The Birmingham age-herald., 1902-06-29

stream. Nor could the engineers yet reach the gap on satisfactory grade. l Three miles north of the gap a hiBh ridge was encountered. known locally as Mine Mile Hill." from 50 to 100 feet high CT than the gap. This high ground they could neither tunnel at reasonable cost l nor successfully flank and they finally abandoned the line. and located their road by way of 5ylecauga-now the Col urnbus and Western. And yet, over 1 more direct line from Talladega to For 1 ter's Gap there should have been no spe- l cial engineering obstacles. The mean al- l titude of Talladega is about 650 feet; the l altitude of the gap is $50 feet and twelve miles distant making 1t quite practicable l for low grades, while the curves can be made as easy as desired Between the southwest edge of the valley and the mountain there intervenes about six miles 1 of slate hills, more formidable in appear ance than in reality. These hills are com posed of schists and talcose slate They are rugged with narrow sharp ridges, where in grading the movement of mate rial need seldom be more than 100 to 200 l feet On this more direct line the mean elevation of the hills is lower, and 1t was here that the Creek Indians, in the long l past located their trail between their towns on Tailadega and Hillabee Creeks and 1t was by this trail that the surviving warriors fled after their defeat at the bat tic of Talladegs, nearly ninety years ago.
 p. aotlcable and Feasible.
 To the practical engineer the feasibility of railway eastward from Talladega, through the rugged slate hills to Porter's l Gap, is plain when some salient topo- | graphical features are presented. A mountain stream has it's source immedi- ately in the gap. It flows In a north- | .4t- Int, NoI- l ladega Creek scarcely more than a mile west of a direct line from the city to the gap, and about one mile below where the creek emerges from the slate hills. For some miles 1t parallels the creek at no great distance on the southwest. On this line the divide between the streams Is low and narrow, offering an easy ap- proach to the depression between these water courses. The streams are here scarcely a mile apart, and Talladega Creek offers an ideal crossing. For on this line the creek flows through a gorge with solid rock embankments, 50 feet above the water and less than 100 feet wide. Here the surroundings are striking ly picturesque and a bridge can be built at the lowest possible cost. The depres- sion gained between the two streams the comretent engineer would find little diff ficulty in locating a satisfactory line of low grades and easy curves to Porter's Gap.
 Two miles east of this gap Is another pass in the mountain known as the Talla- dega Creek Gap, where that stream cuts through Blue Mountain. And paren- thetically it may be noted that 1t is the only stream in Alabama that cuts it's course through Blue Mountain, this con- spicuous southern extension of the Blue Ridge All other streams of the state having their sources in this mountain flow into the Coosa or Tallapoosa Rivers. as they may rise on its northwestern or southeastern escarpments. Through this creek gap the East Alabama road Is now being located, and is soon to be construct ed from Talladega to Pyraton in Clay county. The road follows the course of the stream, which is tartuous, and in the course of few miles Is spanned by four bridges. Its grades are heavy and with curves of small radius 1t will not be adapted to heavy traffic but will serve all the purposes of the company in get ting to market their countless tons of pyrites now ready for shipment.
 Direct Lines Favored.
 The tendency now of all railroads hand ling a heavy traffic is to build on direct lines and to eliminate as far as practica- blo heavy grades and sharp curves For the construction of railroad on these
 
 Mountain between Anniston and Sylacau- ga is Porter's Gap. The distance between l these points Is above forty miles. From Talladega to Lagrange, along the old sur vey of the Macon and Birmingham Rail- l way, through Clay, parts of Randolph or Talapoosa counties, is a distance of 100 miles-a section of country comprising more than 400 square miles, unsurpassed in the extent and variety of its mineral productions hy aDV similar axfay,f of tax ritory in Alabama, and without railroad facilities For with the exception of coal and lime in Clay county is found a great CT variety of mineral products than in any other county in the state. Her mica, gold and plumbago would not of them selves afford a large .raffic, but her inex- haustible mountains pyrites, her brown and magnetic -ores with the products of the field and forest. a heavy tonnage could be relied upon for an indefinite pe- riod.
 The importance of f1rst-class railway along the route herein defined is plainly manifest. It has been shown that topo- graphical conditions heretofore nave in- fuenced the location of railroads leading to the southeast Atlantic ports over more inuirect lines; but 1t is mor plain that a direct line from Birmingham to these ports Is easily feasible and It's importance can scarcely be over estimated 1t Is plain that the Birmingham district Is des- tined soon to lead the iron production of the world and to make the prices O. iron and coal. The bulk of the coal and much of the iron will doubtless find their ways to the gulf ports when the Warrior canal shall have been completed. But great tonnage both of coal and iron will be de- manded by the Atlantic ports anu at times Is sure to lead to great congestion of traffic.
 Should Avoid Congestion.
 In view of these facts 1t would seem that some of the railroads now operating to the Atlantic ports would avoid con-