The Birmingham age-herald., 1907-11-21
DEWBERRY WANTS
 WORK RECOGNIZED Presents Letter and Resolutions
 tTo City Council WHAT TIDEWATER IS DOING Status of Work Is Given In Detail and the Company Wants It Accepted
 as Compliance With Fran
 Szehise Requirement..
WHAT TIDEWATER IS DOING

In letter to the City Council Presi-
 dent J. M. Dewberry of the Tdewater
 Development company, describes all the
 previous work of his company, and re-
 quests that the construction already be-
 gun be accepted as complying with the
 franchise which required that work bgen
 within eight months. On November 20
 the company will enter the two years
 which it is allowed before cars must
 be running on Fifth avenue.
 The letter and the resolution following
 were both referred to the judiciary com-
 mittee Here they are:
 "To the Board of Aldermen of Birming- ham:
 ''On March 20, 1907 the Board of Mayor
 and Aldermen granted a franchise to
 the Tidewater Development company, it's successors and assigns, to build, con- struct. own, maintain and operate a line
 of or lines of railway to be operated by electricity in and through the city of Birmingham, etc, the said line or lines to be part of railroad which the said Tidewater Development company pro- poses to build from Gadsden through this district and the city of Birmingham to
 Tuscaloosa. Ala, and embodying clause which reads as follows:
 Work on some point of the line or lines of railway to be constructed by said Underwater Development company shall begin in good faith within eight months from the execution of this con- tract and cars shall be operated on said Fifth avenue for revenue within two years after such work is begun q beg to advise that this franchise has been transferred and assigned to the Bir-
 mingham and Gulf Railway and Naviga- tion cofnpany, organized by us to build,
 own and operate the said railroad, and to use the said franchise.
 q further beg to advise as follows: q. The surveys, maps and prof1les of the line have been carefully and accu-
 rately made at a great cost and in good faith, the work being done by the Rob- erts & Abbot Co.,, engineers, of Cleve land, O., for and on behalf of the Tide water Development company. ''2. On August 31, 1907, the Tidewater Development company purchased the Tuscaloosa Belt Railway company, being line of railroad now operating in and about the city of Tuscaloosa and ex- tending in the direction of Birmingham to Holt, Ala, point about five miles | northeast of Tuscaloosa. Since that time l actual work of construction has been in progress, improving the roadbed, relay l ing the rails, making necessary repairs l and otherwise making the line suitable part of the said projected railroad from Tuscaloosa to Gadsden.
 "3. The contract to build the entire line' including the work ip and through the city of Birmingham, has been let in good faith to the Birmingham and Gulf Construction company, which has recent ly been organized under the laws of the state of Alabama, with It's principal office in the city of Birmingham, which com
 pany is composed and backed by New
 York and Philadelphia capitalists. A. The engineers of the said company
 are and have been for some time in Tus-
 caloosa engaged on the plans and speci- fications and work of electrifyng the said Tuscaloosa Belt railroad, which road will, as speedily as possible be ex- tended in the direction of and through the city of Birmingham.
 q beg to subscribe to the above facts under seal of the Birmingham and Gulf Railway and Navigation company, and request that the Board of Mayor and Aldermen signify its acceptance of these facts as and for beginning of work upon the railroad within the meaning of the franchise granted by your city and as of the date of this notification. Yours very truly,
 BIRMINGHAM AND GULF RAILWAY AND NAVIGATION COMPANY, U. M. DEWBERRY, Acting President Resolved. by the Board of Mayor and Aldermen of Birmingham, That the com muncation from the Birmingham and Gulf Railway and Navigation company, dated October 29, 1907. with reference to the transfer and assignment to 1t of those several franchises heretofore granted by this board to the Tidewater Development company, and setting forth a notification of the beginning of the work upon the
 railroad referred to in said franchises, be and the same is hereby ordered to be received and filed.
 Be 1t further resolved, That the said transfer and assignment be and the same is hereby ratified and confirmed and that the facts in said communication set forth be and the same are hereby accepted as and for compliance as of the date of said communication of the provision in said franchise requiring the begin ming of the work upon said railroad on or before November 20, 1907."