USA > Mississippi > Encyclopedia of Mississippi History Comprising Sketches of Counties, Towns, Events, Institutions and Persons, Vol. II > Part 61
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old Memphis & Selma had been revived and put under contract. The legislature had extended aid to new roads by exemption from taxation for ten years. There rapidly followed the building of what is now the Yazoo & Mississippi Valley system, and the Aberdeen branch of the New Orleans-Ohio river system, which at this time came under the control of the Illinois Central. Six hun- dred miles were built in 1882-84. The change in conditions was shown by the paralleling of the river as closely as possible to its banks, whereas 25 years before there had been fierce political bat- tles whether the New Orleans-Chicago line should be permitted west of the Pearl. After years of inanition the once proud "Mis- sissippi Railroad" that was to have joined Natchez and Nashville, managed to revive as a narrow-gauge line. The Grand Gulf & Port Gibson was torn up and abandoned after 1883. The total mileage in the State in 1885 was 1,878, and in 1889, the Georgia Pacific being the main addition, the mileage was 2,366. In more recent years the main addition aside from branches of old lines, has been the Gulf & Ship Island and the Mobile, Jackson & Kan- sas City, the former providing that outlet to a Mississippi port that was so long sought, and the latter giving the State a fourth north-south system tributary to outside ports.
The mileage reported by the State commission in 1905 is 3,503 miles, an increase over 1903 of 361 miles. The railroad commis- sioners reported for 1892 that the railroads were assessed at $26,- 925,000 for taxation, paying a state tax of $134,622. In addition they paid a privilege tax of $20 a mile for first class roads, $15 for second and $10 for third class, and county, municipal and levee taxes also were levied on the valuation assessed. "It will be seen that the railroads now pay a fair proportion of the taxes required for the support of the government." The valuation of railroads for taxation in 1905 were $36,316,800, and of express, telegraph and sleeping car companies $725,000 more. The State tax thereon was $222,000. The privilege tax is $65,000 additional. (See Rail- road Commission.) "Section 3560 of the Code of 1892 is intended to prevent the combination of competing lines of railroads. As it stands it is debatable whether it prohibits the purchase of one competing road by another company, if indeed, one company can purchase another road than its own. But one thing is not debat- able, that the section does not impose any penalty upon the com- pany that manages, regulates or controls the other company." (Message of Gov. McLaurin, 1898.)
Illinois Central. The New Orleans, Jackson & Great Northern. Mississippi & Tennessee, and Mississippi Central were bought about 1871 by a syndicate headed by Col. H. S. McComb, of Wil- mington, Del., who was made president of the Chicago, St. Louis and New Orleans Railroad Company. In association with Col. H. S. Edgar, vice-president of the combined lines from New Or- leans to Cairo : Gen. A. M. West, president of the Mississippi Cen- tral railroad ; Thomas A. Scott and J. Edgar Thompson, they organized the Mississippi Valley Company, which invested in
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land and built the town of McComb City, where the shops of the line were located. "The Chicago, St. Louis & New Orleans rail- road company was formed by consolidation of the New Orleans, Jackson & Great Northern, and Mississippi Central railroad com- panies, under act of February 27, 1878." A few years after the consolidation of 1878, the system was leased to the Illinois Cen- tral, the outlet from Cairo to Chicago. The Canton, Aberdeen & Nashville road, making the branch to Aberdeen that the old char- ter required, was completed in 1884, also the Kosciusko branch. The C. St. L. & N. O., was leased to the Illinois Central to pay $400,000 rent, taxes, and interest on bonds not exceeding $18,000,- 000. The Miss. & Tenn. was merged into the C. St. L. & N. O. and leased in 1889, on similar terms, the bonds being $3.500.000. Mileage in State, 1889, 636. The president of the Illinois Central is Stuyvesant Fish, New York, general manager, W. J. Harahan. The latest statement of mileage is: main line, 301; Memphis divi- sion, 88; Aberdeen division, 88; Kosciusko branch, 18; M. B. & N. Division, 8; Monticello branch, 24; double track, 55 miles ; total 583 miles.
