depot. 7.8, 9.—Wholesale Grain, Hay, Meat, Flour, etc., Houses. 10. —Newspaper and Job Printing Offices. 11, 12, 13.—Six State and National Banks, wholesale Grocery Houses, and South ern Telegraph Oilice. 14. —Fulton County Court House. 15. Atlanta Chamber of- Commerce. 16. 17. —Baptist, Catholic, Episcopal and Presbyterian Churches. 18. —New Georgia State Capitol (being erected). 19. DeGive's Opera House, Telephone Ex- change. 20. —Post-office, Custom House, U. S. Circuit Court, and Hotel Weinmeister. 21. —Present Georgia State Capitol. The following are the Railroads centering in the Union Passenger Depot, viz.: Western & A ILA Naic, Central of Georgia, Atlanta & West Point, Georgia, Richmond & Dan ville, and Georgia Pacific. There is .no omnibus transfer between these roads, all changes being made in Union Depot. All Si reet-car Lines in Atlanta either start from, or pass within, one square of Union Passenger Depot. The accompanying map shows the business portion of Atlanta. The Union Passenger Depot is in the exact center of the city, the city limits being one mile and a half distant. Scale of distance, one-fourth of a mile to one inch. Street-car Lincs indicated thus -- - - The Cincinnati Southern Railway Co. also pays a like rental to the West ern & Atlantic Railroad Co., for privileges in Chattanooga. At Dalton, the Western & Atlan tic passenger trains stop at the union depot immediately by the hotels, and its freight depot is within thirty steps of the union passenger depot. The East Tennessee, Virginia & Georgia Railway Co. also rents from the Western A Atlantic Railroad Co. the use of nearly 1,400 feet of the Western A Atlantic track in Dalton, and runs its trains over this portion of the Western <fc Atlantic Railroad, with the proviso that if its trains are behind time they are not to proceed over this track against W. A A. R. R. trains which are due. Some of the leading business estab lishments in Dalton are also along the Western & Atlantic sidetracks. At Cartersville the Western & Atlantic Railroad Co. allows the East A West Railroad of Alabama to run upon its right of way down into the centerof the little city. It also allows the same privileges to the Marietta & North Georgia Railroad, at Marietta. In Atlanta the Western & Atlan- THE KENNESAW GAZETTE!. 22. —Western & Atlantic Railroad Gen- eral Offices, Freight Depot, Round house and Car Shops. The vacant space here shown is oc cupied by railroad tracks, etc., and no vehicles can go across. A ravine di vides the southwest side. 23. —Central Railroad of Ga., and At- lanta & West Point Railroad Freight Depot. 24. East Tennessee, Virginia & Georgia Railroad Passenger Depot. 25. —East Tennessee, Virginia & Georgia Railroad Freight Depot. 26. Georgia Pacific Railway Freight De- pot. 27. —Governor’s Mansion. 28. —Richmond & Danville Railroad Freight Depot. 29. 30. 31. 32. —Manufacturing Establish- mentsand Grain Elevator. 33. —Capitol City Club. 34. —Southern R’y and Steamship Associa- tion Offices, Cannon House, National Hotel. tic Railroad passenger trains enter the union depot, being the only transpor tation line from the west which enjoys this privelige. Its freight depot and general offices are within a couple of hundred yards of the geographical center of the city, and its sidetracks run behind the great wholesale houses directly across the street from the Kimball and Markham houses and other hotels. A majority of the leading manufacturing estab lishments of Atlanta are also located on the line of the Western & A tian tic Railroad. In Atlanta, the Georgia Pacific Rail way Co. rents from the Western A Atlantic Railroad Co. the privilege of running its passenger trains over the Western A Atlantic Railroad into the union depot. The East Tennessee, Virginia A Georgia Railroad Co. has also arranged with the Western & Atlantic Railroad Co. to transfer the freights of the East Tennessee, Vir ginia A Georgia Railway through the Western A Atlantic yard to connecting lines in Atlanta. Thus it will be seen, that the West ern and Atlantic is master of the sit uation in Georgia so far as concerns physical advantages in the matter of handling and delivering freight, and maintaining the comfort and conven ence of passengers. “The Office Pets.” In the office of the General Freight and Passenger Agent of the Western & Atlantic Railroad there are three birds, which are very well known to the many who frequently or occasion ally go therein. First is the canary bird, “Bob,” so called from Lotta’s play of the same name. “Bob” is quite a pet. He is several years old and was formerly a great singer; but during the past win ter he seems to have almost lost his voice. He is very playful, and is em phatically the pet of the office. He is quite a railroad bird, and seems de lighted with the sound of passing trains, and of their bells. In another cage are the two Austra lian paroquets, these are frolicsome as kittens, and are always apparently engaged in a most animated and good humored discussion between them selves. These are both called “Jack,” or “the two Jacks,” they are sometimes termed. They are very fond of play ing with some little bells which hang in the cage. Occasionally these are rung by them for several minutes at the time. Some of their antics are ludicrous, and arc the source of daily amusement. One of the occupants of the office said, one day to us, “Sometimes write and figure so long and closely that my brain becomes tired, and I get rather muddled, but if I then stop and look a few minutes at the capers those chaps are cutting up, and the make-believe ‘sassing’ that one is giv ing the other, it amuses and rests me, and I am soon clear and readv forbusi ness again.” When you go up to the General Freight Agent’s office, pay “Jack” a (*all, and you will more than get your money’s worth. Mr. Brown also has the finest bird in Atlanta, which is a trained bullfinch, named “Hans.” His notes are won derfully sweet, and have been the ad miration of all who have ever heard him. He is kept at Senator Brown’s residence, and is the pet of the family. A Bootless Swap. Just before Stonewall Jackson’s fa mous charge at Chancellorsville, where he routed a portion of the Federal ar my in front of him, the Confederates were drawn up in two lines and were waiting the command to charge. A freshly arrived conscript happen ed to be placed in the front rank, and after standing there a moment or so, he turned around and somewhat ner vously said to one of the men in the second rank, who, by the way, is now a very popular agent of the Western A Atlantic railroad: “You have been in the field longer than I have, and understand this busi ness better than 1 do, would you ob ject to swapping places with me?” The other, with a smile, seeing that the conscript supposed that probably only the first line was going to take part in the charge, said : “0, no, I have no objection, I’ll swap with you,” and did so. Within about a couple of minutes thereafter, however, the command was given and both lines were rushing for ward pell-mell with the wildest sort of “Rebel yell” toward the Federal lines.