Birmingham state herald. (Birmingham, Ala.) 1895-1897, 1897-01-27
NEWS OF THE RAIL.

BoOd anu lHe pdSSeuSeI lidAhc 4HSH aAc
correspondingly happy. The increase
grows steadily and bids fair to continue
so until away in the spring.
Uncle Charlie Jones, of the Kansas
City, Memphis and Birmingham road.
who is ever watchful of Birmingham's
interests, is now making strenuous eff
fort to reiterate his past assertions that
he is always friendly to the Magic City.
1t is understood that he is making
strong effort to have an excursion run
into Birmingham from Memphis ON the
occasion of the coming mardi gras festiv-
titles and If he succeeds in obtaining what
he is after the number of people from
that end of the line can be safely put
down at way up in four figures. Uncle
Charlie says he is no hog. but feels as
IL he were entitled to at least a fair share
of the representation on that occasion
and will make every effort to have it.
Mr. J. Van Smith, who has recently
been appointed General Superintendent
of the B. & o. R. r. at New York, is
son of the late William Prescott Smith,
who was Master of Transportation of
the B. & o. r. r. during the war.
William Prescott Smith was very
closely identified with this road from
1855 to 1853 He wrote the first recog-
nize0 book on transportation and was
the leading spirit in the great demon
stration that took place in 1851 when
the B. & o. r. r. was completed to Par
kersburg and when connection was made
between what was then the Marietta
and Cincinnati Railroad and the Ohio
| and Mississippi and the Central Ohio.
1t was the dream of the projectors of the
| B. & o. r. r. to have an all rail route
| from the Ohio River at Cincinnati to the
| seaboard at Baltimore, and when this
| dream became realization there was
| great rejoicing and a tremendous demon
| stration, both in Baltimore and Cincin-
| natl Mr.. Smith had charge of the fes-
! tivities and later wrote history of these
! railroads. He married daughter of
! Joshua Vansant, who was twice Mayor
| of Baltimore and one of the men of that
time who laid the solid foundation of
| Baltimores prosperity. Colonel Smith
| was noted for his dinners and entertain
| ments, and during his life time enter
! tanned several presidents and many of
| the most noted men of that time. During
the war he had charge of the transporta-
| ton of the troops along the line of the
| B. & o. r. r. and 1t was chiefly due to
his ability as a railroad man that the
government was enabled to handle ex-
peditiously large bodies of soldiers. At
ter the war he was made Revenue Col
lert~ at Baltimore by President Grant,
who was a warm personal friend.
Through the courtesy of Master Me-
chanic Harry w. English, of the Bir-
mingham Railway and Electric company,
State Herald representative, with his
family, enjoyed a most delightful trip
to Bessemer yesterday afternoon on
board a brand new special train. A large
number of invitations had been sent out
by Mr.. English, among them being cards
to the several newspapers of the city.
The only periodicals represented were the
State Herald and Labor Advocate. the
latter's representative being Mr.. ]. H. f.
Moseley.
The weather was all but favorable yet
a number of invited guests were at the
appointed place of meeting at the hour
| named and promptly at o'clock Con-
! ductor Charles j. Martin gave the sig
| nal and Engineer z. A. Weaver pulled
| open the throttle and No g. fresh from
| the company's shop and looking a thing
| of beauty, began the Jolly trip to BESSIE
mer. The train consisted of engine No.
| and combination car No. and first
class car No. TO-
Following is a brief description of the
! engine:
| Engine No. was originally built by the
Baldwin Locomotive works. of Philadel-
phia, and is Of the high pressure class,
| 14x20 inch cylinder, four Hanged driving
| wheels, 48 inches In diameter, with front
and rear trucks, driving wheel base 5
| feet 6 inches, total wheel base 10 feet
| inch, weight on driving wheels 10000 TBS,
| total weight of engine in working order
| $4,000 lbs
The boiler is made of the best f1ange
! plates of homogeneous cast steel % of
! an inch thick and is forty inches in di
ameter at the smoke box end and contains
| 1O5 ~ inch boiler tubes The engine has
been completely remodeled, diScarding
| the large clumsy house that originally
| covered 1t, for that of a short cab.
Injectors steam gauge, vacuum brake
| and all valves in cab have been arrang-
ed conveniently to the engineers hand
4 . =, r1r.- k,%,at7 ~
line style, handsomely painted and fitted
up with all the latest improvements.
They are models of beauty In their new
colors and the workmanship, as on the
engine is of an unusually high class.
They ride like Pullman sleepers and are
worthy of place In the Alabama exhibit
at any exposition.
The companyS shops are situated at
Ninth avenue and Fourteenth street
The woodworking and machine depart
ments are operated by electricity and
thoroughly equipped with the latest inn
proved machinery. Fifty men are con-
stantly employed. The Birmingham
Railway and Electric company will, In
future, build all their cars for both the
steam and electric divisions at this plant
| as Mr. English claims the work can be
| done here in Birmingham as well as at
any of the large car works of the country.
| The train sent out yesterday evening at
| tests this fact The company, In build
| ing their cars here, will give, employment
| constantly to large force which means
! large pay rolls and the result to the city
| can readily be seen.
| The train made the trip to Bessemer
! without special incident On arrival
| there and while on the "Y'' Mr.. r. I.
| Boyett, the Second avenue photographer,
| took several excellent views of the train,
| crew and passengers. The return trip
was made on schedule time, and those on
| board voted Mr.. English a jolly, good
| fellow, and a master mechanic right. His
| workmen were also highly complimented.
| The train crew was as follows Con-
| ductor Charles ]. Martin; engineer, q. A.
| Weaver; fireman, William Jackson, col
| ored, and porter, Jim Stanley, colored.
| PROMINENT OFFICIALS HERE.
| Among the railroad officials noted as
being in the city yesterday were the fol-
| lowing:
| w w Finley, second vice-president of
the Southern railway, with headquarters
| in Washington
| A. F. Barrett, general freight and pas
| senger agent of the New Orleans and
| Northeastern road, with headquarters in
/ New Orleans.
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