The Illinois Central also controls the Yazoo & Mississippi Val- ley System, with a mileage of 1,024 miles, making a grand total of 1,606 miles in the State, nearly half the total trackage. The abandoned Meridian, Brookhaven & Natchez road was brought by the Illinois Central indirectly, in 1891, and rebuilt a few miles out of Brookhaven.
Yazoo & Mississippi Valley. In 1882 R. T. Wilson, of New York, had begun the building of a railroad paralleling the river, from Memphis to New Orleans. The Natchez Jackson & Colum- bus, from Martin to Jackson, was completed October 6, 1882, nar- row gauge, the road having been built to Martin in 1876-77, as a revival of the old "Mississippi railroad." The Mississippi Valley, from New Orleans north, via Vicksburg, was completed in 1884; the Durant-Lexington line was built in 1882-83; to Tehula in 1885; the Yazoo City-Jackson line was completed, 43 miles, in the same period ; the Louisville, New Orleans & Texas was completed January 1, 1885, main line 456 miles, with several branches, to Eagle Nest, Arkansas City branch, Lake Washington branch, Bolivar branch, Bayou Sara branch, Clinton & Port Hudson leased. The consolidation of the Memphis & Vicksburg and the Mississippi Valley and Ship Island was authorized in 1882, and they were merged in the L., N. O. & T. R. R., a system which be- came the second in mileage and importance in the State, the main line and branches in 1889 aggregating 585 miles, including the main line, the Greenville, Lake Washington and Huntington branches, the Bolivar loop, the narrow gauge Mobile & Northwest- ern, from Glendale to Eagle Nest, the West Feliciana from Wood- ville to Bayou Sara, lately extended to Slaughter, near Baton Rouge, on the main line, the Natchez-Jackson & Columbus, which was changed to standard gauge from Harriston to Jackson in 1889. (Report of 1889.) The Yazoo & Mississippi Valley rail-
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road company was organized February 17, 1882, under the laws of Mississippi, act approved Feb. 2, 1882. It is a consolidation of the following constituent companies: Yazoo & Miss. Val., incorpor- ated Feb. 17, 1882; West & East, incorporated April 15, 1873, absorbed by and consolidated with the Y. & M. V., Nov. 30, 1886 ; Louisville, New Orleans & Texas, incorporated August 12, 1884, and consolidated with the Y. & M. V. Oct. 24, 1892. (See Back Tax Cases.)
The Yazoo & Mississippi mileage in 1905 was as follows: main line, 315; Riverside division, 156; Natchez & Jackson division, 98; Yazoo branch, including Lake Cormorant, 394; Helena branch, 20; Boyle & Sunflower branch, 32; Bayou Sara Branch (the old West Feliciana), 8 miles. Total, 1,024.
Southern Railway. The Georgia Pacific, Atlanta to Greenville, was partly built in 1883, but was not completed and put in opera- tion until 1889, with 202 miles in the State, and was then a part of the Richmond & Danville System. Branches were in construc- tion or in contemplation in 1889. The line was bought at fore- closure August 31, 1894, by the Southern Railway company and made part of that great system which has also acquired control of the Mobile & Ohio. This line has a mileage in Mississippi of 237, composed of State line to Greenville, 179; Itabena to Webb, 35; Stoneville to Percy, 23. The Georgia Pacific is now a part of the Southern railroad. The same stockholders own the majority of stock in the Mobile & Ohio. A legal consolidation of the two roads was authorized by a bill which passed the legislature on the last day of the session of 1904, but it was not given the approval of the governor. Samuel Spencer, New York, is president of the Southern, the Mobile & Ohio, the Memphis & Charleston and the Alabama Great Southern, together constituting a system of about 600 miles in Mississippi, and allied to the Schiff roads with ter- minals at Vicksburg and New Orleans and a mileage of about 300.
