The Savannah morning news., 1901-01-01
THE FIRST DIRT THROWN.
BRUNSWICK VERY ENTHU SIASTIC
OVER NEW ROAD.

OVER NEW ROAD.
Cannon BoOmed and Business Men
seized Hold of shOv&Is, Mayor and
MayOr-eIect Threw the First Dirt,
and Editor Irvine Fired the First
CannOn-COI. Goodyear Speaks of
the Good the Road VIII Bring to
BruDswick-Many Towns and Cities
Competing for the ROad-Prcsident
Thing This Time.
Brunswick, Ga. Dec 31.-The first
shovelful of dirt on the right of way of
the Brunswick and Birmingham Railroad
was thrown this afternoon by Mayor D.
D. Atkinson and Mayor-elect n. Emanuel
in the presence of a large number of the
representative business men of Bruins
wick, and several prominent New York
ers.
In keeping with the quiet but deter
mined policy that Col. Machen has pur-
sued since the road was first proposed
there was no newspaper hurrah before
the work was started, but to-day the peo-
Pile assembled had the privilege of view
ing the breaking of dirt on a railroad
that was only chartered two weeks ago.
Later they saw nearly 100 men at work
pushing the roadbed over the right of
way for ell it is worth and tonight
Chief Engineer L. W. Robert states that
ne will have several miles Of roadbed
fully graded before the end of January.
When dirt was broken to-day every bus
mess interest of Brunswick and Glynn
county was represented in the crowd of
interested spectators, and as Mayor At
kinson and Mayor-elect Emanuel cast
the first shovelfuls a great enthusiasm
filled the assembled crowd, and as the first
cannon doomed forth merchants and
bankers, city and county officials, clerks
and brokers, staid business men and
young and old men grabbed for picks and
sbovels and, in the spirit of the occasion,
threw their work into the starting of this
Brunswick great railroad project.
The first cannon was fired by Editor
William S. Irvine, an enthusiastic and
one of the first advocates of the road.
The second by Mayor Atkinson and the
third by Mayor-elect Emanuel. Then,
while the cannon continued to boom. Col.
Charles P. Goodyear of Goodyear dyna-
mite fame was called for and made a
speech fitting for the occasion. He re-
ferred to the great good to come to Bruus
wick through the building of this line to
Birmingham, and the consequent splen-
did results to be obtained by all me
towns and cities along the proposed route
with Birmingham as an Alabama termi-
nal through which the great coal and
iron fields of Georgias sister state were
to be tapped for the increase in Bruins
wicks shipping tonnage and export trade.
Col. Goodyear also paid a lengthy and
sploldid tribute to the indomitable energy
of President f. c. Machen, who is at the
head of the great undertaking, and al
most every sentence was cheered sin
cerely.
1t was a demonstration for President
Machen and the ones who took part in 1t
were the most conservative of business
men. Brunswick, is back of Col Machen
with all of her good will, right of ways,
machine shop sites and deep water ter
mnals, while from ali along the proposed
route come letters and kilograms that the
people all the way along, are equally en-
Unused and will back President Machen
and his associates for all they are worth
Many towns and cities are competing
to secure the road, and with ample finan
ciai backing in the North and East, Pres
ident Machen has comparatively easy
sailing for his new line. The unlimited
confidence shown in him by the people
along the proposed route. has helped Won
derfully in showing Eastern capital what
a good thing 1t is and at the coming
Brunswick and Birmingham Railroad Con-
yention, to be held in Brunswick next
month, representatives from along the
line in Georgia and Alabama will be
brought together to meet those from the
East and North, who are putting up sew
eral million dollars to see President Mach
en- put his road through
Glynn's County Commissioners have do
mated the entire county convict force to
work on the road bed to the end OF the
county line, and they are now throwing
up dirt at lively rate. Ten thousand
tons of steel rails have been contracted
for and the first shipment will be'here in
a few days.
All the machinery for the car and en-
CINE works has been ordered and the i'm
mense cotton mill plant that has been do
mated by the city for machine shops is
now being put in readiness to receive it,
Engineer Roberts expects to put the fun
surveying corps In the field at once and
several hundred men win arrive within
two weeks under expert railroad contrac-
tors to assist the large force now en-
gagged in throwing up the roadbed and
blazing out the right Of way across Geor-
gia through the Alabama line and into
Montgomery and Birmingham.
This afternoon, when the ceremonies in
cdent 20 the breaking of the first dirt
had been concluded. Assistant Secretary
c. w. Deming wired President Machen
congratulations on the event and IN reply
received the following: brunswick has
closed the dying century by beginning
what will link her unrivalled waters with
the most remarkable iron center OF the
earth May every man, woman and child
along its route live 70 see II finished ana