The Montgomery advertiser., 1907-02-19
To Connect the City With
 Mineral Belt.
Plan Contemplated Provides For Rafi- road To Selma and Make Gulf City Port For Alabama's Coal
 Product.
Advertiser Bureau.

 Selma, Feb. IS. | The preliminary steps in the form- alton and the organization of the Ca | haba Valley Railroad and the Alabama | River Barge Line is now being taken. The purpose of the compny, if 1t IS formed. vii be to build railroad down the Cahaba Valley to this city and to 1 operate a barge line from this city to Mobile.
 Such railroad and barge line would mean much both for the Central City and the Gulf City of Alabama It would make both Selma and Mobile great coal centers through each of which there would be distributed to the world each 1 year many million tons of the coal min ed in the northern part of the State. It would probably make Mobile a greater coal renter than Pittsburg IS today, within the next few years. The formation of this company seems practically assured For months, prominent men have been quietly at work upon the projected road. Their efforts are being rewarded, and in the near future they are confident that the company will be formed and that in d short time afterwards. Seiniians will See a number of coal barges depart from this city daily for Alabama's gulf port.
 It has ever been the dream of Sell mians to see railroad operated down the Cahaba Valley from. the coal and iron regions of the Birmingham dis trict to this city. The barge line from here to Mobile has become latter day dream, and now the chances are strong ly in favor that both of these dreams will come true within the next year or so.
 Some years ago the Cahaba Valley Railroad Company was formed in this city, and a preliminary survey of the proposed route was made and mapped out, and a charter was granted the company. Since then other surveys of this proposed route have been made, but as yet no steps to build this road have been taken.
 One Of the recent surveys made is said to have been done by the Louis- vile and Nashville Railroad. The other is said to have been made by the Allan tic, Birmingham and Atlanta, which road is now building a line from At- lanta to Birmingham.
 That the building of this road would greatly benefit the city of Selma has ever been before the people of the city for many years, and a few months ago the matter was taken up again quietly by a few who have the welfare and in- terest of the city at heart. A plan for the building of the road was outlined by them and the feasibility of the road as a money maker was very plainly shown.
 These outlined plans were submitted to several Northern capitalists who are interested in the building of railroads and in the upbuilding of the South. They were carefully considered by these capitalists, who at once saw the practicability of the project as 1t had been submitted to them. In answer, they encouraged the Seimians in the building of the road and 1t Is very like ly that the first steps in the financing of the company will be started within the next few weeks.
 It is considered that it would be much better for both Selma and Mo- bile for the line to be built and oper- ated as an independent one. By an independent road both of these cities would derive more benefits than if over to one of the great systems of the South to operate. By being op- erated independently both of these cities would get the advantage of bet ter freight rates than they would from the road if 1t was turned over to one of the great systems after it had been completed.
 proposed line this morning, a Selman who is thoroughly familiar with the working of railroads and of railroad rates. said that 1t would be one of the greatest enterprises of the cen. tury for the two cities of Selma and Mobile. That 1t would make both of these cities great coal centers and would mean much for both of them each year. Coal to all points of the world would be shipped from here to Mobile and from that city loaded on ships and carried to the seaports or other countries.
 Pittsburg, he said was about twen- weight miles from the coal and iron regions of Pennsylvania. As the crow flies and as the survey of the pro posed road goes. Selma is only about thirty miles from the richest and greatest coal and iron district of the State of Alabama. The mineral re- sources of this district could be brought to Selma as cheap as they can be brought to Pittsburg
 He further stated that statistics Pittsburg. put on barges and floated down the Ohio and Mississippi rivers to New Orleans for fifty cents per ton. If rate that low could be had for this several thousand miles of hauling coal he was certain that a much lesser rate would be made from Selma. On rate from the coal fields to Selma and thence down the Ala bnma river to Mobile he figured and thought that coal could be shipped from the mines to Selma and thence to Mobile for twenty cents per ton or even less.
 In this way he said that Mobile could be made great coal port With freight upon coal twenty cents less to Mobil than it would to be to New Orleans. buyers would naturally go to the former city especially when the quantity of the coal would be almost equal It would mean a great saving to the consumers ong the Gulf Coast also as 1t would enable them to buy coal much cheaper than they can now secure it