Memphis & Charleston. The Memphis & Charleston Ry. Co. was organized under the laws of Mississippi (Code of 1892) by certain of the purchasers of the property of the old Memphis & Charleston company at foreclosure sale, to take title to and oper- ate that portion of the property which lies in the State of Mis- sissippi. The old company was organized under an act of Tennessee approved Feb. 2, 1846, and was first authorized to con- struct a line in Mississippi by act approved March 1, 1854. There are 34 miles of line in Mississippi now generally known as "The Southern railroad."
Mobile & Ohio. The project of the Mobile & Ohio Railroad was prominently urged by M. J. D. Baldwyn, a citizen of Mobile. He showed the importance of a railway connection between the Ohio and Mississippi Valley and the Gulf of Mexico, and the favorable location of Mobile for its southern terminus. The birth of the enterprise is said to date with the public meeting at Mobile, Jan. 11, 1847. Alabama passed an act incorporating the company, February 3, 1848, capital $10,000,000; on Feb. 17, of the same year,
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Mississippi granted a right of way through its borders and an extension of all the chartered privileges appertaining to the com- pany under their act of incorporation in Alabama. Kentucky and Tennessee promptly conceded the same rights through their bor- ders. In May, 1848, the books were opened in Mobile for sub- scription to the capital stock, and in 20 days the sum of $650,000 was subscribed in that city. Hunt's Magazine for December, 1848, declared "This will be the longest railroad in the United States under a single charter" and gave its proposed route as follows: "Commencing at Mobile up the mouth of the Chickasaw-bogue until it strikes the dividing ridge between the Tombigbee and Escatawba rivers-follows this ridge to the head of the Esca- tawba-from thence, continuing its general northerly direction, and passing near the towns of Marion, Macon, and Aberdeen, Mis- sissippi, to the Tennessee River in the State of Tennessee, below the Big Bend Shoals, a distance of 340 miles from Mobile. From thence through the towns of Jackson and Trenton in Tenn. and Moscow in Ky., to its terminus on the Mississippi river, at the town of Columbus, Ky., 16 miles below the mouth of the Ohio river, and 4:0 miles from Mobile." It is remarkable how closely this original route was adhered to as the line was gradually built. Official reports declared it to have been organized June 7, 1848, under the laws of Alabama, Mississippi, Tennessee and Kentucky, approved February, 1848, also act of Mississippi, March 5, 1880. Debt of the road was readjusted in 1879 without foreclosure and it is still operated under its original name and charter, operating the St. Louis & Cairo under 45 year lease from 1886. General office, Mobile, also operating office: president, Samuel Spencer, N. Y .; operates the following lines in Mississippi: main line, 272 miles : Branches-Artesia to Columbus, 14 miles; Artesia to Aberdeen, 11 miles ; Aberdeen Branch, 9 miles ; Montgomery Divi- sion, main line, 9 miles : total in Mississippi, 315 miles.
In February, 1901, the reported sale of the Mobile & Ohio rail- road to the Southern system caused much excitement, and the railroad commission made an investigation, but abandoned pro- posed action upon assurance that the alleged consolidation was a purchase of the majority of stock of the Mobile & Ohio by the individual stockholders of the Southern railroad company.
Alabama Great Southern. The Alabama Great Southern was organized Nov. 30, 1877, under the laws of the State of Alabama. The original corporation was the Alabama & Chattanooga, char- tered in Alabama, 1853, and in Mississippi in 1871. It operates 19 miles of road in Mississippi from the Alabama-Mississippi State Line to Meridian, under a contract with the Southern Ry. Co. for joint use of track between York, Ala., and Meridian, Miss., paying 5% on valuation of $326,400, divided on wheelage basis-contract dated Nov. 3, 1895. Also has contract with N. O. & N. E. and A & V. for joint use of track and terminal facilities at Meridian, for the space of 50 years from July 1, 1890.
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The East Tenn., Va., & Ga. seven miles in State, uses M. & O. tracks into Meridian from Lauderdale. (Alabama Central.)
