The age-herald., 1899-06-21
IN HOTEL LOBBIES
 AND ELSEWHERE

| posed west AlaDdIud IOdu ITOiu lhb 1tll-
 nessee-Alabama states boundary to Mo
 bile The present interest in the matter may be described as a survival, rather than l revival, of one of the greatest schemes of development that was ever worked out by the master mind of the late John T. Milner. The legislature of 1S9O-91,
 at the instance of MT. Milner, then the 1 ator from Jefferson, passed an act setting l apart S10,0O0 from the wO-and-Three Per l Cent. fund to cover the expense of a sur
 vey of a railway line from Tennessee to
 Mobile passing through Florence and 1 Sheffield, and, diverging from the straight l line, tapping the Warrior coal fields, touch- i ing Tuscaloosa, Demopois and other im- portant towns, and so entering Mobile. l This enterprise was dear to the heart of l Senator Milner, who did more for the de- velopment of the mineral riches of Ala bama than any other man who has yet re- sided in this state. His impassoned plea to the senate to pass his bill which plea the files of the Age-Herald set forth, is well remembered by such men as care to re- member wise deeds in the halls of the legis- lation The senator esteemed it himself as
 the greatest service he had ever done the state. Tn all probability shall not be liv- ing when the proposed road is opened for traffic, but 1t is a pleasing reflection to mo that I shall be remembered" he said to the senate The Miner act, to state it's salient features in a word or two, set apart $10,000 for the survey, provided for three commits
 sioners of survey, and further provided that the route so surveyed should be given by the state to the person or persons who would undertake to build the road, the pur- pose of the act being that there should be no jobbery or sale of franchise possible.
 The commissioners appointed by the gov ernor, the Hon. Thomas G. Jones then be- ing the head of the state, were Thomas Seay, of Hale some time governor and of blessed memory; John T. Miner, of Jeffer son, first of all the states developers, and Judge Simpson,, the eminent jurist of Lauderdele. John T. Milner was made re- sponsible for the survey and his cousin, Major John A. Milner, now and for many years resident of Birmingham, was head
 of the surveying corps. The cost of the
 work as reported to the general assembly, was something over 5000; which showed the marvellous accuracy of John T. Miners
 estimate as to the actual cost of surveying
 some 400 miles of railroad line.
 Amongst the senators of the state who entered most heartily into Senator Miners
 great plans and who worked assiduously
 for the passage of his bill, was Hon. II.
 AustslI, the senator from Mobile, who had
 been previously for many years the dis
 tinguished chancellor of the Southwestern
 division The senator from Jefferson and the senator from Mobile had many bonds
 of sympathy common to both, and were
 warmly attached each to the other. The
 Miner act was passed in the dawn of a troubled day, the shadows of which have
 but now passed from this people; and after
 the famous survey was completed the con-
 ditions of the money market were so unta-
 vorable and distressful that even finan-
 cier of MT. Miners wealth and credit could
 not raise a large sum for any purpose. So
 the matter of building the West Alabama
 railroad rested and has rested up to the
 present time. Towards the end of Senator
 Miners life, when his physical condition
 warned him that his time was nearly up,
 he sent all the papers and documents Of
 the survey, including the maps and profiles, to Chancellor Austill, whom he considered as best qualified to carry out his plans when the favorable time should come. That time is come, and Chancellor Austill is now at work in the interest of the great trunk line created in the fertile, masterful | brain of Milner. He was in Birmingham yesterday, and is today in Tuscaloosa, where he will address a public meeting in the interest of the proposed road. On the 23rd of June he will be in Birmingham again on the identical business. The near
 est point of the surveyed line to Birming- ham is in the vicinity of Toadvine, twenty miles distant and it is proposed to run spur line from there into this city. This enterprise is of vast import to a great sec ton of the state.
 Some of the newspapers and the gossps generally have referred to Chancellor Aus till as the proper man for the presidency of the Girls Industrial school at Monteval- To; arguing that his election would be happy ending of the troubles that have ar
 isen from the unexpected turning out of Captain Reynolds, who has been worthily styled the father of the school.
 "I know nothing about it," said Chancel- Tor Austill, when questioned as to the mat ter. My business is to build the West Alabama railroad. I hadn't thought of the
 presidency of the school at Montevallo.'
 Further than this Chancellor Austill had
 nothing to say concerning the big school for girls, of which he is trustee from the First district, except to remark that he
 knew nothing new regarding the presidency. It is learned that the finance committee of the board of trustees will assemble at Montevalo today for the purpose of pur- | suing the investigation of Captain Rey-
 holds books and accounts as looked into by one of the state examiners of accounts last week. The committee consists of Senator
 Frank L. Moody, the Tuscaloosa banker; Senator c. W. Thompson, of Macon, and former Senator Sol. D. Bloch, of Wilcox. Senator Thompson was in Birmingham yes- terday and goes direct to join his colleagues Thus the tiresome comedy of Montevalo keeps the boards, and dress circle and pea
 nut gallery alike are growing more weary day by day.