The Birmingham age-herald., 1903-04-26
RAILROAD WORLD.


 First Vice President and General Man ager J. M. Barr and the party of Sea board officials who arrived here Friday will leave Birmingham this morning for the east via Pen City and the East and West road.
 The party includes F. K. Huger. gen eral superintendent; W. w. Gathney, chief engineer of construction; l.. E. Parsons. superintendent of the East and West railroad; A. M Wagner, private secretary to General Manager Barr.
 A trip was made yesterday morning to Bessemer and Mr. Barr spent most Of the afternoon in his room at the Hillman looking over plans and going over the details of the new construction work.
 There is said to be well founded re- port in New Orleans that beginning July 1 the Mobile and Ohio railroad of the Southern railway system will commence the operation of passenger trains into New Orleans direct from St. Louis. This will be accomplished by the use of the New Orleans and Northeastern railroad, of the Queen and Crescent route, which the Southern dominates, between Meri- dian, Miss, and New Orleans, a distance of 195 miles
 The inauguration of this new service will mark an epoch in the railroad and commercial interests of New Orleans. It will mean direct competition between the Southern and Illinois Central systems for cs4 I NT,xry Inar c passenger traffic. The Mobile ,nd Ohio- New Orleans and Northeastern combina- tion is in better position than any other system could be for competition with the IIlionis Central system for St. Louis-New Orleans traffic. The two routes are al- m ost identical in length, there being less than two miles difference. The slight advantage is with the Illinois Central. That systems St. Louis-New Orleans line is FOG. .25 miles long, while the Mobile and Ohio-New Orleans and Northeastern line is 707.S miles, the difference being only 1.65 miles.
 It is understood that the Mobile and Ohio's relations with the Louisville and Nashville railroad for the interchange of freight traffic for New Orleans will re- main unchanged
 The Mohawk Steel and Wire company has aifeady made contracts covering all its needs in the way of raw materials for some years to come, according to the New Yorw Commercial The Brunswick and Birmingham has a single contract for more than 4O00 tons of freight a day from noio Inc ham, Ala This traffic alone will pay the road more than s1O.OOOOOO year.
 It Is said on good authority that the road has purchased 10000 tons of rails abroad with which to complete the line into Birmingham. Various reports have been in circulation that the road has been sold to other systems, all of which have been denied unequivocally by people in authority here.
 An Associated Press dispatch from Bal timore last night says:
 It developed in financial circles today that the Seaboard Air Line railroad has sold to a syndicate $6OO00O0 of per cent bonds for the construction of it's exten- sion to Birmingham, Ala. This syndicate was formed by the New York banking house of Ladenburg. Thalmann & C.. Tie syndicate formed by this house includes several Baltimore capitalists and about one-sixth of the underwriting was taken in this city.
 The bonds which have been sold are first mortgage on the Birmingham divis- ion, which the new line is called, ana are also in direct obligation of the Sea- board.