The Arkansaw traveler., 1889-05-04
ALABAMA.
Three Prosperous Towns in the Rich
 Mineral Belt of the South.
Annieton.

Nearly O tmOu@Anu Keek ADOFe the ieN0l Oh the sea, on A1Ovely plateau in northeast Ala bama, fringod around with picturesque spurs of the Blue Ridge mountains, Is situated the city of Anniston.
 Anniston is today one of the most remark able industrial centers m not only the south, but in the world. It is remarkable, because here nature has been SO unstinted in her innu- ence, having provided a superior location for a model city, the beauty of whose environ. ments is at once appreciated by the visitor; having surrounded 1t with stores of mineral wealth which cannot be computed; having endowed it with A climate both even-tem- pered and genial, and having supplied it with pure, invigorating air and sparkling. health giving water. It is remarkable because where but few years ago existed only handful of people is today a beautiful city of l2 OOO in habitants.
 The metamorphosis is complete.
 Where the heecy staple nourished not dozen years ago are now broad avenues and handsome streets, with macadAmized drive ways of furnace slag. famous for their solid ity and durability elegant and imposing rows of buildings and handsome business blocks; picturesque resIdences; mum bers of houses of worship. some gems of the architects art. oth- CTS less imposing; public schools and higher 
 and an embclli shment to the city elegant hos telries, including the famous Inn wide met ropolitan sidewalks. an adequate sewerage system, water works, gas and electric lights, network of telephone wires with ther cen tral station, street railway, horse cars, three daily and three weekly newspapers, magnih- cent opera house, and every other similar ad- junct to Dc expected in 6 wide-awake, thor oughly progressive American city. There is no town in the south that has so brilliant an industrial future. Every element which con stitutes the component parts of successful iron making and the transformation of the pig into thousands of shapes, Is here present in all the lavishness that fancy could picture. Thirty thousand acres Of ineXhaustible coal lands. twenty thousand acres of red and brown hematite iron ore properties, together with similar supply of limestone and thou. sands of acres of heavily timbered lands. places Anniston in position to defy the world in the making of superior quality of iron at a lower cost than inferior grades can be manufactured elsewhere. The heavy mug gets of ore are eVeryw here present to give a hint of the larger deposits but few feet be. meath the surface.
 The city is founded literally upon an iron ore bed, and in the excavation of streets enough valuable ore is found to defrAy the cost of the improv vement.
 LEADING INDUSTRIES.
 The richness and the cheapness of her iron has already made the Anniston district the site of seven charcoal fur nAces with annual capacity of 100000 tons of car-wheel iron, and two coke iron furnaces with a daily capacity of 100 tons each are now being completed and which will produce 100000 tons per annum. The latter plant will supply the material for an iron pipe works with a daily capacity of 200 tons of finished pipe, and which establish ment has the distinction of being the largest pipe foundry in the world. In addition to these large concerns, there are extensive car wheel works, two large foundries, car-axle forge. and big rolling mill. which. with a mammoth woodworking department, com prises the largest car plant in th!s country, having a capacity of twenty five complete cars per day, and giving employment to over 1000 hands. Among the other industrial con- cerns are the only steel bloomary in the south. foundres, machine shops. boiler and sheet iron works. Among other iron manu- featuring establishments now in the process of erection soon to Dc built, Is an extensive horseshoe works employing $SOO.OOO capital and a $5O.OOO stove works. Other industrial enterprises are: cotton factory, one of the largest in the south; cotton compress, exten sive Are brick and terra a-cotta works, plain and ornamental brick works, two large ice factories, blaming mills, grist mills. sash. door and blinds factory. carriage and wagon works, and numerous smaller enterprises such as cigar, shoe and cardy factories. bottling works, steam and Chinese laundries, saddle, harueaH and mattreaa fnetoriea