The Chattanooga news. [volume] (Chattanooga, Tenn.) 1891-1939, 1920-12-17
&c Line MAY Be
SOLD FOR SCRAP
Owners Disgust at Continued
Losses Makes Such
Course Likely.
WOULD BE LOSS TO CITY
History Of Railroad Which
Went Into Hands Of Re-
ceiYer Wednesday,

ne tnrowIng OF the Ill., starred
hand: Wednesdsy Wd Is 'rsU pS. ssSs,ysrs Srs,egs
70 US belng broken up and sold for
what II Will bring as scrap, unless
Snattanooeans take hand and put
step to II, according to advlces
BY officials Of the line.
me 7; A. @, has had long and
checkered career, but its founders
never thought that 1t would at the last
Eo merely as junk; At different times
IN plans to bring another large railway
system INTO Chattanooga and give II
an outlet either to the gulf or to the
middle west. On two such occasions
II was mere chance that foiled the
consnmmaton Of the negotiations.
The Russell Sage estate. which owns
by iar the largest part Of the T. A. G.
stock--there are no issued bonds---has
gotten tired putting up funds month
OF this month determined to stop doing
80. AZ conference in New York about
that time. which was attended by S.
Bosworth Smith, Of this city, general
mined to throw the road into receivers
hands. and, II something did not turn
up In very few months. to dismantle
1t, junk 1t and sell 1t for scrap.
Would Bring Good Sum as Scrap.
AS scrap the T, A. G. would bring
no mean sum: it has a considerable
amount OF assets; its line to Gadsden
Is by no means two streaks OF rust"
To be sure, the line needs ballasting.
but both rails and crossties are In good
condition and would bring n good price.
Ihen there are bridges and terminals
at Chattanooga, Alton Park and Gads-
den: there are fifteen acres of land In
Alton Park. purchased by the road for
q possible freight yard there. All of
this is eventually salable. Parenthet-
hn- - II. "a
has humorously been suggested the
CINCINNATI Southern would buy. to in
stall between this city and Cincinnati.
Too. the road has quite bit of roll
five locomotives, about 100 good freight
cars, few passenger coaches and one
private car complete. This rolling stock
has been kept in good shape at the
lines shops here; The r. A. G. is
complete railroad. with master me-
chanic. hostlers. turntable and in fact
n miniature every appliance that other
lines have IN abundance. Its only trou-
Bile has been that II couldn't get enough
freight. II started here and ended "np
has not been enough to meet expenses
The Birth OF the Road.
Many years ago the Chattanooga
Southern was promoted. organized ami
built. 1t had ambitious plans, but the
road was Just built to Gadsden. After
the passage Of time the late Newmor
Frb, OF New York, and G, e. James
Of Chattanooga. got hold Of Fo.'
quite a bit of II to Russell Sage, "
saw in it possibilities Of good conn.
tion southwark. Erb and James. how
ever. ever, held onto quite q block Of the'
stock. AZ the same time There wer
two projected roads. one lficorrorat- .
II .Aiai,ama, to run from Gadsdeh ~
the Seaboard Air line, twenty-two
miles south; and another in Georgia
run from the local line to join to tho
A consolidation of the three was
made, under the name of the Tennes-
see, Aiabama d Georgia; thus the pres
ssnt T; A. 9. came into being, The
organization. the only physical proper-
Southern.
At that. time the road was not n
money-maker: Its possibilities lay in
Ihen the age Of railroad expansion
combination, and consolidation had mot
ceased. Erb was being featured as
coming e. H. Hartman.
l.. & N. Wanted TO Buy Il.
some years before this the Louisville
Nashville was seeking an entrance
into Chattanooga, and let its gaze rest
on the Chattanooga Southern. The
Louisville & Nashville lines run into
Gadsden; by gaining control OF the lit
tie system. It could get into Chatta-
from this city to Etowah, there Joining
It's main Cincinnati-K i-Knoxville- Atlanta
line, and have a new and shof ter route
from the gulf to Cincinnati.
PRESIDENT Milton II. Smith +et up me-
gotiations with the interests that
owned the Chattanooga Southern look
ing to its purchase; the dealhad almost
been concluded for $1,6oo,0Oo Surveys
had heen run, passenger schedule
,An1 ANtk "a al NJ. -
deal financed when some of the Inter-
ests in the Chattanooga Southern
wanted more for their securities, and
blocked the deal.
Seaboard Scheme Sllps Up.
The next negotiations that were en-
tered into were between the Seaboard
Air Line and the road, which then was
known as the A. @. This was In
1916 The construction of twenty-five
miles OF track from Gadsden south
would have connected It with the Sea-
board, and given that line direct con
nection into Chattanooga. It would
have afforded this city a new line both
to Birmingham and to Atlanta; pas
senger schedules were worried nut for
n night sleeper from this city to. Fir.
minkham; surveys were completed.
prices secured on rails. and everything
wns in readiness, when after the "gu-
ahead" had been given at the final
conference 1t was decided TO wait until
DullOlnR DllEnI Dc CnbdDcT. 90 tHcy
waited. At that time the r. A. q. was
offered a rail contract at $36 per tor
today 1t Is $55. and has heen higher.
At any event, the costs rose uniformly
after 1915, and building was never be;
gun. Today the Seahoard is poor. and
while 1t Ia anxious to get into Chat
tanooga, hasn't the funds to finance
the new track Its stock is about s,
and inactive.
with all these bright homes, the T.
A. G. has never been financially nront-
nble; even under government operation
Il didn't make a go ot II; Ihen tho
rail administration diverted some trai
tic over the T, A. G. When the little
road had freight to move; II saw that
cars we're supplied with which to move
II. But after roads went back TO pri,
vate control, the T. A, q, had a hard
time getting cars; competing roaos, I'VE
ofTjciais claim, showed no eagerness 10
give Il cars; when the Chattanooga
IRON and Coal corporation. Its principal
customer, shit down, its business iah-
euished and fell into the doldrums. To-
5av It is hardly making hall ex-
per The region that the r A, g, tans Is
,ha rIchest undeveioped iron deposit in
,bc south. The ore is rich IN iron con
tent, has sufficient limestone 70 nuN IT,
and is there in great abundance; -,
with the approaching exhaustion ot
,,o lake Superior deposits. which
Il,ig.,,tistS Il,g saw win come about 1890,
sonthern ores win come into their own
and he mined with much greater IN
Prsctically the entire holdings OF inc
cbattanooga Iron and Coal cohpa.nY
80 IN the T A. @. This concern orig
insIly owned and built IN hI - ~ ~,
n"ek. was last wear purchasea ny w
Ison burN Products company and Is now
heI,' rsnresents an investment OF
~ ...sttt,r SoliarS and II Is not