The weekly register. [volume] (Point Pleasant, Va. [W. Va.]) 1862-1909, 1890-10-15

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Letter from Alabama. 81
ANNIsToN, Ala,
October 4, 1890.
Ed. REorsTER: After long jour
ney 4 find myself in Alabama. /
EQQla - write of incidents Of
my trip. bnt find myself SO full Of
Aiabama that it will be Impossible,
in the narrow limits of letter, to
speak of aught else. My first inn
preston was, that the State lies well;
very few hills, and good country
homes. Some of the houses are sim
ply elegant. But what shall be
said of its towns? Every few miles
we came to a station from which l
could see stacks Of iron ore await.
ing shipment, or, otherwise, the tall
smoke stacks of a "smclting furn-
ace" in full blast. Everywhere
signs of industry. One thing that
struck me as very peculiar was the
absence of old men. i do not think
j have seen a single man, white or
black, who did not seem intent on
doing sometlling-best known to
himself-and that too, with an air
that convinced me that he knew
just what he wanted to do, and Just
when he had to do it. If amy one
in the North-and / must confess
that i entertained to some extent
the idea-thinks of Alabama as an
abandoned cotton field, he or she, is
grossly in error. Birmingham is
the most business. like place ever
saw in my life-and 1 have seen a
few places. The finest blocks have
been erected in the last two years,
and many more in process of erec-
tion. The caldwell House is the
finest hotel ever saw.
From Birmingham we passed
through beautiful valley. remind
ing mo of some West Virginia sccn-
cry, with the difference that here,
every mile or so, we stopped at u
small vif.age -eestaiaing huge blast
furnaces, all belching forth smoke
and fire. We stopped at one place,
where, from the car windows on my
side, nothing but forest was to be
seen. On the other side was the
most gorgeous pavilion, summer
hotel, park, winding road, and all
the adjuncls of summer resort.
The name of the place ! have for
gotten, but it lies about 40 miles
from this place, and about 20 miles
from Birmingham.
Admission was laid out about the
same time as Huntington, (lS72) l
am informed. tits more compactly
built, very few frame houses, and
no shanties. The streets are now
filled with brick, mortar boxes, lime
barrels. granite, free stone, all sorts
of lumber, iron fronts, and every
variety of building material. Their
industries are, an immense cotton
mill, where your alabama plaids"
are madei thelargest "pipe foundry"
in the Union; the Woodstock Iron
Company have large plant here;
three railroads with their siding,
yard engines, and local employees,
give an air of business to the Cen
tral Depot. There are stores here
that would contain the stock of
every store>room in Point Pleasant
and not be oyer-crowdcd. The bust
ness houses are built in blocks about
200 feet front. Pressed brick of the
native iron-tinged clay, with altern-
ating blocks Of free stone and gran
ite make mp the material: The Rut-
tan Company have their office in tho
Admission Land Co.'S. Building, some
thing finer than anything in West
Virginia. Engineers are. now en-
gagged in constructing an additional
aqueduct from point nine miles
away-4+a natural reservoir of pure
spring water There ire good
works here now, but they think
that a few hundred thousand for
good water is nothing. There is'a
good. fire department here, and
three military companies, daily
newspapers, opera house, gas works,
electric lightand motor, street rail-
way and steam dummy; in short,
everything to be found in the met,
systems, including mount
ed police aud patrol wagons. i'll
had my life to live over, or could 1
now have my way, Alabama would
be my home. / prophesy that in
two decades 1T will surpass any
State in the Union in its iron indus
tries, and equal any New England
State in its cotton spinning faciIi-
ties. Its population is now rapidly
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