The Memphis appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1886-1890, 1886-10-19
SHEFFIELD, ALA.
A FLOURIsHING MANUFACTURE.
ING CENTER WITH A
Great Future-A New Railroad FRO
jected 10 Run via Atlanta 10
harlestOn-SchOOls.
looRRxsPospRScH or THE APrEAL.l

ouired attention, and numerous
trifling difficulties attending the set
Ting down in new home, have pre-
vented your correspondent ION com
plying with promise made the p
PEAL and many personal friencs who
are among its readers to give them
occasionally some account OF what lie
transporting in the new city which is
springing up in this famous valley OF
the Tennessee. Sheffield the Unique
is an appropriate designation, for II is
unique in that it is probably, If not
actually, the Fl at place ia all America
that was selected for apurely CONNER
cial and manufacturing city in which
the streets and avenues were laid
out, the business part planned,
water works designed, residence
let's set tside, pleasure grounds
and manufacturing sites deslg-
mated before there was a house built.
The first attempt to put the new
city on the high road to fortune
brought disappointment to it5 project
ors from unforesee en- and unavoidable
financial dlffiulties, which came upon
The parties who had undertaken TO
build the railroad to connect Sheffield
with the coal and iron fields, and Tor
which the founders of Sheffield were
in NO wi responsible. There is little
evidence that the gentlemen compos-
ing the Sheffield Company have ever
lost confidence in the final magnifi ,ent
success of the place, and it is truth to
say that they have kept pegging away
till even its worst enemies, who were
only 80 through jealousy, have been
compelled TO admit that it is the com
ing town in the Teunt ssee Valley. The
new era in Sheffield tffAirs may be
reckoned from the 10th day OF Au-
gust, 1886, when it was publicly pro.
claimed that Enoch Ensley, A. M.
Shook, Napoleon Hill and others had
taken the contract to build the
Sheffield and Birmingham railroad
and had agreed to build in connection
Herewith hundred ton furnace on
the banks OF the Tennessee at Shelf.
field. These gentlemen, all well
known in the financial world, will
own and operate the railroad and fur
mace when completed, and as a bonus
they get very large amount OF Shelf
field city stock, which, # course, large
ly increases their interest in the sue
cess OF the new city. The stock Id
now quoted in the market at ST. OF.
The new road has been recently
completed to Russellville, about TWEEN
ty miles south, aud daily train leaves
Tuscumbia on schedule time. Within
few days that portion of the road
from the Florence branch to the point
where IL crosseo the Charleston road,
about two and half miles east oil Tus-
cumbia, will be completed, when the
train will leave Sheffield instead Of
u-tumbia.
BY the contract, the forly.five mile
point from the Memphis and Charles
ton road is to be reached by the 2lst
Of June, 1887.
Sheffield is at present reached via
the Florence branch and mile stretch
OF the new road, over which the Flor
ence train comes in twice daily.
The Sheffield Furnace Company, of
which Mr.. Horace Ware, OF Birming-
ham, is president, is putting in fur
mace the estimate dcspacity OF whic h is
125 to 100 tons per day. The excava-
ton is all ready and the contractor for
the foundation is going forward with
the work. The machinery is to be
placed in position and perfected by
]. P. Witherow, OF PittshuIg, who has
made fne reputation ss practical
furnace builder and iron expert, A
railroad switch nearly mile long has
been built to connect the furnace site
with the main line. Thus IL will be
seen that two furnaces are assured, the
daily output Of which will be largely
over 200 tons.
About $4,000 in stock have been
subscr. bed to build the Shelf.
field and Tuscumbia street rail
way, an amount considerably
in excess Of the sum necessary to
build and equip line to connect the
two places. Mr.. Mcmillan, of At
lantp, seems to he the chief mover in
this enterprise, though the stock has
been pretty well distributed and all
have confidence in the eventual fnap-
cial success OF the Investment.
An application hiss bseu made for a
site on which to build a fifteen ton ice
fac DRY, to bs ready for business next
season. This and all other sites for
manufacturing purposes will be do
mated by the Sheffield company. The
came liberality is extended to church
sites.
| At recent public meeting in At
lanta a committee was appointed to
secure the charter and take the initial
steps for building O railroad to be
called the Atlanta, Mississippi and
Atlantic railroad, which is TO run
from Sheffield via Atlanta to Charles
ton, Savannah or Brunswick. The
names OF this committee imply that
there is reality in the movement.
They are +. p. Howard, H. l. Inman,
Joel Hurt, II. b. Tompkins, II. w,
Grady, Geo. W. Scott and II. L. W.
Palmer.
Among the things which help to
give an air of property to the place
may be noticed the Eureka Planning
Mills and Brick Works, where fine
pressed bricks are made; the Sheffield
Manufacturing Company, for making
sash, doors, blinds, etc. the Sheffield
Contracting Company and Brick
NhiAo ahN NNlA AVpb bhAOo hNh
brick hotel.
We have steam wat works, with q
capacity sufficient TO supply city Of
several thousand inhabitants.
A public fres school is in successful
operation with thiriy-eight pupils in
attendance. The school building is q
marvel of its kind--,he work OF an
architect who knew his busines7-and
supplied with the "Single Triumph
Study Desk" together with globes
maps, charts, forms and solids AND
other modern appliances. The school
house and grounds belong to the Shelf
field Company, but the school occu
pies II free of rent. The litersry de-
partment is in charge Of ]. M, Hub
bard, Of Bolivar, Tenn, and that o
music in charge OF Miss Mary Il
Coon, of WATERFOWL, N. Y who pos
sesses first class capabilities as &
. teacher, snd is also fine vocalist, The
, people take great interest in the sue
cess OF the schoo', which is making