Morris tribune., 1889-07-03
The Story of a Boom.

The Story of q Boom.
In 1871 there was an old worn out field
in the central part of Alabama. 1t had
been both corn field and cotton field al
ternately, and was not much good for
either. The ground was broken into
ridges and was difficult to cultivate In
digging and blowing up the ground
vein of very hard. dark metallic sub
stance had been noticed. Somebody said
1t was iron ore, but no particular atten-
ton had been paid to it. n few more
years passed over the shabby, neglected
field. In 1877 Col. Sloss saw a man dig
ging hole in the mountain side near the
old field. The digger threw out Jumps
Of coal with the clay. An idea struck
Col. Sloss. May be there was coal
mine worth something here. In 1879
Henry de Bardlaben visited the neigh
borhood of the old cotton field. The ex-
istence of both coal and iron were known
now. Providence had put the two to-
gether on purpose for the convenience
Of man. Sloss just escaped being dead
broke" and Bardlaben was a clerk at
very small wages, But the two joined
hands and bought on credit large tracts
Of the new mineral lands.
Today the city of Birmingham, Ala,
stands upon the old cotton farm. Bir-
nhngham has 1900 inhabitants, all
since 1879. All about the city are rich
mines. They produce every day nearly
$4,000 tons of coal, $500 tons of iron ore
and 1900 tons of limestone There are
1900 coking ovens, sruoldering night
and day. Every day $500 tons of pig
iron and 200 tons Of finished iron are
turned out Of the great furnaces and
rolling mills that fill the landscape with
smoke by day and with 4 red glow by
night
Henry Bardlaben is today worth So
100000, amassed in less than nine years.
Col. Sloss is worth s. O0O, OO0. One lot in
the old cotton field has been sold for S110,-
900, another for ST 900. Eight hundred
dollars foot is no very uncommon price.
One man went to Birmingham with
nothing six years ago, and now has
81 500 900. \ drummer from Cincinnati
visited the charmed spot in 1880 and be-
came a bookkeeper. He is now worth
$500, 900. A crippled Confederate soldier
started a barroom in Birmingham in
1881. His figures now round up $780,
900.
A druggist from Greenville went to
Birmingham thirteen years ago and be-
came president of land company He
now owns property worth 81, 100000. \
Mr. Pinckard, who is only 80 years old,
made half million dollars in three
years. Nearly all these men are south
erners. There are many others who have
done quite as well, ex-Congressman
Cummings, who tells the story in the
New York Sun, says. Birmingham has
almost paralleled the early days of Cali
fornia In growth and wealth. Iron is as
great magician as gold The list of
wage earners here is 5000, and & million
and half of silver dollars are paid to
them every month. There is now strong
talk of great trust to unite and control
all the iron industries at Birmingham.
It will then become the center of the
most powerful iron combination in the
world
So, amid orchards and gardens and
lakes, with her great trip hammers lit
orally keeping time to the music of mock
ing birds, Birmingham grows mighty
and rich.
The last Methodist general conference
established an order of deaconesses. It
Is a religious sisterhood who live in
homes something on the plan of con-
vent, and spend their time in works of
charity and mercy. Two years proba-
ton and training are required before the
candidate is received into the full fell
lowship of deaconesses. No candidate
Is accepted who is less than % years old.
It is rather taken for granted that one
entering the sisterhood will spend her
life in the appointed work, though no
VOWS of celibacy are taken. A home has
been established in New York, where
the women receive the necessary pre-
liminary instruction. There are already
deaconesses' homes in most of the larger
cifiea If the Union