The Montgomery advertiser., 1902-12-28

port the i,S0o-foot span. the cost of the sub-structure will not exceed Sl.VO,Vo0. The ground on both sides rises rapidly from high water, necessitating. therefore, only comparatively light approaches. and as the land on which they will be built is unoccupied, the builders will thus be spared the cost of condemnation pro- ceedings. one of the principal items of ex- pense In the construction of bridge In large city. The cost of the superstructure Riil be sa.500. GOO and the estimate cost of the who.e bridge s5.OOoOOo
 Three railways twill make use of the new bridge-the Intereolonial, which Is owned and operated by the Canadian Gov ernment; the Cape Breton Railway, and another railroad now in process of con struction, and in which pr. w. Seward Webb and other New York capitalists are interested. Nine miles of new tracking will be necessity to connect the bridge with the present railways. Compared with the prt sent ferry service there will be a saving of three miles in distance. and an hours ,ime for all freighs and T Tas- senger traffic. Another difficulty no- viated by the bridge will be the 15o.foot climb which the railways now have to make on both sides of the strai
 The recent remarkable rise to impor- tance of Cape Breton as a producing cen- ter, which has made the building of the HCanso Bridge a necessity, Is the work of a Boston capitalist, who consolidated number of moribuho coal companies. re- opened the mines, and afterwards estab- likhed the $26, 900. 900 plant of the Domln- lon Iron and Steel Company
 The quality of the coal found in every county of the island Is almost equal to Welsh coal About 100 years ago the General Mining Association. an English concern. invested a large amount in de- veloping the mines at North Sydney, and for many years earned good dividends for It's shareholders. There was a great de- mand for Cape Breton coal during the Civil War, and half a dozen companies opened up mines in different parts of the Island. During this time a reciprocity treaty was In force between Canada and the United States. by the terms of which coal was admitted here free of duty. At the close of the Civil War. however, the reciprocity treaty was abrogated, and a duty of 75 cents a ton placed on coal That duty was practically prohlbltive. and as the Canad dian coal markets were limited. number of the mines closed operation.
 Big Steel Works Built.
 Ten yea:s ago H. NJ Waltney of Bos- lcUt CpHCclNcu tnc pldH UT CunSDAudllHB the old companies. and It was not long before nine concerns were united under one management Mir. Whitney, when he first planned to operate the mines. had reason to believe that Canadian coal would be put on the free list. and with cheap labor In Cape Breton, and short water haul to the New England States, he would there dnd a profitable market. The duty, however, was not taken off. It was then. and In order to make a mar ket, that Mir. Whitney planned the erec- ton of the great steel works at sydney. which are now In successful operation. and shipping steel billets toPittsburg and Harrisburg. The steel works and coal mires are now under one management. and the coal output. which four years ago WAS 100000 tons annually. Is now 4000, 900 tons Another steel plant of equal capacity, the Nova Scotia Steel and Coal Company Is now In process of con- struction on the opposite side of Sydney Harbor