San Marcos free press. [volume] (San Marcos, Tex.) 1877-1892, 1882-09-28
BIRMINGHAM.
The Phoaix.LIhs Growth Of A. Alabama Tsws,
Nashville American.

| Haoa6o Jto ~ WIN NVata hVt tt0tk
nize the town. At that time Birming.
ham, whose phoenix like growth had
been heralded all over the land, was ~
dead as door nail.
II was not until 1873 that the new
Birmingham commenced TO loom up.
The Pratt coal mines were opened, and
when the quality Of the coal was discov.
cred to be as fine as any on the contin.
emit, the manufacture OF iron at this
point was deemed practical and the ball
was opened. Since. then the new enter.
prises which have been inaugurated
have had q regular cotilion party
Lively2 Well, you just never saw any
thing like it. Here's statement; lool
ut it.:
There are 100000 worth OF build
ings going on to-day in Birmingham.
And this is simply astonishing: Not
city in the entire south can make this
showing; not one. Atlanta, for 1882,
will add $l,000,000 worth of improve
ments; Macon, $3.50, 900; Augusta, with
the King mill, 81 SOC, 900; Chattanooga,
100000; Knoxville, $500, 900, and Bir-
mingham, with population row close
on to $4,000, comes up with $4,000, 600.
1t sounds and looks like romance, and
I verify believe would doubt the state
ment myself were I not here to see it
with my own eyes. Every man
meet here tells mo confidently
"our growth is not yet commenced"
Well, all / have to say is that If Bir-
mingham keeps this thing up she'll
make the welkin ring with her shouts
of enterprise and wealth and growth.
In four years the population has just
quintupled, or 800 per cent. And this,
you know, is enormous, there being no
other city in this country able to make
80 grand showing. Said q man just
from the west the other day:
Nothing out there that have seen
con touch Birmingham's growth within
the past two years." Real estate men
tell me that property is daily advancing
and that buyers are coming in almost
hourly. 1 heard real estate man say
at the hotel this morning:
IL actually cannot keep up with the
building going on here. Coming to
breakfast now / saw two new brick
stores going up where two days ago the
ground was not broken, and 1 knew
nothing of them"
INCREASE OF VALUES.
AS an evidence of how values have
increased, two years ago DR.. Caldwell,
of the Elyton Land Company, bought
lot on which stood three wooden
structures meant for stores, for which
he paid $4,000. Six months later he
was getting $1,000 for the stores. The
lot is 100 feet square. The wooden
houses were burned, brick ones erected,
and yesterday the doctor was offered
Sc, 900 for one-half the lot which is un-
built. In 1879 the Elyton Land COM
pany sold $4,000 worth of land here;
in 1880 they sold about 10000, and in
1881 about $4,000 worth. while vito
only eight months of 1882 gone they
have sold $4,000 worth of lots. The
greater portion of this property is right
in Birmingham.
But am asked is this boom started
on an initiation basis? Not at all, as
assure you. There is absolutely moth
ing to prevent the future growth of
Birmingham. It will be within few
years one of the leading manufacturing
cities in America. It will be matter
of astonishment to know that Birming-
ham is now shipping iron to Pittsburg,.
and is reaping good profit. Pittsburg
has to send her iron two hundred miles
to get to the coal; Birmingham has
both at her doors. Chattanouga's man.
ufactories pay $1.75 per ton for coal [;
Knoxville pays about $1.40, while At
lanta has to stand $3.50 per ton. Bir-
mingham drops the carbon into the fur
naces, shops and foundries at
one dollar per ton, and this is
where she gets her grip on the world.
A dollar per ton for coal just think
how small that sounds. II costs 90
cents to mine Shoddy coal, nearly the
same to mine Coal Greek coal, while the
Pratt and Miner mines bring it to the
light for 45 cents. When a man wants
to put 500, 900 in manufacturing en-
terprise, he considers those expenses
which he knows will be permanent. A
dollar per ton difference in coal is an
item that will be lasting and that must
be considered. ALI these advantages
Birmingham has. In subsequent let
ter I propose to show a few points
about the manufacture of iron and the
figures to be had here as to profits and
over other places.
POINTS.
Birmingham has as fine a system of
waterworks as can be found in the
south. They we're erected and are
owned by the Elyton Land company,
and have daily capacity of 1000, 900
gallons. The cost of the works was
s150,0C0. A system Of hydrants was
located throughout the
city, and property is well protected