The age-herald., 1897-11-25
EXTENSION IF THE M. AND !. Branch Will Soon Be Put In
 Operation. SURVEYORS ARE AT WORK Coming Toward Birmiugham-They Admit the Extension Is Being Made to This
 Cty-0ther Railroad News.

operating trains within ten days. ine trains will be running from Tuscaloosa to Columbus, Miss.
 The road is complete in every de,ail ito within ten miles of Tuscaloosa. The contractors. by using their new track laying machine, comp etc two miles daily.
 The fa1se work on all of '.he bridges between Tuscaloosa and Columbus has been finished. On the bridge aeloss the Warrior river the crosst.es and rails are being laid. The iron work for the per manent bridges is on hand in Columbus, and will be shipped by the first tran over the line. The building of th,s ex- tension has broken all records for quick nezs.
 The grading from Tuscaloosa to Mont- gomery is almost complete. All that re- mains to be done in this line is the com- pletion of the trestling The rails for this end are in Tuscaloosa, having been taken there by the Alabama Great Southern road.
 The corps of erginaees at work tween Birmingham and 'Bloc4on continue their surveying in this direction. On account of the extreme ruggedness of this part of the country the progress is very slow.
 THEY ADMIT IT.
 Many people from the vicinity where these engineers are at work say they admit that the Mobile and Ohio road is headed for Birmingham. At that place they do not attempt to hide this fact.
 The theory is given credence that the Mobile and Ohio road will utilize the Birmingham, Powderly and Bessemer dummy line. This line has bsen greatly improved, and this work is being coz tinusd. The roadbed is being reballastsd and prepared for heavy traffic.
 BEvIv1NG AN OLD RUMoR.
 Several years ago an attempt was made to connect the Powderly dummy line with ths, c Gsrte City line. The irten- tioTay -df that time wats to make the road extend through from Bessemer to St. Clair Springs. The same .gentl men owned the bonds of both roads. Since the Birmingham Railway and Electric company ecured control of the Powder ly line talk ha not been received.
 In some quarters it is believed that the Mobile and Ohio road will put this plan into execution. By using the two dummy lines this road will have about twenty miles of line built and in opera tiSn.
 A. G. s. ANNUAL, INSPECTION.
 RoadmasterM A Took of the Alabana Great Southern, with the road supervi- ors have completed their annual inspec- ton of the Alabama Great Southern road from Chattanooga to MeriCfan. The party made the trip in part on a special train.
 Particular attention has been paid to crossings With other railroads and the condition of all switchss and sidetracks. The read was found to be in stectly firslt-class condition.
 EARNINGS OF GREAT SYSTEMS. In computing the gross earnings of the great railroad systems the Financ al Chronicle has expended a. great deal of time For the first ten morths in the present year the Chronicle says: {
 In the ten months statement some of ehe increases are very large; for example. Canadian Pacific, $2 3S9, ,29S; Mexican Gen. tral, $2, ,179, 300: Missouri Pacific and Iron Mountain, $1 90S, ,29S; IlEnois Central, $1,- 700 706; New York Central $1,619,251; Southern Railway, $752 130; Chesapeake and Ohio $743,995; Mex.can National, $741,445; No.thern Pacific, $739 S57; Chi cago, Rock Island and Pacific, $697 ,l30; Oregon Railway and Nav gation, s62S,OS4; Cleveland, CinciE. att, Chicago and St. Louis $52S, ,969; Great Northern, $455 016; Louisville and Nashville, $452,91 Rio Grande Western, s427 ,795; TeNas and Pa c.fic, sS95, ,176; Nashville, Chatlt anooga and St. Louis, $366,S52.
 The only cases of decretssa reaching s200, 900 are these: Duluth, South Shore and Atlantic $353, ,9C9. ard Burlington, Cedar Rapds and Northern. s240.46 In many cases the falling off is measured by a few thousand do.lars.
 Some of the great money earners, such as Chicago and Northwestern Chica go, Burlingl on and Quincy; Atchison, To- peka and Santa Fe; Southern Pacific; Union Pacific Pennsylvania; Lake Shore and others, which do not appear in the returns yet published, will u.doubted'y make lthe results for 1897 more favorable than they now appear.
 The showing made by the sou hern roads, namely, the louisville and Nash vile, Southern, and Nashville, Chstta- nooga and St. Louis, Is very encoul aging.
 FIGHTING THE SCALPERS.
 The American Ticket Brokers associa- tion and the railroads throughout the United States will make desperate fight this winter to wipe out what they con- s.der the ticket-scalping evil.
 The Sherman and Cullom hills in the house and senate have been introduced wlh this idea in view.
 The scalpers have effected systematic organization for the purpose of fighting the passage of the bills. Beth sides are determined, and the fight is one of ex- termination.
 Prosperity and Bonds.
 From the Washington Timss.
 Come right along with your bond issue, Mr President. Don't permit the secre-