The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-08-27
Elaborate Reception Planned By Civic Bodies To Greet
 A, 3. & A.
CHARTER SPECIAl. TRAIN
 TO BRING IN VISITORS
Big Banquet Will Be Given on Night of September 2, When 700 Visit ors Are xpected-Leahy
 To Open Office.

 heartiest welcome ever prepared for any new enterprise in the south At meetings held yesterday plans were discussed and many of them completed for grand reception.
 A special train will be run from the Georgia state line into Birmingham on Monday, September T, arriving in the afternoon special committee will have this matter in charge and the excursion will bring 700 of the most prominent citizens of the towns which touch the new line besides the railroad officials and others.
 Immediately on their arrival they will be rendered an informal reception at the Southern club, and during the re- mander of the afternoon automobile ex- cursions will take in all of the prin- cipal points about the city 8
 In the evening an elaborate banquet will be served at one of the largest hotels Gen. Rufus N. Rhodes has been appointed toastmaster and the speakers of the occasion will be announced later. The visit of the people along the line of the road will be made without any cost whatever. An invitation will be sent out to those selected by the committee, and upon their acceptance they will be mailed a tag which will give them the right of passage on the train and five days stopover in Birmingham
 Big Occasion for Birmingham.
 The occasion will be a great one for Birmingham. Congressman Underwood hit the keynote yesterday when he said that the value of the road is two-fold, in that it both reaches the sea, and is so admirably constructed with low grades and few curves as to carry the heavy traffic of Birmingham at a low rate. He said that while 1t would open up a large and new field for the wholesale and re- tail interests of the city, that while 1t would mean the coming of 10000 more bales of cotton to Birmingham and the consequent increase in the farmers trade, he considered that ultimately Birming- ham will furnish the world with her products and the more railroads like the Atlanta, Birmingham and Atlantic the better for the city.
 Richard w. Massey was elected by the boards of directors of the Commercial club and the Board of Trade to act as chairman of all the committees of the commercial bodies for the preparations. MT Massey immediately selected his com mittee from the Commercial club, the Board of Trade, the Manufacturers as- sociation and the Wholesale Grocers' as- sociation, and they held a meeting yes- terday afternoon.
 Groups of Committees. While their plans are not completed, they are well under way The commit tee was divided into these groups: Chairman-Richard w. Massey. Special Committee in Charge of Train Lee C. Bradley, J. E. Shelby and w. B. Dickerson.
 Reception Committee - George B.. Ward, w. P. G. Harding and Sid w.. Lee. This committee will go out and return on the train and have charge of the informal entertainment at the club, with automobiles and other matters. Banquet Committee-John L. Parker, | H. M Beck and J. D. Collins. T | man. Emmet Collins and R. M Goodall. While the road will make it's official | entrance on September 6, as this is Sun day a celebration would be imp possible, but on Monday 1t will be none the less enthusiastic. Birmingham is expected 1 to turn out in gala attire for the oc- | casion.
 Morning Meeting. At the meeting of the directors of tn e l two commercial bodies yesterday morn l ing much enthusiasm was noted. Fred M. Jackson Richard w. Massey, Rufus N. Rhodes Congressman Oscar w. Un- derwood, Sid w. Lee, J. E. Shelby R. | w. Ewing, Lee c. Bradley. W. P. G. Harding and a number of others ex- ] pressed their high qualification at the entrance of this great trunk line. 1 E. F. Johnston, the representative of the railroad, outlined briefly the history 1 of the road, its hard fight against odds. and by the wonderful courage and per sistence of President Atkinson, its ap- proach to completion. He assured the members of MT. Atkinsons interst in the Birmingham district and his inten- tion to lend every aid to the authorities in ebratng the occasion. After discussing the matter thorough . 1 ly, the committee appointed MT. Massey | chairman, with instructions to make up an active committee from the member | ship of the local organizations. MT l Massey's committee will meet again Friday morning at 10 o'clock to furth er | complete the preparations.
 Leahy In City.
 General Passenger Agent w. H. Leahy of the Atlanta, Birmingham and Atlantic railroad came over to Birmingham yes. | terday and located his city ticket, pas 1 senger and commercial office in the Brown Marx building, at 1O7 North Twen. tieth street. preparatory to the entrance | of the road September 6.
 The announcement was made of the ap- | pointment of w. D. Chears as commer- cial agent for the Birmingham territory MT. Chears. who has been in the employ | of the Atlanta, Birmingham and Atlantic l in the Atlanta office for number oi years. will at once take up his residence in Birmingham.
 MT. Chears is not yet ready to announce the personnel of his corps of assistants He will employ force sufficient to cart