Alabama & Vicksburg. The Vicksburg & Jackson and the Brandon Companies were merged in the Southern railroad com- pany before the war, and the line now known as the Alabama & Vicksburg was completed in the summer of 1861. After the war it was known as the Vicksburg & Meridian. The Queen & Crescent operating system was formed in the late '80's, with a total mileage in the State of 315 miles, embracing the V. & M., name changed to A. & V., and the Alabama Great Southern, main line 295 miles, 19 miles in Mississippi, which was completed May 17, 1871; also the New Orleans & Northeastern, completed Novem- ber 1, 1883, 153 miles in Mississippi. C. C. Harvey, New Orleans, is president, and Charles Schiff, London, is vice-president, of both the A. & V. and N. O. & N. E. The Alabama Great Southern is now a part of the Southern system. The main line of the Alabama & Vicksburg to Meridian is 141 miles.
New Orleans & North Eastern. The New Orleans & North Eastern railroad company was organized under the laws of Lou- isiana, Oct. 14, 1868. (See above.) The total mileage of the road is 196, and it operates 153 miles in Mississippi, from Meridian to Pearl river. Hattiesburg is the division terminus between New Orleans and Meridian.
Louisville & Nashville. The New Orleans, Mobile & Chatta- nooga railroad, New Orleans to Mobile, was built under an act of the Alabama legislature, approved Nov. 24, 1866, and its char- ter was approved by act of the Mississippi legislature, Feb. 7,1867. It was sold at decretal sale and by declaration of incorporation un- der Alabama statutes dated April 29, 1880, it was reorganized as the New Orleans, Mobile & Texas. Its property was deeded to the Louisiana & Nashville R. R. Co., Oct. 5, 1881. There are 733/4 miles in Mississippi, part of a great system connecting the Ohio river and Chicago with Jacksonville, Pensacola, Mobile & New Orleans.
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Gulf & Ship Island. The Gulf & Ship Island railroad company was first chartered in 1855, liberally, with exemption from taxa- tion. A grant of land was made by the United States, and a com- pany was organized, but the land grant lapsed because of failure to meet the conditions. (See Internal Improvements.) In March, 1871, the Mississippi Valley & Ship Island company was chartered, to lay a line from Vicksburg to a point near Mississippi City, and the legislature petitioned congress to renew the grant of land. In 1872 interest in the development of the Gulf Coast was renewed, and Governor Powers recommended a general State tax to aid in the building of a railroad from Mississippi City inland. The pro- ject was paralyzed by the panic of 1873. A new Gulf & Ship Isl- and company, with a majority of directors at Chicago, was char- tered March 4, 1882, W. H. Hardy, president, and a few miles of track were built in 1887-89, with state convict labor, which was withdrawn in the latter year. The railroad commissioners se-
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cured $40,000 first mortgage bonds in payment of two years' lease of the penitentiary. In 1896 the chief of engineers of the army reported Ship Island harbor not worthy of improvement, consid- ering that the government had improved the Mobile and New Orleans harbors at great expense. He praised the harbor at Ship Island, but estimated the cost of a channel dredged to the shore at over $800,000. Governor McLaurin and the congressional dele- gation joined in representations of the advisability of that expen- diture, considering that the government was expending $3,000,000 at Sabine Pass, where there was less export, and the governor recommended aid to the Gulf & Ship Island road extension. "As soon as it reaches the Alabama & Vicksburg railroad all opposi- tion to appropriations for improvement of the harbor must of neces- sity cease."
