The decorations of the different vehicles showed conclusively the innate taste of not only Mrs. Trvis who had it in charge, but of the ladies of Montgomery.

The Chief Marshall of the day was Mayor Clifford Lanier, Jr. and his aides were Messrs J. Ware Walker, G. L. McGough, Frank Kohn, and Jack Thorington.

From Montgomery Street the procession moved to Court Square and then up Court Street to South and across to Perry, down Perry to Dexter Avenue and up the avenue to the Capitol and then down again to Court Square and down Commerce to the depot. Here an immense jam of people had already gathered and it was all that a couple of policemen could do to keep the big doors opening into the shed closed until

Captain Falkner had delivered the following address:

"Ladies and Gentlemen, It is with much pleasure that I, in behalf of the Louisville and Nashville Railroad Company, contribute my mite to the grand pageant of today. For this, perhaps the grandest floral exhibition ever seen in Montgomery, we are indebted to our noble women, without whose constant presence among us, even this magnificent specimin of architecture, with all its adornments, would be far from beautiful and life itself would be regarded far from beautiful and rather undesirables am sure that every man here will agree with me that the loveliest tinted rose, the sweetest violet, and all the flowers displayed on this occasion are not half as radiant, beautiful, and lovely as the fair hands who have woven them into garlands.

"There are but few people now who can appreciate the delays and inconveniences incident to travel only a few years ago. For instance, parties starting from New Orleans to New York would take the New Orleans Road as far as Mobile. There it was necessary to change cars and take the Mobile and Montgomery Road to Montgomery.

"It was then necessary to change cars at Montgomery, and, for a long time, to travel by hack entirely across the city to take a train of the Western Railway of Alabama to West Point, Ga. At that point it was necessary to again change cars and take a train of the Atlanta and West Point Railroad, and so on all the way through to New York. The sleeping car was practically unknown in this part of the country. In fact, sleeping cars would have been of no practical benefit under conditions then existing.

"Before the building of the Alabama South and North Railroad from Montgomery to Decatur in order to reach points on the line of the Memphis and Charleston Railroad, it was necessary to go by Atlanta, Ga. and Chattanooga, Tenn, or to Mobile and thence to Corinth, Miss., over the Mobile and Ohio Railroad. The great mineral regions of Alabama were then practically unknown. Coal was worth in Montgomery at that time from eight to twelve dollars a ton, and was considered a luxury, being the medium used for domestic purposes and not at all for manufacturing purposes. Efforts looking toward the building of the South and North Alabama Railroad were commenced more than forty years ago. Not only the City of Montgomery, but our people generally, took an active interest therein, subscribing large sums of money thereto, and, as is generally known, a contract was made by the directors of that road with a firm of contractors to build the road, and all the money available was spent in trying to construct it. But it will be remembered that those were the days when the wheel scrape, the steam shovel, and other implements of that character were unknown and only the pick, shovel, and wheelbarrow were available. It was a time when everything was at the very highest prices. It is needless to say that there was utter failure. Afterwards, another contract was made by the directors with another and different firm by which it was thought the road would be built. Large sums of money were secured by subscription and by the issuance of bonds and the like, all of which was spent in a fruitless effort to construct the road.

"The directors of the South and North Alabama Railroad then appealed to the Louisville and Nashville Railroad Company to save this enterprise to the people of Alabama, and to construct the road from Decatur to Montgomery. To do this and to prevent a loss of such parts of the road as had been constructed, the rights-of-way and other property acquired, it became necessary for the Louisville and Nashville Railroad Company to assume the vast indebtedness which had accrued on this property, and to endorse its bonds, and to furnish fresh money for the completion. This it did, and the only pay it has ever received to this day for the work it has done or the money it has advanced was the preferred stock which was issued to it under its contract with the directors of that road. In view of the fact that prices of everything, including labor, material, and supplies were at that time the very highest. The cost of constructing roads was very much greater than at any time since. A very large indebtedness had accrued, and it took still a very great additional sum to build the road and put it in operation. But in this manner it was built, and is today the equal of any single track railroad anywhere in this country. Owing to the special circumstances which I have mentioned, the cost of construction was more than twice as much as it would cost to parallel this road today. But we believe that it has been and will continue to be a great blessing to the people of Alabama, and we know that all who are familiar with the difficulties encountered in the construction of the South and North Alabama Railroad fully appreciate what was done by the Louisville and Nashville Railroad Company in securing to the people of Alabama a line of railroad which has done so much to develop the rich material resources of the state.

"Realizing the commercial importance of the city of Montgomery and acting m the same spirit which has ever characterized this institution, it has, at its own cost, without the aid of any other company, built at Montgomery this magnificent passenger depot which is equal, if not superior, to any like structure in the South.

"Growing as our city is, it is not believed by the management of the Louisville and Nashville Railroad Company that even this mainmoth station will suffice for the needs of this city for more than twenty or twenty-five years, but that within that time our city will have grown to such proportions as to demand station facilities many times larger than this, and to this growth in Montgomery, in which I have the fullest confidence, 1, as one of the representatives of this great railroad company, pledge you our earnest and hearty co-operation.

"With these remarks, it is with a great deal of pleasure that I announce to you that in a few moments, after you have heard from these little boys by my side, these doors will be thrown open and this magnificent building will be started upon the use for which it has ben constructed, and in behalf of the Louisville and Nashville Railroad Company, I invite you to enter and I bid you welcome."

At the conclusion of the speech Master Jeff Falkner, Jr. said: "Ladies and Gentlemen, The Louisville and Nashville Railroad Company is about to open the finest depot in the South."

Master Robert Falkner said: "Ladies and gentlemen, The band will now play Dixie, and we boys will do the rest."

The Second Regiment Band played Dixie and little Jeff and Robert Falkner swung the big doors and the handsomest depot in the South was formally opened to the public.

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