The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 18??-1935, 1906-02-09
ILLINOIS CENTRAL
is COMING.
WILL REACH COLUMBIA AND MT
PLEASANT OVER lNTERUR-
BAN RIGHT OF WAY.
THEN ON TO ABERDEEN, MISS
All Arrangements Completed And
Road Will Be Completed In Eight
cen Months.

| through NaSlVllle 10 ADtIueSh, MISS
connecting with the Birmingham line
and forming a direct line to New Or
leans, has been proven true by the
best of evidence, and now it can be
said on good authority that the line
will be built in the present year.
In coming to Nashville over the
Tennessee Central, the Illinois Cen
trail management had a double pur-
pose, which was exploited to some ex-
tent when the official announcement
was made that the Tennessee Central
deal was closed 1t that time, how
ever, the company had in view pro-
position to build from Fox Bluff, TWEEN
ty-six miles northwest of Nashville,
but since then the plans have been
changed and the line will be built
from some point on the Nashville
Terminal Company's belt line.
No official statement can be had to
| that effect, but it has been learned
that the company will purchase the
right-of-way now being secured by the
Nashville Interurban Railway Com
pany and appropriate it for the new
line to Birmingham and Aberdeen.
When the promoters of the Nashville
Interurban line were busy securing
subscriptions to stock of that COM
! pany only one company was known
in the DEAL Nearly three months ago,
however, the same promoters organi-
zed the Central Construction Com
pany, which now has offices with the
Interurban Company in the First
National Bank building. This COM
pany, it is said, was organized to han
die the construction of the
road. The facts are that the
Illinois Central will build the line
south through Brentwood, Franklin,
Columbia, Mt. Pleasant and Florence
to some point on the new line of the
Birmingham extension of the Illinois
Central, and thence TO Aberdeen,
Miss.
The new line will give the Illinois
Central a line to New Orleans some
thing like 100 miles shorter than
either of the present lines, and be-
sides provide a line from Birmingham
to Nashville and the North. The line
will parallel the Louisville & Nash
vile practically all the way to Flor
ence and provide a competing line to
Birmingham. Until the arrangement
was perfected, it is said, the Illinois
Central would not commit itself to
any deal for entering either Nashville
or Birmingham, but when the ar
rangements was made to build this
cutoff to New Orleans the matter of
entering Nashville and Birmingham
was at once closed
There is a story going the rounds |
to the effect that the Southern Rail- |
way is interested in this undertaking, |
but many well posted people say |
however, that there is an alliance of |
some kind between the Southern and |
Illinois Central, and both roads may
be interested in the deal. 1t is practi-
cally certain that the Mobile & Ohio
and the Illinois Central will both CHI
ter Birmingham by using a part of
the tracks of the Southern, and in
consideration of this deal it may be
that the Southern will have some ill
terest in the e-Birmingham
extension. 1t ID even likely that this
will be the case, but the Illinois Cen
trail will be the power that constructs
the road.
With this plan in view, which
means that the illinois Central will
have direct line from Nashville to Chi
cago, New Orleans to Birmingham
and reaching number of the best
cities of the North and South on
short line" rates, the company has
more than a passing interest in Nash
vile and in the affairs of the Nash
vile Terminal Company. In the
event the Southern Is also interested
In this enterprise the Nashville Ter
minal lines will get even more atten-
ton and there is little doubt but that
the passenger depot matter will be
settled by the two companies erect
Ing a handsome station here. With
his line the Illinois Central and the )
Southern could become strong COM
oetitors for business to and from
Memphis, New Orleans and all the
Soth and West, while at present the
Southern is confined to the East and
he Illinois Central to the North.
While their lines penetrate all parts Q
IT the South, and established rates q
10 not apply in many cases and in
'thers neither company can earn
evenue on business on account of the
ong haul.
The matter is now one of feasibility. Q