The Marietta journal. [volume] (Marietta, Ga.) 1866-1909, 1889-06-13
THE NORTHWEST.
A DELIGHTFUL EXCURSION.
A Few Observations Of q Magnificent
Country.

Ane ScuNIdi OAliIOAu, Win ltB grand 1yAtem OF
railroads AID connections from Savannah to
Birmingham, on to Kansas City, furnished a
special train of two sleepers, day coach and bag
gage ear to the Georgia editors and their ladies,
who, to the number of IS, left Macon on the 2sth
ult., and took in this most delightful excu rsion
The excursion was placed at the service of w.
L. Glessener, of the Americas Recorder, commits
sioner Of immigration of the Central Railroad,
and he proved SO courteous and efficient that he
was presented with gold headed cane by the
Press Association, as a token Of appreciation of
his kindness.
At Birmingham, the "Magc City" of Alabama,
the editors visited the iron mines blast furnaces
steel plants and the city of Bessemer, and we're
struck with establishment at the immensely of the
iron deposits and manufacturing industries of
Birmingham and vicinity. The Sloss blast fur
mace at Ensley is the largest in the South, and
worth four million dollars. 1t has four furnaces
with capacity of turning out 800 tons pig-iron
per day. The process of smelling the crude ores
is very interesting. From the furnace flow in
one direction to the sand beds the red hot metal
forming the pigiron while in another direction is
conveyed the extraneous substance or "slag"
which is sold TO the railroads for ballasting There
are other farnacesef not 50 great magnitude, but
the output of which run from 200 to 400 tons per
day, all the manufacturing industries giving en-
ployment to about Il, 900 to 1900 persons The
salaries paid out to employees amount to twelve
million dollars per annum. One million dollars
turned loose every month in birmingham natur-
ally make trade fiourishing in all departments of
| business and gives Birmingham that substantial
growth that cannot be stayed The city, and the
county of Jefferson, in which Birmingham is To-
Gated, are checked off in complete net work Of
| railroads, crossed and recrossed with railroad
tracks, dummy lines and street cars. Jefferson
county is traversed by the Mineral Railway of 14O
miles, circling the entire county, and running to
and by every furnace and iron mine, now being
operated and developed. Five trunk lines and II
| branch lines, pay tribute to Birmingham's COM
mercial prosperity. The Mineral Railroad it is
| said makes more money in hauling iron, ore ETC.,
thar the whole cotton crop of the South would
pay in freights to other roads. They build rail-
roads so fast there that one has been COM
pletely broken up by having to move his house
four times to give the right of way. Marvellous
fortunes have been made there. A trifing negro
| boy who had been run out from Covington, Ga.
drifted to Birmingham few years ago and went
TO striking in blacksmith shop and saved $40
which he invested in lot out in the woods
Street cars and railroads were built by it, and
soon he was beseiged by purchasers. He refused
to sell and erected little shanty it. The city
| began to build around him and he was finally
offered seventy thousand dollars for his lot The
| thought of so much money bewildered him, and
he said he had no use for it-that somebody
would murder him for it. So he still holds his
valuable lot and continues working in the black
smith shop. Beautiful residences, magnificent
| business houses and placid lakes make a city Of
grand proportions, where sc, 900 people move and
have their being. The Seals Brothers, formerly
os Marietta, are among the live M en- of Birming
ham, and are growing rich.
Another great metropolis of wealth and enter
prise is Memphis, Tenn, the largest and greatest
cotton market in the South, her receipts last year
being $4,000 bales. Here the editors were given
a steamboat ride up and down the Mississippi
river in the morning, and entertained by the
Jockey Club in the afternoon, at Montgomery
Park and club house Memphis is growing in
wealth and trade and enterprises As no bridge
spans the river here, under the glare of electric
! lights our train of cars were pushed on to boat
and transferred to the track on the opposite bank
and we were soon speeding over the Kansas City
Fort Scott and Memphis Railroad, to the bound.
| less west
At Springfield, No, city OF IS 900 inhabitants
the editors were RECALLED not only by the finest
and best prepared breakfast of theentire trip, but
band of music made the welkin ring with
"Dixie" and cordial welcome was extended US
to the "Queen City of the Ozark"
The Ozark mountains, 1900 feet above sea
level gave us the first frost and the chilly all
imbued the editors with spirit of barter and
| Everything out there is named Ozark just as
everything in our section is named "Kennesaw, "
after our famous mountain.
Between Springfield, Mo-, and Kansas City
there opened up to our enraptured vision the
most beautiful agricultural country we ever saw.
The settled and cultivated prairie, dotted with
cottages, while broad and expansive acres, level
far as the eye could penetrate, were covered with
growing, diversified crops grass, clover, wheat
| potatoes, ETC., made a picture that was good to
look upon, while here and there thousands Of
cattle, sheep, horses, and hogs, sleek and fat
were browsing in fields Of luxuriantgrasS and
clover, that would make Georgia farmer grow
envious at the sight. The productiveness of the
/! soil is rich and abundant in yield. There the
people grow rich in raising grass; here people
kill themselves killing grass Cattle and hos
raising are some of the chief products that give
that people substantial prosperity, in furnishing
| the South with wheat and corn. Our western
''smoke house'is capable of meeting every de-
mand we make upon it, while we are negectinl
the cereals and devoting ourselves to cotton) fol
the resources of the west are almost inexhaust
! able.
| Yet we believe that in Georgia, our lands car
be brought up to high state of productivenes
that will give more satisfactory results to oul
people, than the northwest with its billiards,
| cyclones, freshets, bad water, and inhospitablt
and rigorous climate in winter. Here we have
boundless resources of timber, minerals, fruits
flowers, pure, crystal water, equable climate, ant
sunny skies. There it is just to the contrary
River water, half mud and the balance filth il
the decoction furnished to queneh the thirst Oh
cleanse the hands and face. Only when the water
! is filtered and iced can you get decent drink.
Kansas City is marvellous child OF western
pluck, vim and enterprise. No city in the hear
| of the west has made grander and more rapid
strides in growth and population. With numer
| Gus railroads and river transportation, will