The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1910-06-01
ROAD NOW
BEING TALKED OF
To Extend from Montgomery
to Birmingham
CAPITALISTS ARE BUSY
Question of Right of Way Has Already
Been Taken Up, 1t Is Understood-
Outlook for Business Seems
Encouraging
CAPITALISTS ARE BUS!

Montgomery, May 31.-(Special)- AN
electric car line of the latest and most
modern construction. equipped with the
very best things known for quick and
heavy service to run from Montgomery
to Birmingham is not an improbable de-
velopment of the next few months Men
of means in Chicago, st. Louis and New
York are figuring on the cost and have
already taken up the question of right
of way. And 1t may be that when this
much is decided upon the agreement Will
he extended to run on to Mobile, making
n stretch of $50 miles from the gulf to
the very heart of the coal, iron and
steel district
The idea Is to swing out from Mont
gomery to Wetumpka. thence through
Gilmore and skirting along the lines OF
Chiffon and Coosa counties, touching
Talladega, and then splitting Shelby
reach Jefferson in the very midst of the
coal section, where 1t will be easy to get
coal for power. Two propositions for
getting power are up. One is to secure
II from water plants on the Coosa river,
and the other by steam in the coal sec
ton, where mines may be owned and
the coal secured at low cost. In either
event the first cost would be small, but
It appears more than likely that the
steam will be the adopted scheme.
Between Birmingham and Montgomery
| lie some of the richest country in the
SOUTH On the north end Of the proposed
route is coal and ore and limestone and the
| prestige that the great steel corporation
gives. The road would enter the county
not far from Oxmoor, where are two OF
the big iron furnaces OF this corporation
| Coming this way would be found indif-
ferent farming until the fiat country Is
reached, where Is the most productive
| agricultural fields Of any section In the
interim there are many mills OF many
kinds lumber being the most produc-
/ tive. Cotton mills are also on the route
and the best of opportunities for market
farming and dairying.
| Outlook for business
| The outlook for business lies In quick
| movement for all kinds of products o.
| the farm both to the great consuming
center Of the mineral district and the
| hardly less important point along thai
| line, Montgomery. Half dozen trains
a day from Montgomery to Birmingham
would mean a great increase in trave
and large tonnage of freight. Diaries
could be maintained along the route and
| the milk put into the cities before break
fast and there is not thing that Is
eaten that cannot be raised along the
proposed line and laid into the markets
fresh every day. Already the countr,
that would be touched has largely de-
veloped fruit and vegetable raising.
with a steam plant at the mouth
of the coal mines power could be de-
veloped at low cost. In many places
in the south now this idea Is worked
cute For instance, the Indian, Head
cotton mills in Walker county get coal
| from their own mine within q few
yards of the engine rooms the cost
being just what 1t takes to get the
fuel out of the ground. With high
voltage system small copper wires VIII
carry heavy suIply Of current. thus