The Birmingham age-herald., 1902-11-08
STREET RAILROAD
 DOING MUCH WORK
Putting Down Many Curves
 Throughout the City
BESSeMER CARS ON 3D AVE.
Company Doubling Electric Power and Will Shortly Have to Double 1t Again Owing to the city's
 Rapid Growth.

Since the Birmingham Railway, Light and Power company was reorganized in August 1901, it has spent s1,5OO.OOO in ex- tensions and betterments and 1t will spend s5OO00O more before the work laid out Is completed
 It has more than double the capacity of it's power plant on Powell avenue. Four immense engines are being installed. They will have a minimum capacity of 45Oo horse power and maximum of 6O0o. When they are put in operation some time in December, the minimum power of the company will be equal to 5000 horses. The new engines were made by the Birming- ham Machine and Foundry company at East Birmingham, and are model speci- mems of what Birmingham machinists can turn out.
 Heavy Track Work.
 The street railway company has re- laid it's tracks with heavy rails and has increased it's mileage from 90 to 1O5 miles, On the suburban lines light rails have been replaced by 7O-pounders. In the city 80 and Ss-pound rails have been used on most of the streets, while on Third avenue and on certain other thor oughfares 9s-pound rails have been laid. Compound curve tracks have been put down at fourteen street intersections, as follows: Twentieth street and First ave- nue, Second avenue and Third avenue; Nineteenth street and First avenue, Sec ond avenue and Third avenue; Twenty I1ir avenue; Twenty-second street and First avenue and Second avenue; Twenty-third street and First avenue and Third ave- nue, and Eighteenth street and Second avenue and Third avenue. Harveyized steel has been used in all of this curve work and President Jemison says that three intersections have cost nearly $1s,- coo each while the average intersection work has cost about $1O0OO.
 Many Men Employed.
 One thousand men are employed in the Rcompanys construction department and 300 in its operating department All the construction in the city will be finished before the end of the year. While the company is not ready to announce a new schedule, it Is known in a general way that the Third avenue tracks will be used for the Bessemer line. President Jemi- son says the additional curves at inter- sections have been laid in order to give the company better facilities for hand ling cars and especially in times of emer- gency. In cases of fire when the cars had to stop running on certain thorough fares, the public up to this time, has been greatly inconvenienced. But now, with the compound curves, cars can turn from any principal street and go in any direction, and when they are shut off by fire in the center of the city, they can run around the fire and find a new route.
 New Enoley Line.
 The new double track to Ensley via the Bessemer line and the old fair grounds was practically completed dur ing the summer and the management had intended running trolleys over that route not later than September; but when the time came 1t was found that more power was needed for operating the cars at high speed, and the new schedule was delayed, therefore, until the four large engines on Powell avenue could be set agoing.
 Not later than February a new track will be completed all the way to Besse- mer, and then the dummy will disap- pear entirely The dummy will not be seen in Birmingham after December, when the Ensley route Is opened From that time until February Bessemer trans fers will be made at the fair grounds.
 The Birmingham Railway, Light and Power company has received this year forty-seven new cars. All of them arc large size and are constructed for great speed. They are elegantly appointed and are equipped with the latest approved air brakes.
 Forty-seven New Cars.
 The Powderly street car line will be extended to Bessemer. This work will be completed by next July. Birmingham will then have two lines to Bessemer as well as two lines to Ensley.
 Another important extension now be- ing planned is on the Southside. It will be a mile and a half in length and Will run from Twelfth street to Highland Park by the way of Montgomery ave- nue. This extension will also reach Glen Iris. The work will be commenced in the spring.
 In the single item of copper wire the company has expended $300,000, and in the item of gas main extensions about a quarter of a million dollars has been expended.
 As an evidence of the growth of Bir- mingham and the development of the street car and electric business, Presi- dent Jemison said last night that the new engines would hardly be in opera | ton at the power house before the com | pany would have to order others, and