The Montgomery advertiser., 1908-04-13
NEW RAIL LINE TO OPEN SOON l. (. and M. and 0.'lnto Birmingham. LAST LINK IN A CHAIN Routes to De Traversed in Ala
 bama. PIsn. of Great Corporations wiii Be of Immense Advantage to the
 states of the south
 east.

Birmingham, Ala, April 12.--The offi- cial announcement by the Illinois Gen. tral that the new Birmingham division will be opened for traffic April 1s. calls attention to the completion of the last link in the great Hartman trans-conti- mental route, for by controlling the Union Pacific, Illinois Central and Gen. trai of Georgia. this system will extend from the Pacific to the Atlantic.
 In addition to supplying the last link in this chain. the opening of the Ha- ieyville branch will give the Illinois Central an inlet to the great coal and iron fields of Alabama with their im- mense annual tonnage.
 The Central of Georgia terminals here, connect with those of the Illinois Central. thus giving a direct connection the sea at Savannah over the Central of Georgia. Connections of the Illinois Central with the Union Pacific thus give a complete system from one ocean to the other.
 The connection is expected to benefit the Southeastern States and to increase Savannah's importance as seaport, for In addition to making 1t the ter minal for much of Alabama's coal and iron 1t will receive much of the grain and other trafIic of the Mississippi Val ley. A@
 The Mobile and Ohio will open its new Birmingham branch on April 20 and present plans contemplate having the first trains over both Zines reach Birmingham the same day. To this end the commercial organizations of Birmingham have planned an elaborate reception.
 The new train will bear officers of the two lines who will be guests of l. n ha RfWan the night of April 20. and presidents and high officials of all the railroads entering Birmingham have been in- vited. ~
 The New Route. The entrance of the Illinois Central has been accomplished by certain traf- fic arrangements and by the. building of an entire new line from corinth, Miss. to H&ieyville. Ala, distance of eighty miles. Leaving the main line at Jackson, Tenn, the Illinois Central will come into Birmingham by the follow ing route. Mobile and ohio from Jack son to Corinth, Miss, fifty-seyen miles; Corinth to Haleyville, Ala. (new line) eighty miles; Northern Alabama Gown ed by Southern Railway. Haleyville to Jasper, Ala. forty-one miles; Frisco System, Jasper to Birmingham, forty one miles; Alabama Western towned DY Illinois CenLE4ltt lhtO e ID miles, a total length of about 220 miles.
 The construction of the new Haley vile branch has been, difficult and ex- pensive because of the rough charac- ter of the country. The route follows a watershed most of the distance, So that but one bridge of any importance had to be built. This however. is one of the largest in the Southern States. It is 1,23O feet long and III feet at the highest point.
 Although the country through which the new branch passes is very rough. the road has been built with the lew gradient of O.5 per cent. on tangent and a maximum curvature of 8 1-2 de- grees.
 Route of the M. and o. The Mobile and Ohio. which will run its first train into Birmingham on the same date with the Illinois Central, will accomplish it's. entrance without building any new track. It will use the new Haleyville branch of the Illi- nois Central from Corinth to Haley. vile, eighty miles; Northern Alabama. FIaieyville to Parrish, fifty miles: Southern Railway. Parrish to Birming- ham, forty-two miles. making a total of 172 miles.
 The Mobile and Ohio is now building freight terminals in Birmingham and for passenger business will use the new terminal station.