The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1883-02-19
FROM THE SOUTHLAND.
MIR. cAMpeELL's FIRST LETTER.
al. obsrra,le.. Ia tn. ll.s.n. Iron Regions.
Ths Changes that have Occurred There iat the
Pa,t Few Ysars-Whst the woOduards /.
ofWhssllsE Have Already Done.

I reached here on the evening OF the Sd,
stopping all night at Chattanooga en- route.
The distance Is about 796 miles-yiz, 250
miles from Wheeling to Cincinnati, SS6
miles from Cincinnati to Chattanooga and
143 miles from Chattanooga to Birming.
ham. The distance has been greatly
shortened since my first visit here this
month fourteen years ago in company with
the lates H. Woodward, ESD, who at that
time began making the purchases in this
then comparatively unknown mineral re-
81 IN which hissons are successfully develop
ingt,dy. Then we wetraveled from Clncin.
natl TO Louisville by the mail boat, and were
compelled to 60 from Louisville to Nash
Vile aud from the latter pace to Chatta.
nooga by.rail; and after reaching Chatta.
nooga we had TO go down to the Atlanta
road as far as Kingston and there branch
of to Rome, Ga, and thence down the
Selma road to Shelby Springs, and from
there across country on horseback to the
site Of the present town or city from whence
| write.
All this modus operandi OF getting here
has been changed by the building Of the
Cincinnati Southern road to Chattanooga,
which cuts of one side Of the former til.
angle via Nashville and follows its hypoth-
enuse almost due south from Cincinnati to
Chattanooga. From the latter place the
route is southwest over the alabama
Great Southern" road Just commencing
at the time refer to, and now completed
to Meridian, Miss, distance Of 295 miles
from Chattanooga.
In 1869, when was here, the village OF
Elytown was the county seat OF Jefferson,
and there was not 30 much as house, un-
less perchance the farm house and cabins
Of some planter, to indicate the springing
into existence OF the present large and
fiourishing town Of Birmingham. But,
presto! What change the touch Of the
mineral wand has made. Little Elytown
Is no longer the county seat, but is mere
suburb OF Birmingham, and some day will
be part Of It's incorporated limits.
Not only has the Alabama d Great South
ern road been built since then, but also
the North and South road, a line that starts
at Decatur, Ala, on the Memphis & Charles
ton road, and runs via this place, to Mont
gomery, in the southeast, the Capital Of the
State.
The problem fourteen years ago was as
to where these two roads would cross. It was
a matter OF decided interest to my old
friend Woodward as an investor In this re-
gion. He reconnoitered the ground as
carefully as possible with Major Tom Peters,
an ex. Confederate officer OF General Folks
staff, who was our pilot from Shelby
Springs over here, and WHO at that time
seemed TO be the only native down this way
who had anything Ikea conception Of the
probable future importance OF the mineral
deposits OF the so.called Jones Valley re-
pion. At the time Of our visit he had in
duced Daniel Hillman, the famous iron
man OF Tennesse, and President Sam TAFT,
OF the Mississippi Central Railroad, to meet
him here, and we all lodged together in an
upper room inDrSmith's house in Elytown,
where night after night, around q blazing
fire OF yellow pine faggots, the situation
present and prospective. was discussed. 1t
was the concurrent opinion that the project
iected roads would cross at Grace'S Gap,
some four miles southeast from here, and
Mr.. Woodward began his purchases in that
vicinity. Subsequent speculative induce.
ments, however, fixed the crossing here at
Birmingham, and here the city has grown
up to its present proportions. 1t claims l0,-
900 Inhabitants and perhaps has from 5000
to 5000. II strikes the visitor as new
Western town rather than as Southern
community. Or rather it would so strike
him but for the presence OF 80 many
negroes and the unmistakable Southern
dialect OF 80 many OF the whites. The city
"a as yeta very crude city, especially when
| 1t rains, as It often does here at this season,
and you are compelled to cross the un.
paved streets In the mud. The two leading
hotels are really nothing more than wooden
shanties, and contribute essentially to
dampen anything like favorable tirst im.
preston, although ! am bound to say for
the one wherein have lodged for week
(the Nixon House) that l have been com.
lortably provided for at the reasonable
price OF two dollars per day. Let US speak
well OF the bridge that carries Us safe over
even the chasm OF a week in our lives.
rHEaINERAL WEALTH AROUND BIRatNdHAM.
Some months ago read in the Spring
field, Mass, Republican an editorial on the
iron situation in the United States that
was very suggestive as regards this region.
II inyeighed against what 1t characterized
as the folly OF high protective duties on pig
iron merely to keep alive unfavorably-
situated furnaces in Pennsylvania, New
Jersey. and other States North, when there
was a region In the South where iron could
be made as cheap as In England. It con.
tended that the normal price Of iron should
be allowed to find Its true level in this
country by scaling down the tariff to the
plane Of the natural resources OF Virginia,
Tennessee and Alabama, instead OF jack
screwing the plane up to the requirements
OF invested capital in the North, where
furnaces represented only changed centre
OF population and accumulated capital.
Give us the Virginia, Tennessee and Ala:
bama level, said the Republican.
What the true iron level Is here as re.
CARDS the country in general haye not the
data at hand to say, but It's plain enough
that, taking the present prices OF ore at
Cleveland % basis, iron can be produced
here easily enough at s. per ton less than
at Pittsburgh or Wheeling. In conversa-
ton with Mr.. Hillman, Of the Alice furnace
here. who is son OF Daniel Hillman. OF
Tennessee, he told me that their last ex.
hibit showed a cost OF $l2 4S for iron for
which they were getting SIG % per ton on
hoard the cars. 1nasmuch as Mr.. Hillman
IA a yery conservative man, and inasmuch
as he hid Just returned from convention
Of iron masters at Calera, over on the
other road, where they met 70 protest and
memoralize against any change IN the
tariH; and further, inasmuch as he eEr
pressed himself in deprecatory terms In 70,
gard to statement Just made. public by
Mr.. D B. Miller, Of the Eureka furnace, at
oxmoor, near here, in which he said that that
instead Of buying II, az most OF them do,
they could make their iron at 30 and SIC
Der ton, inferred that his figures were re-
liable as TO the outside cost. ...Ht
THE WOODWARD FURNACE.
Many Of your readers will be especially
L = a -. - L. Il.