The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-11-29
Electric Line to Be Built
 Connecting Birmingham and Chattanooga
MOST OF THE RIGHT
 OF WAY IS SECURED
Emphasizes Importance to Birming- ham of Having Direct Connec- ton With the Rich Sand
 Mountain Section

Col " W. Shortridge. vice presi- dent of the Birmingham and chatta- nooga Railroad company, yesterday made a detailed statement of the future plans of the work so far done on the proposed line between these 1 two cities. He believes the importance to Birmingham of opening up direct communication with the rich Sand mountain country cannot be overesti- mated.
 "The Birmingham and Chattanooga Railroad company was incorporated in November. 1911. for the purbose of building a railroad from Birmingham to Chattanooga by way of sand noun tainv said Colonel Shortridge. "The charter provides for use of either steam or electricity as motive pow CT.
 "In January. 1912, a full corps of engineers in charge of Capt P. s. Mill ner as chief engineer. began surveying the route. This survey was completed and the line located october 15~.last. The distance is 147 miles.
 Estimates Completed
 "The profles and estimates have been completed~ which show that tho cost of the railroad including electric wiring, etc, bridges, station houses, water tanks, side tracks, rights of way, switches and rolling stock, will be $4,50o. .o00, or $sO,000 per mile. The work has been thorough and complete. We have. secured about 100 miles of the right of way, and have competent men in the field securing the balance.
 We have entered into a contract with eastern men to finance the road. and the construction work will begin as soon as we have secured all of the right of way The road will hit Sand mountain near Oneonta, in Blount county thence to Boaz. in Marshall count, and run through DeKalb coun- ty. Leaving the mountain opposite Rising Pawn, Ga, we discend it grad ually, reaching the foot opposite New England, Ga, requiring distance of 16 miles to get off Thence the line passes to Wauhatchie, where it crosses the North Carolina and St. Lous rail- road and on into Chattanooga by DTluBe across the lehnesSce lifei De- low Moccasin Bend
 1 f"The grade of the road is nowhere more than one per cent, and none of i the curves exceed six degrees. The one per cent grade and the six degree curves occur only in getting on and off the mountain The curves are com pensated. The grades and curves are so light as to allow the use of steam power but the management has de- cided to use electric power
 For Both Passenger and freight
 Tt is our intention to construct railroad meetsig modern requirements both as to road bed and equipment, and haul both passengers and freight. contract will be made with Ham, ilton county, Tennessee, whereby our bridge across the river near Chatta- nooga will be used for vehicle pur- poses.
 "The advantages the construction of this line will be to Birmingham are hardly appreciated. It will open for development the great Sand mountain plateau, the most beautiful and fertile section in the south, where fruits, ber- ries and vegetables grow to perfection, and only need transportation to give Birmingham cheap food fresh from the soil. The latter you must have for your toilers in furnaces and mines if you expect to compete with other localities engaged in similar lines of manufacture. The newspapers of Bir- mingham and Chattanooga; the Cham bers of Commerce of the two cities, and the public at large have been very friendly to our enterprise, for which we are deeply grateful"