The Birmingham age-herald., 1905-09-13
OLIVER ID BUILD
 STEVENSON LINE Southern Awards Contract for Twenty-eight Mile Extension WORK TO BEGIN AT ONCE Lookout Tunnel and Bridge Over the "Narrows," as We'll as Trackage,
 to Be Completed Jam
 uary 1, 1907.

Scottsboro, September 12.-(Special)- The contract for the construction of the Stevenson extension, the Southern rail ways link to connect Chattanooga and Memphis, has been let and work will be commenced within the next thirty days.
 w. J. Oliver, the contractor who has done all the impor tant work on the South ern railway for the past few years, was the successful bidder for the connecting line between Chattanooga and Stevenson, this county, a distance of thirty-eight miles.
 It is not known just exacliy what was the amount involved in the Stevenson con- tract Neither MT. Oliver nor the rail- way officials have given out any infor- nation about the price which will be paid for the work, but it $ said that the amount involved is close to $500, ,O0O for the Stevenson line and forty-two miles be- tween Knoxville and Morristown, as he also secured a contract to erect double track between those towns at the same time he did the Stevenson extension. MT. Oliver has announced that the work on both contracts will be started just as soon as it is possible to get outfits on the rights of way.
 The announcement that the contract for the Stevenson extension has been let means that the Southern will own, in the course of two or three years, direct and through line of its own from Memphis to Chattanooga and also from Memphis 10 Washington city. The stretch of track between Chattanooga and Stevenson, xx-bf f,1, fe ,al It, san uhRri1I Chattanooga and St. Louis railway, Is the only section between Memphis and Washington city on which the Southerns trains are operated which Is not owned by the big system. For twenty-five years or longer the old Memphis and Charleston and then the Southern, since gaining con- trol of the old Memphis and Charleston, have leased this piece of track for the operation of their trains both passenger and freight, from the Nashville and Chat tanooga road while the Louisville and Nashville, which company owns the Nash vile, Chattanooga and St. Louis railway system, has been given the use of the Southern bridge over the Tennessee river at Decatur, Ala.
 Several months ago the Louisville and Nashville system started movement to erect a bridge over the Tennessee river at Decatur. In the event that this bridge was built that sys,'.l would be nde- pendent of the Southern and could dic- tate the operation Of the Southern train over the stretch of track bstween steven son in this county and Chattanooga. However, the Southern was not to be caught mapping and forthwith began 'he nreliminary work of building a line CT it's own between Chattanooga and the end of it's Memphis division track al Stevenson.
 +ho contracts for the construction wer. divided. The construction of 3iOO foot funnel through Lookount mountain IS nrobablv the largest part of the chuer- taking: the erection of bridge over the Tennessee river, just above oates lsianu, at what Is called the "Narrows thlrty miles below the city of Cnat,anoosa, was another costly part of the work, while the constructiop of a right of WAY from Chat- tanooea to Stevenson through the LOOK ont mountain and over the leiihessee river was the third part of the Worh,
 The contract for the tunnel was let Tn April and the work is now well uiius. ,. way. The Olivo- cor1oany seeureu .lls contract and H. H. Trasher 70; SUD contractors. are now making rapid pro eress on the work. B. F. Hardway, an old schoolmate of your representatiVc' now of Columbus. Ga. secured the con tract for the erection of the piers for the big bridge at the "Narrows." and ne now has a large outfit on tha- w"rS lie stated 10 your correspondent that he homes to have it completed by September i. 1sOs The work on the Stevenson ex- tension proper. the right of way Will ae commenced just as soon as Mir Oliver can get an outfit on the job. ...
 It is thought that the entire work will be finished by January l, 1907.