The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-06-14
WILL OPEN TIE NEW ROAD NEXT FRIDAY Atlanta, Birmingham & Atlantic
 Enters Atlanta BIG RECEPTION IS PLANNED Chamber of Commerce Will Make the Occasion of the First Trains Ar rival One of Great Rejoic-
 inq-The Officers,
BIG RECEPTION IS PLANNED

Atlanta, June 13.-(Special,) )-The Atlanta Chamber of Commerce, through President Asa Candler and Secretary Walter G. Cooper has announced that the first train into Atlanta over the Atlanta, Birmingham and Atlantic rail- road, would be operated on next Fri day, June 19, and go from Brunswick to Fitzgerald, where it would meet another special from Thomasville, the two merging and entering Atlanta at o'clock in the afternon as a solid yes tibuled train known as the Atlanta $ Chamber of Commerce Special"
 The train was chartered blythe cham Der of commerce to bring to Atlanta on it's invitation representative citizens living along the line of the road to par tcipate In a celebration on the occasion of the opening of the new road. The celebration will take the form of a banquet at the New Kimball on Friday night to which 1000 people have been invited followed by a barbecue to be given to the visitors on Saturday by the merchants of Atlanta.
 Railway officials and manufacturers have expressed a desire to participate in the celebration so there will be blowing of whistles and ringing of bells as the special enters the city and moves down the W. & A. tracks to the union depot, which will be the passen- ger terminal of the new road. Busi- ness men are agreed that the enter prise means a great deal to the future industrial and commercial development of Georgia, Alabama and the south.
 The Chamber of Commerce has issued beautifully engraved invitations request- ing attendance upon the celebration Upon an acceptance a specially prepared sou- venir ticket, good for the trip to Atlanta and return, without expense to. the re- cipient, will be sent. The list of invited guests is necessarily limited, only those members of various organization along the line of the road representative of the industrial and commercial developments of their section having been invited. Upon the arrival of the special in Atlanta the visitors will be met at the train by a reception committee and escorted to the kimball. The banquet will follow a few hours later.
 The Atlanta, Birmingham and Atlantic officials have entered heartily into the celebration and express themselves as deeply appreciative of the honor con- ferred upon the road. They have agreed to supply as many coaches and engines as the occasion may require. The equip ment of the road is known to be the very best that money can buy and skill construct. The cream of that equip ment will go to make up the Chamber of Commerce special. It is planned by the officials of the road to hold a public re- ception at the union depot all day Satur- day to give the public an opportunity to inspect the equipment and see the char acter of service promised by the Atlanta, Birmingham and Atlantic railroad. On Saturday afternoon the visitors will be invited to inspect the handsome new At lanta. Birmingham and Atlantic building at Walton and Fairlie streets. This build ing has been pronounced by many archi- tects to be modern office building in every respect, perfectly equipped and constructed on handsome and elaborate lines. Every office Is an outside office, and the building is brilliantly lighted
 Officers of the Road.
 The A. B. & A. railroad is officered as followers: H. NJ. Atkinson, president; P. & Arkwright first vice president and head of the legal department; Alex Bennyman, general manager; c. B. Will burn, general superintendent J. R. Row
 
 general freight agent and W. H. Leahy, general passenger agent. The firm of Rosser & Brandon, attorneys. is general counsel. The road has foreign representa- lives in New York, Boston, Philadelphia, Cincinnati, Asheville, Nashville. Jackson vile, in addition to it's regular force along the line
 The first official passenger train to reach Atlanta on regular schedule will arrive on Sunday evening, June q. at o'clock. The first southbound train will leave Atlanta the same day at 7:45 o'clock a. m From that day forward reg ular schedules will be maintained with sleeping car accommodations in the neat future.
 The company will then have in opera ton 570.9 miles of road consisting of the stretch between Brunswick and Talladega 3796 miles, Waycross to Sessems, 26 miles, Thomasville to Fitzgerald, s0.5 miles Ashland to Pyriton. 6.7 miles. and Manchester to Atlanta, 7s1 miles. These are the official distances announced by General Passenger Agent Leahy on which rates are based. The mileage leaves out only that stretch of 79 miles between Tai