The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-09-14
Where L. 6 W. Railroad
 Is Spending $1, 300, 900
Informal Celebration Yesterday Of Completion Main Tunnel Work At Parkwood-Double Track Will Be
 Finished Within Two Months
By BURR BLACKBURN.

Almost unknown to the people of Ala bama a railroad engineering feat cost ing $l ,3OO,OOO, which will double the haul ing capacity of the Louisville and Nash vile railroad out of Birmingham, is with isl two months of completion.
 Yesterday at the construction camps at Hardwood the men who have been engaged in the actual work celebrated the completion of the hardest part of the job. When Saturdays sun went down the last blasting had been done in the big tunnel, and the last rock was re- moved from the "bepch."
 And when these sturdy men gathered around the lavishly spread tables on the top of Shades mountain they perhaps knew better than anyone else what they were celebrating. They had constructed the second double rail tunnel in the whole south, and were nearing the completion of the largest piece of railroad work, as well as the only one outside of the Atlanta, Birmingham and Atlantic, now under way in Alabama. In fact, it is practically the only job which the rail TOdQS ulu llpl uiOP Wllu lliS olCSlioli Ol Conner and the enactment of Conner ideas.
 Doubles Roads Capacity.
 Just what this new 12 miles of low grade, double track means to Birming- ham is hard to appreciate. When pros porous times come, instead of being piled up with more cars than she can handle the Louisville and Nashville will be able to haul twice as much freight as is pos sible now. Birmingham, when in good cheer and happiness, is always running over with her mineral wealth, and tha broadening of this old road Is like deep ening the bed of a navigable river
 When it is ready for business within two months from today the Louisville and Nashville will have easy grade double track all the way from Birmingham to Calera By that time the road will be carrying twice it's present tonnage and there will be no hitches, no waits on sidings and nothing but hurry to the market.
 Leaving the old road which went along the side of the mountain the new line burrows straight through Shades noun tain, cutting down the grade so that an engine will be able to haul a load to Calera twice as heavy as those now pulled out of Birmingham.
 Beautiful Stretch of Country,
 The new mileage opens up beautiful stretch of country. Approaching from Hardwood the cut which is nearly mile long presents quite a study for the nat uralist, with its many strata of rock and while the machinery still mars the scene it's possibilities are especially strik- ing.
 On the far side of the tunnel the road comes immediately out of the mountain side on a high fill, bordered by the thick undergrowth far below. This fill, which is a quarter of mile long, is big piece of work. There are few to equal it in the state.
 The surveying began two years ago and the work has been practically fin- ished by three sets of contractors The six-mile strip of double tracking from Oxmoor to Hardwood was graded by Brewer & Jones. w. J. Oliver, or the Interstate Construction company, had the big job, including the tunnel, from Park wood to Helena, while Dunn & Laland and Claud Mimms graded the five miles beyond Helena to Hardy where the new track joins the old line.
 The difficult work has all been done under the direction of MT. Divers su- perintendent J. N. Stone. who is rec or,;,ad Iaadar of tunnel builders. He was brought here after his successful work on the other double track tunnel in the country which Is just out of Chattanooga
 The concrete sides and top are being