Birmingham state herald., 1895-11-06

down there 50 per cent greater than the
 normal furnace practice demanded.
 You say that at the Bessemer Pipe
 works may be seeR two more novelties
 which will probably soon be generaIly
 adopted in southern coke works, namely,
 the washing of coal before coking, and
 the utilization of the coke oven gas. The
 fact is that this coampany does not coke
 one pound of coal thatshas not previously
 been washed, although it Is using 50O0
 tons per day at it's different works In
 Alabama and Tennessee for that purpose.
 We have been washing coal continuously
 since 1879 down to the present date at
 one ,or more of our plants. We have been
 using for the purpose of raising steam,
 drying fire bricks or other purposes coke
 oven gas since 1877. So that there Is no
 shadow of novelty on either the one point
 or the other
 You say that the appearance of the city
 of Birmingham is worse than 1891, when
 rows of stores had the sign ITO rent" in
 their windows, and that the town as
 whole looks as if 1t had not enough
 money to keep itself clean, and that the
 price of land is likely to be much lower
 unless some new industries are brought into the city. All of these statements
 are incorrect and misleading. There are
 not fifteen desirable storehouses vacant in the city. The demand for them IS sucn that rents were advanced on october l. which Is the annual contracting day, on
 
 vailing last year. The price of land has advanced since last April fully 10 per cent on an average, and in some places 70 per cent. Your correspondent may nave struck the city on dusty day, put the water supply is larger and cheaper ana the water purer than that of any other city within 200 miles radius.
 There may not be as much money nefe as your correspondent would desire, for we spend our money very freely down here in new works and promoting pros perity; but there is so much improvement and repair work going on that 1t IS 1m-
 possible to get mechanics to fill the de-
 mand either amongst carpenters, paint
 CTS or house furnishers and decorators
 The hotels are full every night and turn
 ing people away, and the Caldwell house
 is greatly missed and needed It IS
 wholly incorrect that the ruins remain
 untouched since the fire, as stated by
 your correspondent, as force has been
 at work removing them from at least
 portion of the site, and constructing
 there for the past four months new
 sanitarium or medical institute.
 As to the necessity of new industries,
 I will confine myself to saying that the
 price of lumber has advanced; that the
 woodworking establishments in the city are thirty days behind in thelr orders; |;
 that a new cotton mill is now having the machinery erected; that two cotton com
 presses are running here, as against one last winter; that we expect to nandle 75 900 bales this winter as compared with 25, 900 last year; that a knitted hosiery mill has been started during the summer; that there is not one engine and boil CT works in the place Gas suggested by your correspondent to be suggested), but seven or eight, which are working overtime and fully equipped; that the street rail- roads receipts are 50 per cent greater than they were last year; that the only bank which suspended during the panic has since resumed and is enjoying its old time confidence and prosperity; that not one single wholesale merchant failed during the panic; that the production Of both iron and coal Is larger than 1t has ever been in this district since its com mencement, notwithstanding the few idle furnaces on which you comment.
 As am stranger to you, l will ven- ture to say that am the treasurer of the Tennessee Coal, Iron and Railroad com pany and resident of this city, and that the information which I furnish you is accepted as authoritative by the Iron Age ing and Mining Journal, the Chattanooga Tradesman and the Baltimore Manufac- turers' Record, to all of which I am in the habit of furnishing information as and when requested. regret that your correspondent should have drawn so in- accurate picture of this city and one which does 1t such injustice, and would suggest that you cannot expect to en- large your list of subscribers in this city If such an article as the one which have commented upon is to be taken as cri- terion. Yours truly,
 JAMES BOWRON.