The G. & S. I. in 1892 had only 20 miles of track laid, on the south end, and 70 miles graded, and work had ceased. Subse- quently the road was completed from Gulfport to Hattiesburg, a distance of 70 miles, but continued in serious financial straits, until, in the course of court proceedings, Capt. J. T. Jones, a capi- talist of Pennsylvania, who had considerable money involved in the enterprise, assumed the ownership, and individually under- took the completion of the road, the opening up of the great tim- ber region and the development of an ocean port for Mississippi. In this he has been eminently successful. The mileage of the road was extended to 125 miles by 1900 and to 248 by 1901, since when additional lines have raised the total to 277. A deep water chan- nel was dredged to afford access to a great pier 5,900 feet long and 300 feet wide, and the first ocean going vessel tied up here, along- side of the freight cars of the Gulf & Ship Island road, in 1902. The completion of this road marks one of the most important eras in the history of the State. J. T. Jones, Gulfport, is president of the road, J. A. Jones, of Buffalo, N. Y., vice-president ; mileage Gulfport to Jackson, 160; Maxie to Columbia, 49; Saratoga to Laurel, 42; Mendenhall to Bush, 10; total, 277.
Mobile, Jackson & Kansas City. One of the projects to aid the proposed port on the coast, in the first railroad building period after the war, was the Ship Island, Ripley & Kentucky, W. C. Falkner, president, which built a narrow gauge road from the Memphis & Charleston at Middleton, Tenn., to Ripley in 1872-77. Thirty-eight miles leased from the Gulf & Ship Island, was con- solidated with this in 1889 under the name of the Gulf & Chi- cago. The line was finally diverted to Mobile by consolidation with part of a proposed Jackson-Mobile line. In 1888, Mississippi chartered the Mobile, Hattiesburg & Jackson company and Feb. 22, 1890, chartered the consolidated Mobile, Hattiesburg & Jack- son companies of Alabama and Mississippi, under the name of the Mobile. Jackson & Kansas City. F. B. Merrill, Mobile, was presi- dent. There were 21 miles of road in Mississippi in 1902 and 68 in 1903, completing the line to Hattiesburg. July 8, 1903, the Gulf & Chicago companies in Mississippi and Tennessee were consolidated
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with the M. J. & K. C. . B. M. Robinson, New York, is president ; Geo. W. Crary, secretary and treasurer, Mobile. The company operates 3683/4 miles in Mississippi, Mobile to Middleton and a branch to Hattiesburg.
Kansas City, Memphis & Birmingham. This was begun as the Memphis, Holly Springs & Selma which was partly constructed in 1877 and nearly all graded in 1882. The Kansas City, Memphis & Birmingham company was incorporated under an act of Feb- ruary 18, 1886, in Mississippi. The main line, 253 miles, was com- pleted in 1887 and the Aberdeen branch. 12 miles, was built in 1888. The president is A. G. Davidson, St. Louis. This road has been leased to the St. Louis & San Francisco from Dec. 17, 1903, to Dec. 31, 2002. The latter road is the operating carrier and agrees to pay all taxes, organization expenses, interest on bonds and outstanding obligations. There are 1311/2 miles of main track in Mississippi and 12 miles, branch to Aberdeen, a total of 143 miles.
Mississippi Central. This company, bearing the name of one of the old companies, was organized Dec. 21, 1897, the name being changed from Pearl & Leaf River to Mississippi Central Railroad Co. This line was first operated in January, 1903, between Brook- haven and Silver Creek. Its charter has been amended changing its western terminus to Natchez and its eastern terminus to Scran- ton, to which points it is projected. The mileage in 1905 was 55. Operating office, Hattiesburg; president, F. S. Teck of Scran- ton, Pa.
The Sardis & Delta was organized Dec. 20, 1900; president, R. M. Carrier. It operates 13 miles of road from Sardis to Carrier, Pandla county.
The Natchez, Columbia & Mobile is a logging road running from Norfield, Lincoln county, into Lawrence county, 201/2 miles. The company was organized June 24, 1892; president, J. S. But- terfield.
The Natches & Southern Railway Co. was organized Dec. 19, 1902. It was formerly the New Orleans & Northwestern, a con- solidated corporation organized under the laws of Mississippi and Louisiana. President, E. G. Merriam, St. Louis ; general office. Natchez ; operating office, St. Louis; operates 2.29 miles of road from Natchez (depot) to Mississippi river.
The Fernwood & Gulf railroad is a line of 20 miles eastward from the I. C. main line in Pike county.
