The Birmingham age-herald., 1907-07-07
ENORMOUS SUMS SPENT
 IN DEVELOPING MINES
Shops Will Be Located at Hueytown. From Bessemer Main Line Will Follow Valley Creek Canal
 to Smiths Park.

 sistent, quiet effort. the Atlantic, Bir- mingham and Atlantic railroad has ac- quired a right of way into Birmingham from Bessemer at an estimated cost of $l.2OO,000 for real estate alone. First Vice President Preston S. Arkwright, of At lanta, has authorized an announcement of the plan for entering Birmingham, while James Bonnymon. manager of the iron and coal interests owned and operated by the same people who own and operate the Atlanta. Birmingham and Atlantic has given out a statement concerning the plans and intentions of the company to make of Birmingham an even greater factor in the coal, coke and Iron industry than she Is already.
 Vlce-president Arkwright announces that In entering Birmingham from Besse- mer the Atlanta. Birmingham and Allan tic will strike the railroad yards at the western limits of the owen property, near Elyton; continuing towards the city the road has acquired and will use q vast tract of land between the North Besse- mer car line and the Valley creek canal. known as the owen lands and the Green lands The yards which will be mile in length and 400 feet in width, will be located on the property. The main line of the road will follow the canal to Smiths park. using part of the park, 100 feet of the western side having been pur- chased. Continuing on this line the At lanta. Birmingham and Atlantic will con- meet with the Frisco System at Walker
 
 to enter the new terminal station. No definite arrangements have been made, however, for passenger facilities, but the connection makes possible the appliea- ton of the Atlanta, Birmingham and Atlantic for passenger accommodation In favorably acted on
 Shops at HueytoWn.
 As n second undertaking and one which will place the Atlanta. Birmingham and Atlantic in position to compete with every other road now entering the coal and iron fields a branch road will be built, for which right of way has also been 1c- qulrod. This branch road will go off from the main line at the plant of the Jeff ferson fertilizer works. just north of Bes- semer Continuing the road will pass through the property of the Woodward Iron Company. and other properties un- til 1t reaches huge yards at Hueytown. Here the company has acquired 200 acres of land from the Bessemer Land com pany and other people, on which to coll struct an enormous freight reservoir Such shops as will be built in the Bir- mingham district will also be located there, supplying employment to large number of skilled mechanics and labor CTS Continuing from the yards at Huey town the road will pass through Bone Gap to Mulga. At Muga the road will have access to the vast coal properties which the company has acquired and is now operating. The entire holdings of the iron coal and coke lands, owned and controlled by II. M. Atkinson of Atlanta, the heading spirit In this stupendous en- terprise and his associates consists of 43000 acres of land In Jefferson county alone, which does not include q few hum dred acres in adjoining counties, and the city properties purchase das a right of way for the Atlanta, Birmingham and At lantic railroad.
 Interested in Many Enterprises.
 MT Atkinson is financier of wide ex- perlence. unquestioned ability and ra- markable resourcefulness. He is the lc- tive head of some fourteen operating cor porations, including the Birmingham Iron Company. the Birmingham Coal Com pany.. the Atlanta. Birmingham and At lantic railroad, the Brunswick Steamship Company all of which are closely al- lied each working in the interest of and for the benefit of the other; he also controls vast lumber lands and enter prises of a kindred nature In South Geor- gia and Florida. together with the Tam pa-Northern railroad. He is in control of the Georgia Railway and Electric Com pany, the Atlanta Gas Light Company and the magnificent fourteen-story of- flee building known as the Empire, In Atlanta. while he assisted very materially in financing the construction of the cenl tury building. The Atlanta, Birmingham and Atlantic railroad own and operates the magnificent Oglethorpe hotel at Brunswick, Ga. whcih is one of the handsomest hotels on the Atlantic coast.
 Mir. Atkinson long ago determined that the Atlanta Birmingham and Atlantic should compare favoraby with any ral- road in the United States. supplying su- perior facilities both for freight and pas senger business The road will nave physical connections in Birmingham. At lHnta and BrunSWlcK WltD Ot.ltT ItllIodi9, but will be an absolutely independent proposition. bidding for and hauling busi- ness on its merits and at competitive rates. It will be the greatest influence on business commercial and industrial development in the south.
 Development of Coal Properties.
 The railroad while an enormous nn- dertaking In itself, is only part of the enterprise planned by MT Atkinson for the Birmingham district Mir. Bonnymon yesterday gave a definite an concise Idea of the coal. coke and iron enterprises. The company owns valuable coal lands at Mulga where two shafts will he sunk. One of these shafts will be 700 feet deep and the other 300 feet deep. The pro- dcut will be principally the celebrated Pratt steam coal which is becoming more scarce in this district each year.
 The initial installation will cost in the neighborhood of s1000.0co. whic is ex- elusive of the cost of the railroad lead ing to the mine. one mile of which will cost s2J0.0Do as 1t traverses very rugged country The two shafts have com blned capacity of 5000 tons of coal day Labor sufficient to produce this amount will increase the already large pay roll of the Birmingham district enormously The company has adopted a policy of buy ing all material possible in the Birming- .a,, dt.t-;ot Whanaver conditions