The Brunswick news., 1921-12-20
FOfA, ,S2IIRCHAsE OF
ABB RAILROAD
IS AGnlN TALKED.
Ii Auto Man Gets Muscle Shoals
indicated That VIII Buy
Line to Brunswick.
TWO ENGINEERS HAVE
INSPECTED RAILROAD
Additional Confirmation Has
Been Received That Engi-
neers For Manufacturer Have
Made a Detailed Report OF
Brunswick's Harbor.

Brunswick's Harbor.
FOLLOWING. printed in the Atlanta
Georgian yesterday. was sent out from
Birmingham by Ben j. Cope. of the
International News Servicef
If Henry Ford gets Muscle Shoals.
in addition to the Air Line Electric
Railroad 'e proposes to build from
Sheffield to Birmingham, he is figuring
on fleet of boats of his own to ply
the Warrior river and carry his ex-
ports down to tidewater.
"This is Just another point which
leaked out Of the two months stay in
this vicinity Of the two Ford engineers
who were gathering data and mal1ing
tentative survey of the. whole posi-
tion of Birmingham as the central
point to which the bulk of Ford,s ex-
port business would be routed for dis
tribution.
1t was stated by one of these. men
that agents Of Mr.. Ford were studying
a new type of barges of the tunnel
type to be used from Birmingport to
Mobile and New Orleans, where goods
would be shipped there to be distrib.
uted on ocean-going vessels to their
destinations in the West Indies. Cen
tral and South America. and Ia the
Far East and Australia via the Pan
anna Cnal.
THE tunnel type barge is so-ealled
because the propellers are partially
inclosed in tunnel which Is really .
Ahlas TIC boats to travel III shallow
water.and It Ii claimed thai greater
power Is developed in this way
"The barge line equipment OF the
United States government Bureau OF
Inland Waterways on the Warrior riv-
er would not be adequate to move half
the traffic, SO Ford engineers and Mr..
Ford believes he could operate his
own craft constructed after these late
designs, even more economically than
the government barges.
'It was also asserted that Mr. Ford
Intends to build craft Of this type by
wholesale and operate them on the
Tennessee river from Muscle Shoals
to the Mississippi and utilize the Mis-.
sissippi, the Missouri, the Ohio and
other tributary streams as war as pos.
sble in the distribution Of products
of the numerous manufacturing nlants
embraced in his idea. when il Is once
realized.
Additional confirmation has been
received that the Ford engineers 1t
Birmingham made a minute inspec.
ton Of the Atlanta. Birmingham and
Atlantic Railway from birmingham
to Brunswick, Ca. with the view TO its
acquisition or operation. taking over
ten days In the task, and were e8pe-
cially interested in the question o. ter
mlnals az Brunswick and the posdbli
~ OF acquiring suitable property upon
which model terminals could be con.
structed for the economical handling
and loading upon ships Of the Ford
products designed for Europe, the
Near East. Africa and the Mediterran-
can countries
"The tunnel type Of barges such as
Ford proposes to use on the Warrior
have been approved by the United
States government which Is reported
10 be ready 70 put them in commission
on the Mlssissippi.WarTior service.
two of which craft are now completed
and at Cincinnati ready to go into
commission. Dying to their low cost.
light draught. high carrying power and
economy OF operation the government
expects them to be bniit IN large nun.
bers by private individuals and firms.
as Ford proposes to do"
Washington. Dec. Isl. W. Worth.
ington and Herbert z. Mayo. engineer
experts Of Henry. FORD. win confer
with Secretary Of War Weeks
on the Muscle Shoals project the war
ae,rs.~. ,.,,,4 .rrowneed today