The age-herald., 1900-06-11
WILL LET CONTRACT
 ONE DAY THIS WEEK
For Building Twenty Miles of
 EnsIey Southern.
TO BE OPERATED JOINTLY
By Southern and L. & N.-Contractor Denies Rumor That Combine Has
 Been Formed Against North
 ern Firms-Mr. Smith Talks

Bids for the construction of that portion Of the Ensley Southern road between Ems ley and the Little Warrior river, about 20 miles in length, have been handed to the chief engineer of the Southern railway, Afr. Wells, who will probably award the contract early this week. Seven bids were submitted, the bidders being the following contractors: C. D. Smith x Co. of Birm- ingham, Carney & Co. of Memphis, W. J.
 Oliver & Co. of South Carolina, Allen & Co. of Baltimore, Shanahan x Son. of 1 Louisville, J. J. McCabe & Co. of Baltimore l and Mccarthy Bros. of Chicago. l The contract when awarded will call for
 the complete construction of the road from 1 Ensiey to the Little Warrior river, in- cluding the grading, bridges, culverts and the laying of ties and rails. In other words when the contractors turn the road over to the company it will be ready for the run ming of trains.
 Over Half a Million Dollars The cost of the construction of this DOT tion of the road must begin within ten days after the signing of the contract, and the first eight miles must be completed and turned over to the company within five months thereafter. The remaining twelve miles must be completed within ten months.
 There yet remains eight ten miles of | the road the contract for the construction of which has not been advertised for, and perhaps will not be for sometime to come. This gap is between the Warrior and the Little Warrior rivers and when it is built the two rivers will have to be spanned with big iron bridges It will be recalled | that contract was recently let to a Chat 1 tanooga contracting firm for the construc- | ton of nine miles of the road from Par | rish to the Warrior river.
 | Joint Ownership The twenty miles provided for in the con tract to be let this weei, will require great amount of heavy work such as the blasting of rock and digging deep cuts and filling in grades the right of way being through a very rough country.
 That portion of the Ensey Southern run ming from Ensley to the Little Warrior river will be built and operated jointly by the Southern Railway and the Louisville and Nashville. At the Little Warrior the joint interests will end, and the two sys- tems will build separate lines, one going on to Parrish and connecting with the North 
 other going to Phelans, in Cullman county, where it will connect with the main line of the LousvI..e and Nashville. The line to Parrish will belong to the Southern, and the one to Phelans to the Louisville and Nashville the latter to be known the North Alabama road.
 No Combine Formed
 The report that the local railroad con- tractors had formed a combine against the northern contractors and that an effort would be made to control all railroad work in this section in the interest of the mem- bers of the combine is without foundation, according to leading contractor, who says no such combination is or has been con templated. Walter l.. Smith, of the firm of c. D. Smith & Co.,, contractors for the first nine miles of the Oneonta and Attalla road, which contract was let last week, stated to an Age-H reporter yesterday that he knew that no such combine had been formed and that none was contemplated. He said the report did all the contractors in this district injustice, in that it might prejudice some of those who have con- tracts to give out against the firms sup posed to be in the combine.