The Montgomery advertiser., 1903-05-23
SOUTHERN PROGRESS
RAILROAD CONSTRUCTION ON A
 LARGE SCALE.
The Manufacturers' Record Tells of Development in This Section of the Country-The Shreveport
 and Red River Valley.

Baltimore. May 22.-(SpeciaD-Since the beginning of this year railroad construc- tion in the South has continued the rapid progress which distinguished it during 1902. Work under way at the end of that year is still being pushed. some of the smaller projects having been completed. new plans then announced have been taken up and still newer extensions and improvements are being developed. Some of the more important pieces ,of. construc- ton are described in this weeks issue of The Manufacturers Record as follows
 The recent reorganization ofs-the Shreveport and Red River Valley Railway under the name of the Louisiana Railway and Navigation Company, with a capital of $12,000,000. coupled with the announce ment that 1t is the purpose of the conn pany to build to New Orleans and the Gulf, is one of the interesting and sig nificant new facts in the race of railroads to reach the Crescent City, President William Edenborn announced three months ago that the company would build to New Orleans, but the reorganizat ton apparently indicates that. his purposes have assumed a much broader scope, as the new charter contains clauses empow- ering the company to build from New Or leans to some point on the Gulf of Mex leo and to operate steamers fin connection with the railroad. Simultaneously with the reorganization it is further reported that the company will build line from Shreveport north along the> western boundary of Louisiana, which would par ailel parts of the St. Louis Southwestern the Texas and Pacific and the Kansas Cty Southern. Coupled with these an- nouncements is the further declaration that the road has not been acquired by any other system, and that it will re- main independent. Construction of the New Orleans extension is under way from Mansura towards Baton Rouge.
 While President Edenborn is thus act lively engaged in perfecting' his plan to get to New Orleans. the Missouri Pacific Railway is rapidly working at several points on it's extension South to that city and the St. Louis and San Francisco Rail way is preparing to begin work for a line from Memphis to New Orleans. separate company having been incorpo- rated for that purpose. The Missouri Pa cihc is also building a timber road called the Farmersville and Southern. twenty five miles long. from Farmersville, La, Bastrop Railway. The White River exten- sion of the same, system, to make a line between Memphis and Kansas City. is another very important piece of con struction that is in progress.
 '"rhe Illinois Central Railroad also made a slBnincant move recently, when it an- nounced it's purpose to extend the Can ton. Aberdeen and Nashville Railroad, a little detached piece of line only eight miles long. from Winfield to Brilliant. Ala, via Double Springs to Sheffield, and thence to the Mississippi line upon the Tennessee River, thus apparently indicat- ing an intention to carry out it's long reported purpose of building an extension from Bernis, near Jackson. Tenn, into the Birmingham district of Alabama. The construction of this announced extension would give the Illinois Central immediate connection to Birmingham through the St. Louis and San Francisco at Winfield, but a direct line from Double Springs to Birmingham would appear to be the ul- timate result. particularly as engineers for the company are reported surveying between those points.
 "On the other side of the State the Seaboard Air Line Is driving away at building its Atlanta and Birmingham ex- tension as rapidly as possible. convert ing the East and West Railroad into an up-to-date line for heavy traffic, and ex- tending it from Rockmart and Coal City to Atlanta and Birmingham, respective ly. These are the most important pieces