The age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1897-1902, 1898-12-04

"We'll Step Into Ensley,' Says Nh.
London.
AN ENTIRELY NEW PHASE
prepared to Start to Work Within a
Week.
THEY ARE PREPARED TO BUILD
And Before They Have Finished Work
Mr.. London Promises That
Lots of Territory Will
Be Covered.

you can say for me, If you care to-"
said President Alex T. London, of the Biz
mingham Traction company yesterday at
ternoon, "that on the day that the Biz
mingham Railway and Electric company
starts its line to operating into North Bir-
mingham, on that same day the Traction
company will start its cars to running into
Ensley."
This move on the part of the Traction
company is an entirely new one in the fight
which is now going on between Birming-
hams two big street car companies. Mr..
London's proposal to now build a road from
the city out through the western section
of the Birmingham district to the great
industrial center at Ensley, puts an en-
tirely new phase on the matter. The routes
by which the Traction company proposed
to reach Ensley are described by Mr. Lon
don as follows:
One of them leaves the North Birming-
ham line out near the new Athletic park at
Village creek. From that point there is a
railroad grade almost due west made by
the old Georgia Pacific road, down which
the Traction company could readily build
their tracks By this route the line would
pass directly through Thomas, ON to En-
sley, but would not touch Pratt, passing
to the south of that city. This line is all
most without hill from North Birmingham
to Ensley and would therefore cost but lit
tie for motive power The line would also
be almost a straight one, there being but
few curves in it. ie,
This route, Mr.. London says, would open
up one of the finest sections in the district,
and one which would be most desirable for
BODYBUILDING. He thinks that were such
a line constructed, that many of the OPP
eratives who are to work in the big steel
plants and other industries at Ensley would
make their homes along it. North Biz
mingham park could also be made the
pleasure-ground of these people, for there
are few, if any, desirable parks in the En-
sley and Pratt territory.
The other route which the Traction COM
pany has under consideration is an entirely
different one. 1t starts at Seventh avenue
and Nineteenth street. and, leaving the
track which the company now has at that
point, proceeds directly down Seventh av-
enue, through Elyton, West End, Owenton,
and thence to Ensley. Such a line would
compete not only with the Electric COM
pany's Elyton line, but also with it's Bes-
semer dummy line, which runs near Owen
ton.
The citizens of the last mentioned place
are especially anxious that the Traction
company build this line. delegation has
called on Mr.. London several times lately,
one of their visits being made yesterday, In
behalf of the Methodist College at Owen
ton. An electric car line running directly
by the college would help it wonderfully
they claim, and they are urging Mr.. Lon
don to build it.
I'VE have not been pushing the work of
surveying either of these proposed routes"
said Mr. London, because we have two
lines now which we have only recently put
into operation, and we wanted to hold up a
little on our road building until we got
them in perfect working shape. However,
we are prepared to start work on one of
the two Ensey routes within a week, II
necessary. Under our charter we have a
right to build our lines anywhere in JEFF
ferson county and sooner or later we pro-
pose to cover good deal of that territory.
Another thing, wherever we extend our
lines, we will charge only a fve-cent fare,
no matter how great the distance