Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1888-05-18


the Post once Department.
Especial Correspondence
WASHINGTON, May 10 understand
that Maj. f. A. Burke, of The New Or
leans Times Democrat, has made a new
strike. Early last year he secured control
of a large tract of thiclIly timbered lands
near Birmingham, Ala, and organized
syndicate to buy it. He laid out town,
and on April ~, 1887 held his first auc
ton sale of lots The only house on the
place was little frame hut, which served
as his office, and the streets which had
been cut through the woods were filled
with fallen timber Nevertheless, the
sale Of lots of that day realized $3.50, 600
The town was then called Bessemer, and
this money was used in part to improve
1t. The big hotel that Maj Burke had
constructed adjoining the exposition
grounds at New Orleans, and which had
cost him an enormous sum of money was
taken down, moved to this town and re-
constructed on an elaborate scale. Two
other big hotels were built, blocks of
brick buildings were put up, iron furnaces
we're constructed, and at the present time
the amount invested in furnaces and roll
ing mills is 81, 200, 900. The town is in the
best iron region of the Birmingham dis
trict, four railroads have been surveyed
into the city, and three of these run trains
regularly. The town has now $50 brick
buildings, and it Is within five miles of
coal and near to limestone. Mai. Burke's
land has jumped from nothing to fabulous
prices. and it is said that he can sit down,
fold his arms and within a few years he
will be worth S10,000,000
~
Mai Burke s career reads like romance,
and he has had as many ups and downs as
any man in the country. He is a tall,
thin, handsome man, about so years of
age, well educated in the school of active
life, and full of energy. When the war
broke out he was working on a railroad in
Texas and one of his first enterprises was
wagon factory which he established
there. He failed at this and after the
war was over went to New Orleans, and
here he first worked as a stone cutter in a
marble yard. He soon went back to rail
reading, and after short time became the
general freight agent of the jackson rail
road. He was member of the volunteer
FIRE department, and it was through this
that he stepped into politics. He has
been a number of times state treasurer
and state tax collector, and in the various
national conventions he has taken promi-
nent part. He was at the head of the
buui9idiii N'l'S"ulOit az lhe C"HN elluIOh
which nominated Gen. Hancock, and he
was strong supporter of Cleveland at
Chicago, 1t is now eight years ago since
he bought The New Orleans Democrat,
ana he a1terward purchased The New
Orleans Times, and made The Times
Democrat the best paper of the Gulf states
He has run northern paper in a southern
hty, and he has brought the same brains
INTO it that he used in business.
~
1t was Maj. Eurle who organized the
New Orleans exposition, and who made it
success III every way but financially
lie worked night and day at this, and
lost, am told, nearly fortune i'll it. He
was bound to have good exposition if
he didn't have fortune and he had it.
Maj. Burke lives very nice y i'll New Or
Ieans. lie has beautiful house, built
after the fashionable style of architecture
Of that city, on one of the best streets,
and its large parlors are elegantly fur