The Montgomery advertiser. [volume] (Montgomery, Ala.) 1885-1982, 1904-06-07
STEEL BRIDGE
!. OVER ALABAMA
Handsome Structure to
Span the River.
1T WILL COST $4,000
Work OF Construction Is to
Begin in Ten Days.
Promoters File Deciarstion of Ineer-
poratfon--Wni be Built Near
Montgomery and may Ac-
comodate Street Cars.

| on the construction of steel highway
toll bridge across the Alabama River
at point two miles above Montgomery.
The plans contemplate the completion
of the bridge and its opening to the
public by october LIST.
The bridge is to be 500 feet long, 20
feet wide and 1t is to cost ss0,0c0.
These leading facts were secured
yesterday from Major Bolton Mickle, a
civil engineer OF repute who has come
to Montgomery to reside. Major
Mickle is vice. president of the Mont
gomery Bridge and Improvement Com
pany which was incorporated yester-
day. The articles of Incorporation were
fled in the Probate Court of Montgom-
cry County. They show that the COM
pany is to have a capital stock of $780,
900 and will issue $40, 900 of bonds. W.
H. Converse of Chattanooga, Tenn, is
president, Bolton Mickle of Montgom-
cry is vice-perisednt and J.. G.. Lam
kester of Jasper, Tenn, Is secretary
and treasurer of the new company.
Messrs. Converse, Mickle and Lankes-
ter. the certificate shows, are the only
stockholders in the company, but Major
Mickle Is authorized to receive sub
scriptions to the stock. The stock is
to- be divided into 500 shares of $50
each. and the company is authorised to
begin business when $4,000 has been
paid in. Two hundred and ten shares
of the stock has been subscribed for
and $10,500 has been paid in. Mr..
Converse has 160 shares, Mr.. Lankes-
ter has forty shares and Major Mickle
has ten shares.
By its Incorporation the company is
authorized to erect and operate a steel
highway toll bridge across the Ala
bama River from a point near Mont
gomery to point in Elmore County.
-
in Montgomery.
Mr.. Converse, the President of the
company. is also President of the Con-
verse Bridge Company of Chattanooga,
Tenn. manufacturers of steel bridge.
Mr. Lancaster, the Secretary and Treas
urer of the company, is a bridge con-
tractor and expert in bridge building
Major Mickle was seen by a repre-
sentative of The Advertiser in his
apartments at 215 North Lawrence
street. He said that the bridge gang
of the Converse Bridge Company
which would construct the Montgom-
cry bridge, had Just completed a bridge
at Fort Smith, Ark, and would come to
Montgomery within ten days to begin
work.
"All of the details have been closed"
said Major Mickle. and we are ready
to begin building the bridge" Mr.
just left Montgomery. are well pleased
with the location and the outlook for
the work. Mr.. Converse is at the head
of one of the greatest bridge build.
ing concerns in the South.
The bridge will span the river about
two miles above the ferry. The Mont
gomery side will be on the land of M.
c. Scott and the Elmore county an
proach will be on the land of Boiling
NJ "a HaNg Al
possible, but 1t will be necessary to
build road to the MONTGOMERY an
proach. The Gilmore county approach
will be adjacent to the public road
which leads to the Montgomery ferry.
The Gilmore end of the bridge is at a
point that occasionally overfows. but
such trouble will be obviated by build
ing trestle some 400 or 500 feet long"
Major Mickle said the bridge would
be built wide enough and strong
enough to accommodate street car
tracks and the heaviest motor cars.
Although expressly stating that 1t was
not the purpose of the Bridge Company
to build street railroad, his asso-
ciates and himself believed that the
time would come when Prattville and
Wetumpka would be connected with
Montgomery by an electric car line
and 1t was deemed worth while to pre-
pare for 1t in building a bridge He
pointed out that such car line to
Prattville might eventually be extend
ed to Selma.
For some time Major Mickle has
been at work on the Louisville and
Nashville railroad extension into
Marengo County and made his head
quarters in Selma. He has been in
terested several years in bridge over
the Alabama river near Montgomery,
and some time ago secured a grant
from the Government for that pur-
pose. When the Louisville and Nash
VILE railroad abandoned its railroad
bridge near Selma. Major Mickie said
yesterday he conceived the idea of Sc
curing that bridge and removing It to
Montgomery.
a found, however" said Major
Mickle, that the railroad bridge was
entirely to narrow for our purposes.
Besides, we could not sell bonds on a
second hand bridge"
Several years ago. 1t will be recalled. |
Major Mickle became interested in a
project to build bridge across the |
Alabama River near Montgomery. A |
company was organized with the late
Col. Henry Clay Tompkins as Presi-
dent M P. LeGrand and F. NJ Billing
of Montgomery and Judge Gaddis. Peter |
Buyck and Judge Lancaster of We
tumpka were interested with him.
The death of Colonel Tompkins fol- |
lowed closely BY the death of Judge |
Gaddis, caused a failure OF the plans,
and the project was abandoned for that |
time.
Major Miekle declares there will be |
no abandonment of the new company