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

The following comes from San Fran cisco: Experiments have been made with mineral oil in California by the road bureau of the department of agriculture that are of prime importance to many parts of the country where the road sur face is of a sort to interfere with travel or transportation The road improve ments through the use of oil have passed the experimental stage and are an accom- plished fact. To quote from the report of Special Agent James w. Abbott:
 'It was found that when oil was ap- piled it immediately began to bind togeth- CT all the loose particles constituting the road surface, whether clay. sandy loam, loose sand gravel or the fine material on the top of macadam. A fought stratum formed, resembling an asphalt pavement. Roads built of drifting sand or clayey dust no matter how deep, where trotting with buggy was impossible and for par of strong horses to pull ton was d very laborious task, became indurated, re- silent and firm, so that driving teams could trot with ease and the same pair of horses pull two and half tons more com tortably than they formerly did one ton.
 "Of course, these results were not fully obtained immediately, but they never fail
 
 At first, while this oiled surface stratum was thin 1t was often broken through, especially in wet weather, but proper re- pairs and subsequent applications of oil thickened 1t and strengthened it until 1t would at all times effeetually withstand the heaviest and most continuous travel.
 A special from Cincinnati to the St. Louis Globe-Democrat is as folows
 ,.tcrac n railway from Columbus, Ohio, to Mays yille Ky, to connect east and west trunk lines in the north with the Chesa- peake and Ohio, the Louisville and Nash vile and other southern lines, was re- corded yesterday, and today it is an- nounced that this new line will also ex- tend ninety miles from Maysville, Ky, through Jackson, Pike. Floyd and Martin counties in Kentucky. so as to form an outlet to the coal fields on the west side of Big Sandy river. The Great North ern Coal and Coke company recently or- ganized with a capitalization of s.O,0O0.- GOO, owns 5OO,0OO acres of coal lands in that region. and is said to be promoting the new railway. It is proposed to ship this coal by rail, well as down the Big Sandy and Ohio rivers, as has been, done for years.
 It is said that the Great Northern and the Pttsburg coal companies will then control the coal trade from Pennsylvania and all states along the Ohio river to New Orleans. Large elevators and tipples are to be erected at Maysvie for trans serring coal into barges for the trade along the Ohio and Mississippi valleys. The Great Northern will have it's land and railway headquarters at Maysville and its selling headquarters at Cincin- ~ati.
 Temporary organization of the com Nanes includes J. NJ Chamdin and Sprgg camden of Parkersburg; P. L. Kimberly ,,f Sharon, Pa; F. A. Dinley and Robert Nomlon of Chicago. George c. Howe of Duluth. J. c. Mays of Paintsville, Ky, and members of an eastern syndicate, whose names are not made known. It is said that with connections at Columbus, Ohio, this combination intends also to en- ter the lake coal trade.
 A Pensacola (Fla.) dispatch says The steamship service to be shortly begun by the Louisville and Nashville will be be- tween Pensacola and the southern ports of Europe. traversing the Mediterranean. The new service will be an outlet to the manufacturing centers of Atlanta, Mem phis, Cincinnati and other places.
 It will also permit of thorough ham Cling of material at a single transfer, and will altogether be one of the most im- portant establishments in the south in many years. The ships will receive car goes at the city wharfs and directly from the cars. In anticipation of this in- creased business the company will build an additional exporting wharf here
 The resignation of Major J. ". Bush- nell, engineer of the Seaboard Air Line. who had been in charge of new construc- tion, was announced yesterday. Major Bushnell will be succeeded by George F. Jones of St. Louis. who will at once take charge of the work. He Is well and favorably known in this district and his resignation will cause surprise and re- gret to large number of friends and acquaintances.
 J. J. Carter, superintendent of the An niston division of the Southern railway. with headquarters in Selma, is in Bir- mingham.
 George A. Bump. commercial freight agent of the Wabash railroad, with head quarters In Cincinnati, is in the city.
 J. W. Hunter, commercial agent of the Southern railway, with headquarters in Selma, is In Birmingham.
 W. E. Hurley, soliciting freight agent of the Frisco with headquarters in Atlanta, is visiting the city on business
 
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