The Mississippi Eastern is a line of 11 miles eastward from Quitman, on the M. & O.
The Liberty-White railroad connects the town of Liberty with the Illinois Central.
The Alabama & Mississippi is an outlet of Greene county to the M. & O.
In 1900 there were four electric car lines in the State. Since then the development has been rapid and an interurban line is in
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construction along the gulf coast, with others projected in the interior.
Raleigh, the capital of Smith county, is a post-village, about 48 miles southeast of Jackson. The station of Abel on the Gulf & Ship Island R. R. is the nearest railroad town, and Taylorsville is the nearest banking town. It was named for Sir Walter Raleigh. It has two churches, a school and a courthouse. The surrounding country is well timbered, chiefly with the long leaf, yellow pine. Population in 1900, 200. The Smith county Reformer, a Demo- cratic weekly newspaper is published here, established in 1892, and owned and edited by J. T. Watkins.
Ralston, a post-hamlet of Perry county, on the Gulf & Ship Is- land R. R., 6 miles south of Hattiesburg. Population in 1900, 20.
Ramsay, a post-hamlet in the east-central part of Harrison county, on Cabawfa creek, about 22 miles northeast of Gulfport. the county seat. It has 2 stores and a turpentine still. Its popula- tion in 1900 was 36; estimated at 100 in 1906.
Randall's Bluff, a hamlet of Winston county, about 10 miles southeast of Louisville, the county seat. The postoffice was dis- continued in 1905, and it now has rural free delivery from Fearns Springs.
Randolph, an incorporated post-town of Pontotoc county, situ- ated about 10 miles southwest of Pontotoc, the county seat, and the nearest railroad, banking, telegraph and express town. It has a money order postoffice. Population in 1900, 162. It has two church organizations and a fine school.
Rands, a postoffice in the southeastern part of Lee county. Net- tleton, on the Kansas City, Memphis & Birmingham R. R., is the nearest railroad station.
Rankin, an old town of Holmes county, now extinct, which was located on the Tchula and Yazoo City road, about five miles from Tchula. (See Holmes county.)
Rankin, a postoffice of Rankin county, and a station on the Ala- bama & Vicksburg R. R., 5 miles by rail east of Brandon, the county seat and nearest banking town.
Rankin, Christopher, was a native of Washington county, Penn., and was educated at Cannonsburg, the home of Col. George Mor- gan. Going to Georgia to teach school, he read law, and to practice his profession removed to the border town of Liberty in Amite county, in 1809, about the time the first Choctaw purchase was opened up. He was elected to the legislature from Amite in 1813. In 1816 he changed his residence to Natchez, and became the part- ner, and, later, the successor of Charles B. Green, an eminnent lawyer of that day. He was the last attorney-general west of Pearl river, a member of the constitutional convention of 1817, and of the committee that made the first draft of the constitution. At the meeting of the first legislature in October of that year he was a candidate for United States senator, but was unsuccessful. In 1819 he was elected to congress, and was reelected in 1821 over Poindexter, because of popular prejudice against Poindexter's code.
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Rankin proved to be an able congressman and was again twice elected, serving from December 6, 1819 until his death at Wash- ington, D. C., March 14, 1826. J. F. H. Claiborne wrote of him that he was "very careful in the preparation of his cases, strictly moral and temperate, mild and persuasive in his manners. a prudent, practical, sensible and industrious man, of unexceptional character."
Rankin County was erected February 4th, 1828, from all that portion of Hinds county lying east of the Pearl river, and was named in honor of Christopher Rankin, Congressman from Missis- sippi. The county has a land surface of 777 square miles. It forms a large, triangular area of land near the center of the State and is bounded on the north by Madison county, on the east by Scott and Smith counties, on the south by Simpson county and on the west by Hinds and Madison counties. The Pearl river forms its entire western and northern boundary and divides it from the counties of Madison and Hinds. It formed a part of the New Pur- chase of 1820, and the Choctaw Boundary line, defining that pur- chase, makes part of the present eastern boundary line. It has an area of about twenty townships.
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