History of Atlanta, Georgia, USA

Originally known as Marthasville, Georgia.

Atlanta, a flourishing city of De Kalb county, Georgia, is situated about 7 miles S. E. from the Chattahoochee river, and on the line of railroads leading from Savannah to Chattanooga and Nashville, Tennessee, 101 miles N. W. from Macon, 171 W. from Augusta, and 291 miles from Nashville. The situation is elevated and remarkably healthy. Four of the principal railroads of the state terminate at this town, and render it a place of great activity in business, and a depot for the cotton and grain of several adjoining counties. The Georgia railroad extends from Atlanta to Augusta; the Macon and Western railroad to the city of Macon ; the Atlantic and Western railroad, which was opened in 1860, leads to Chattanooga, Tennessee ; and the La Grange railroad, which was finished in 1852, connects Atlanta with West Point, 72 miles distant. Atlanta was laid out in 1845, since which it has increased with great rapidity, and become one of the most populous and important towns in the northern part of ...

Atlanta, Ga., November 5. – Two colored men, Wm. KENNEBREAD and Phil JOHNSON, well-diggers, were blown to atoms yesterday by an explosion of blasting powder. Thirty feet down they struck granite, and commenced drilling for the purpose of blowing up the rock. After one explosion they descended and drilled several more holes inserting explosives. Instantly an explosion followed when the two bodies were shot up 500 feet in the air. One fell on the ground 100 feet from the well, horribly mutilated. The other shot straight up in the air and fell back into the well.

Atlanta, Ga., Dec. 15. - One of the most terrible railroad accidents ever known in Georgia, occurred last night at midnight, fifteen miles from this city on the Georgia Pacific road. The East Tennessee, and Georgia Pacific run the same track to Austel. Last night the Georgia Pacific mixed train with coach and one sleeper stopped at the tank to be watered. The coach and sleeper were on the trestle thirty feet high. The East Tennessee passenger going at the speed of thirty miles an hour, struck the sleeper and engine and went nearly half way through it.

The wreck was terrible. The firemen sprang over board and received slight injuries. The engineer held to his throttle and was unhurt.
The following persons on the Georgia Pacific train were killed:
BERNARD PEYTON, of Charlottesville, Va.
NATHAN HANLEY, of Anniston, Ala.
JACOB BANKS.
MARY BANKS.
B. BRIGHT, wife and two children, of Jonesboro, Ga.
A. PIERCE, of Aberdeen, Texas.
T. H. HOYT, of East Point, Ga.
Two unknown...