The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-11-22
FRISCO RAILROAD
 DEVELOPING SOUTH Y0akum and Party of Off,
 ciaIs Here Today
VISIT OF IMPORTANCE
Believed That Frisco Company Con- templates Still Further Improve ments in the South--Three
 Routes to Mobile
By CLYDE W. ENNIS


 The eyes of Frisco line officials are turned toward Birmingham and thls territory preparatory to the opening of the Panafna canal. Emphasis is given to that fact by the visit here today of B. r. Yoakum, chairman Of the Frisco line directors; B. l.. Wincheil, president of the Frisco line; W. c. Nixon. vice president w. B. Riddle. vice president ". F. Tyler, general manager; J. E. Hutchinson, general su- perintendent, accompanied by a large party of minor officials.
 The party will be here at o'clock this morning and will leave at 9:3o o'clock on their special train for New Albany, Miss. From that point they will get on the rails of the Mobile. Jackson and Chicago railroad for tour of inspection. The Frisco lines recently acquired that property ana heretofore no personal inspection has been made by the higher officials.
 The officials left St. Louis yesterday and will make night run into Bir- mingham They will turn back in or der to get a daylight view of the south eastern division of the Frisco and a personal look at the many physical inn provements that have been made on that division of the line.
 MT Yoakum, who heads the party, is one of the noted men in the Amer ican railroad world.
 In local circles the most vital i'm portance is attached to the visit of the ia1 ba ATnhi1a and Chicago railroad which was sold by President L. S. Berg. well known in Bir- mingham.
 Coast Outlets
 No line in the entire southern rail- road field, the Louisville and Nashville included has made such strides toward traffic arrang gements and physical con- nections as has the Frisco. It has been noted here that the Frisco has secured three coast outlets and through the lat ter one the Birmingham district will share greatly.
 The general opinion is held that the purchase of the Mobile, Jackson and Chicago railroad means that local coal will be routed to New Albany over the Frisco lines and then hauled over the recently purchased lines to Mobile, where extensive docks have been se- cured'b the Frisco interest. This gives Birmingham three lines to Mobile. The Frisco has also acquired a line direct from Memphis to Baton Rouge. At Baton Rouge the Frisco lines have only to build short connections, or form traffic agreements to enter directly into New Orleans or the company may do this over the new line recently pur- chased running from Brownsville, Tex, to New Orleans.
 Chicago to New Orleans The recently acquired Mobile, Jack son and Chicago line will be the means of forming a line from Chicago on the Great Lakes through to New Orleans. It will be shorter than the Louisville and Nashville railroad or the Illinois Central, it is claimed, and with a traffic war on between these three big inter- ests the south expects some beneficial results.
 The Frisco lines are turning atten- ton more to the south just now than perhaps any other line. For that req Nson Mir Yoakum is here making a per- sonal visit and while it is gathered that the Improvements will be made at once, it is not apprehended that any an nouncements will be made by the off cials while here this morning.
 The Frisco has also mapped out a plan to handle through trains from Birmingham and other southern points direct to western points. In order to form that link the Frisco is building now a line from a point beyond Kan sas City to connect with the Santa Fe, thus obviating a dip in the line to shorten the route.
 Taben by and large the Frisco activities down south and the visit of Mr Yoakum and party indicates that never before in the history of the south have such development been contem- plated by one railroad system
 In this connection it is popularly known that Chairman Yoakum is very much in sympathy with farm move ments. He advises the tilling of the soil and the location of small indus tries. To that end he will doubtless turn some of his energy when the inn provements now contemplated are com pleted.