The gold leaf., 1910-03-31

Special Correspondence Wilmington Star
Atlanta, Ga, March 12.-Greatly
increased activity in the work of i'm
proving aud double tracking the
main line of the Southern Railway
from Washington to Atlanta is pre-
saged in the announcement by the
company that Il contract has Just
been closed with the Tennessee Coal
and Iron Company for 10000 tons
S5-pound steel rails to be delivered
from it's Birmingham plant between
June 1st and December LIST, 1910, at
the rate OF 5000 tons per month.
This contract calls for the expendi-
ture OF 100000 by the Southern
Railway Company for rails alone and
will provide the steel for the laying
of 30 miles of track per month for
the next six months. This work
will furnish labor to an army OF men
and will also greatly stimulate other
industries. An order for 5000 kegs
OF spikes was recently given to the
Atlanta Steel Company and the pur
chase Of q great amount of other
material will be necessary for this
work. In giving these orders to Bir-
mingham and Atlanta plants the
Southern is carrying out it's policy OF
patronizing Southern industries.
This great order of steel will be
used in the work of improving and
double tracking the main line be-
tween Washington and Atlanta. A
large part will be used in replacing
steel now in the track which will in
turn be used to better the tracks OF
some OF the secondary lines.
This work of double tracking will
not only mean much for the sections
Immediately touched, but will help
provide better service for every city
and town on the line of the Southern
Railway. OF the 3S1 miles of the
line between Washington and Char.
lotte, 176 miles of double track
are already in operation as follows
Washington to Orange, Va, sc
miles; Montview, Va, to Sycamore
Va, % miles; Danville, Va, to Pei
ham, N. c., 8 miles; Greensboro, n
c., to Salisbury, n. c., 53 miles.
Within the next 60 days it is ex
pected that 40 miles will be added tC
this by the completion of track nov
under construction from Franklin
Junction, Va, to Whittle, Va,
miles, and from Salisbury, N. c., tt
Charlotte, n. c., 43 miles. Twelv'
miles under construction betweeI
Monroe, Va, and Montview, Va, in
cludirg the new tunnel through
Lynchburg is expected to be oper
for traffic by October 1st.
| This will give 23G miles of doubl,
track of the 3S1 miles between Wash
ington and Charlotte Eight miles
of double track at Spartanburg anC
Atlanta give 244 miles Of dOubl'
track of the total distance between
Washington and Atlanta, 64S miles.
| In addition to this double track Oh
| the main line the Southern now has
~ miles of double track, between
| Knoxville and MOrristown, Tenn, OF
the Knoxville Bristol division, q
miles in the Birmingham district, II
miles between Atlanta and Austel
used by the Birmingham and Chat
tanooga lines out Of Atlanta, /.
miles between Chattanooga and OOlt
awah Junction on the Chattanooga
Knoxville line and three miles a
| Asheville.
In the last Is months the South
ern used $4,000 tons of rail pur
chased at Birmingham. The fact tha
10000 tons are to be used in th
next six months shows the ratio o
increase and it is hoped that th
time is not far off when there will b
a double track all the way from
Washington to Atlanta.