The Birmingham age-herald., 1903-03-09
RAILROAD WORLD.


 A Chicago special to the Atlanta Con- stituton says: One important result of the acquisition of the Frisco system by the Rock Island is the arrangement of new transcontinental route. It will be wholly in the south and will extend from the Atlantic at Savannah to the Pacific at San Francisco and Los Angeles.
 The new route involves the construc- ton of link from Amerillo to Tucum- cari. Amerllo is the present western terminus of the Choctaw road and Tu- cumcar is point on the Fl Paso line of the Rock Island.
 The combination of roads forming the route will be the Central of Georgia from Savannah to Birmingham the St. Louis and San Francisco from Birmingham to Memphis; the Choctaw, Oklahoma and Gulf from Memphis to Tucumcari the Rock Island from Tucumcari to Fl Paso, and the Southern Pacific from Fl Paso to the Pacific coast.
 This will be the shortest transconti- mental route. It will be but 316s miles In length the shortest route from New York being 3506 miles. As soon as the route is opened 1t is said 1t will become an active competitor for the United States transcontinental and Oriental mails. It will also be a very active competitor for fast freight and express traffic. Connection will also be made with the Southern road at Memphis and an out let provided over it to Baltimore by way of the Norfolk and Western. The new h oY1xf on distance. but it will be one of the low est grade routes in existence. tenn which was to have been made by George J. Goul4 and A. c. Bird, newly appointed traffic director of the system has been postponed.
 A special to the Globe Democrat from New York Says
 w. B. Leeds, president of the Rock Island, has returned to this city from Palm Beach, Fla, and it was reported on Wall street today that he had come back to attend further conferences about the purchase of the control of the St. Louis and San Francisco railroad by the Rock Island company. There has been a l fcial announcement of the deal Just what has caused the delay has not devel- oped and there have been rumors of hitch So many reports have been circu- lated about the deal that Wall street has grown skeptical about them ali.
 There was revival of the rumor that in connection with the deal the Georgia Central might be turned over to the Fris- co and the Southern railway to carry the Frisco to the south Atlantic seaboard. The Southern railway Is controlled by J. P Morgan & Co.
 | The new shops of the Louisville and Nashville railroad, which are being built in South Louisville. will give employment when they are completed to 5000 men, and will have four times the capacity of | the present shops and yard houses of the road The improved machinery and elec- trical appliances which will be installed will permit great increase in capacity, without the necessity of employing pro- portionate number of men The force of employees in the shops and yards will be doubled. however, and more than 2O00 new mechanics will be needed to operate the new plant. It is not known when the shops are to be completed and put into operation, but 1t will be by the close of the present year. The plans of the ouis- vile and Nashville for Improvements are extensive, and 1t Is said that other in- portant announcements will be made In the next few months. The new shops will cost g, 100000