Huntsville gazette., 1888-01-14
THE RAILROADS.
Chief Engineer Fitz Hugh's Report
on the Huntsville Extension.

Birmingham Herald.
Now,with the opening of the new year,
| the thoughts of those interested in the
railroad and mineral development OF this
section naturally revert to the Huntss
vile extension of the Birmingham Min>
eral, by far the most important railroad
| in contemplation for Birmingham this
| year. The railroad men who are in a
position to know are very reticent about
| the natter but there isevidently "somes
thing in the wind" and there is little
doubt in early spring active operations
will be commenced.
The following description of the pro-
posed route of the road is taken from
the printed report of G. d. Fitz Hugh,
chief engineer of the Birmingham Min
eral, to NJ. HI Smith, vice president of
the Louisville & Nashville system After
stating that the order for the survey OF
extension OF the Birmingham Mineral
Railroad from point near Boyles' Gap,
on theaSouth & North division. OF the
Louisville & Nashville, via Murphree's
| Valley to Huntsville, has been executed,
| the report continues:
| Boyle's Gap is situated five miles north
of Birmingham in the eastern Out-crOp
of the Warrior coal fields, and is about
midway between the west prong or fold
of Jones Valley, which connects or runs
into Murphree's Valley at Village Springs
about sixteen miles northwest of Boyle's
| Gap Besides making the surveys OF
several routes to Huntsville, the perm>
anent location of the route has been made
from Boyle's Gap to Williamsons' Gap,
| in the red fossil iron ore ridge dividing
| Big Spring Valley from Browns S Valley.
a distance of fifty-seven miles.
| This branch of the Birmingham Min
| eral railroad has been called the Hunts
| Vile Branch, and has its initial point at
| Bessemer, Ala, ten miles southeast
from Birmingham. That part OF this
| branch road from Bessemer to the inter
section of the South d North Alabama
railroad near Boyles Gap has been COM
| pleted, except track-laying and bridge
superstructure, which is being carried
forward to completion as rapidly as posr
sible Ut has since been completed.-Ed.
The location of the established line
has been made with view of economic
transportation for the large and rich
viens OF fossil red ore and the large de-
posits of fibrous brown hematite iron
ore lining the eastern and western rims
of Jones' and Murphree's Valleys, as
well as Big Spring Valley and Browns
Valley, extending to the Tennessee
River.
! The average width of Jones and Mur>
phree's valleys is about two and one
half miles.
West Red mountain, forming the Wes-
tern boundries of these valleys, contains
| Io 1or II rod ntil tho for lf
at Village Springs makes the change Of
the position OF the strata in Murphree's
Valley. Murphree's Valley is the exten-
northeasterly direction for about fifty
miles, when it terminates abruptly
against the upper eastern Warrior coal
field, in the direction of Bridgeport.
At Village Springs in the fine red ore
veinss .howing so conspicuously at Spring
Vile, on the Alabama Great Southern
railroad, by the faults in this part Of the
Warrior coal fields, make the eastern
boundary OF Murphree's Valley, and ex-
ceed the ores in west Red mountain in
quantity and quality.
On the east side of Murphree's Valley,
about seventeen miles above Village
Springs and about five miles from Chep-
uItepec, the large deposits of tibrous,
brown hemitite ores are located. These
deposits are estimated to be about forty
feet thick, two thousand feet wide land
three miles long.
Under these deposits OF brown ore two
veins of red ore of fine quality and from
two to three feet thick are located.
From this point in Murphree's Valley
in northeast direction the veins OF ore in
East Red Mountain are quite small The
veins of ore in West Red Mountain are
more uniform and of workable thick
ness as far up the valley as Whippoor-
will Gap in Sand Mountain; formed by a
prong OF the Warrior River, a distance
OF forty-thrce miles from Boyle's Gap.
At this point the location of the line OF
railroad leaves Murphree's Valley and
enters the Warrior coal fields, extending
across this part of the basin for nine
miles to the "Sequatchee fold" called in
this region Big Springs Valley aud
Browns Valley, from the names Of the
two larger streams running in these
valleys and emptying into the Tennesr
see River.
Browns Valley is by far the most fer
tile valley in North Alabama The aver
age width of the valley is two miles, and
, OF Big Spring Valley two miles.
The line of the proposed road extends
across and down these valleys to Boards
, Bluff on the Tennessee river.
|
On the route surveyed, the mineral
region ends near Boards Bluff, yet on
the north side OF Tennessee river coal is
found in small basins, and inferior quail
tiles OF red and brown iron ores.
The river cuts diagonallv through the
bluff, leaving the Deposit Bluff west
and south OF Boards Bluff distance o1
one-half mile. The line OF road is sur
veyed to cross the Tennessee river al
Deposit, distance oil seventy five miles
flom Boyle's Gap. The river is 7S0 feet
wide, and an average depth at low water
J of twenty feet.
A spur of the coal formations of the
+ mountains called Buck Snort" closes in
near the Tennessee River about six
miles northwest from Deposit, and
across this spur, at Ricketts, Gap, the
! line is surveyed for the location From