The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1890-02-18
NEW LINE TO THE WEST.
The Alabama Midland Rapidly APP
rorOaching NOmnlation

preaching completion.
General Manager Durham, of the Ala
hama Midland railroad, was in Savannah
Yesterday TO hurry the rails for the new
line and its branches forward. The main
line of the Midland from Bainbridge to
Montgomery direct across lower Georgia
and Alabama is completed, with the excep-
ti0u Of four miles, and that viii be finished
Saturday. The rails are needed now for
tine branch which is being built from Mont
gomery north to Memphis and into the coal
and iron fields.
A year ago last December work began
on the Alabama Midland. and it has been
nushed with great rapidity. The line is
now virtually completed. It is It's miles
long. making the distance from Savannah
10 Montgomery by the new route over the
Savannah, Florida and Western and the
Midland All miles. This is claimed to be
tbe shortest aud most direct route from
Montgomery and the iron mines to the
coast, The Central is the next shortest
route. The Alabama Midland runs
through a section of country hitherto I'M
developed; rich in virgin forests, naval
stores aud cotton. 1t takes in a rich portion
of the two states whose industrial growth
has been seriously retarded in consequence
of the poor transportation facilities.
The business on the Chattahoochee and
Flint rivers, both of which are navigable
where the road crosses, has been
forced up the rivers to Columbus
or Montezuma, where it is taken
by the railroads and is brought to Savan-
nah. This ineffective way of carrying on
commerce will be remidied by the facili-
ties offered by the new line. At both of
the crossings on the rivers, elevators have
been built so as to transfer in the shortest
time freights from the boats to the cars and
also freight from the cars to
the boats. The business coming
from the Chattahoochee valley south of
where the Alabama Midland crosses, in
stead of being taken up to Columbus, and
there loaded on trains and sent down TO
Savannah, will now be transferred to the
new line and will be brought through direct
in a much shorter time.
The new route, after crossing the Flint
river west of the Bainbridge terminus, runs
across to the Chattahoochee river and
crosses it south Of Gordon. Going over into
Alabama it parallels the river running up
four miles to within half mile of the town
of Gordon. Then it runs north by Ashford,
Dothan, Newton and Ozark Until the road
gets to Ozark no line of railroad is touched.
Connections are made with the Central at
Ozark. At Troy the Midland intersects the
Northwest and Florida railroad from Mont
gomery to Luverne, q distance of fifty-one
miles, which the Midland has Just pur-
chased. The roads are now consolidated.
The branch from Sprague's junction out
to Luverne is thirty-three miles, and its
terminus is only three miles from Rutledge,
the county seat of Crenshaw county. The
Montgomery, Tuscaloosa and Memphis rail-
road the new line being graded by the Ala
bama Midland, will run from Montgomery
to Memphis and into the coal and iron
districts. 1t intersects in this route the East
Tennessee, Virginia and Georgia railroad at
BIapleville, touches the Cincinnati Southern
at Tuscaloosa and intersects at some point,
not yet determined, the Memphis, Kansas
City end Birmingham railroad.
The grading, General Manager Durham
said, between Montgomery ana Maplevile
is being rapidly pushed. He said
that an immense amount of traffic
is being taken by the new line
now. Trains are running on schedule
and the business is as heavy as the officers
want until the line is clear from Bainbridge
to Montgomery. 1t is being operated at
present to Ozark on the main line and out
to Luverne on the branch. The rolling
stock adequate to meet the demands upon
the line is at cambridge, the general mana
ger said, waiting to be used. The motive
power and car capacity will be equal
to that of any road in the country. The
management saw JndU Uu6 TOdu WOulQ nOC
have to wait for business, and in advance
the purchase of the necessary equipment
has been made.
General Manager Durham takes good
deal of pride IN the new line. He was at
one time general manager of the Baltimore
and Ohio railroad, and was also general
manager of the Louisville and Nash
vile railroad but his friends
say that his heart is more
in the enterprise than in any of the others.
Savannah is his old home, and he has an
eye single to his native city. Mr.. Durham
went into the railroad business at an
early age as machiniSt. He
served in almost every capacity after being
put out on the road and at the age of % he
was made superintendent of the Brunswick
and Albany railroad. He is said to be- the
only railroad man who has held so import
ant an office at so young an age.
He is pushing the Alabama Midland
for all it is worth and Savannah
hopes to enjoy some of the
fruits of his labor. Mr.. Durham quit rail-
road business several years ago and retired
to private life but he became connected
with several large corporations in Mont
gomery and also with New York people,
and by some means the new lines sprung up
and he was placed at the helm.
y Mr.. Durham will remain in Savannah
for few days on business connected with
the road, and he will then return aud begin
the operation of the great through system
from the west to Savannah and the sea.