Birmingham state herald., 1897-02-04

coaches and taken to slope No. 1, Pratt Mines. The mysteries of mother earth were, in part revealed to anxious eyes through a trip into the opening of the slope
 Necessarily the stops were of short duration, and the train proceeded to the
 nearest complete furnace plant in the district-Thomas furnaces. A wait of | only few minutes ensued until the par | ty proceeded through North Birmingham and Boyles to Dolcito rock quarries. Af- | ter continual tour of furnace plants, | this served as somewhat of diversity to | the visitors and excited quite an amount | of curiosity. A lengthy stay was made at | the quarries, after which the train re- | turned to Birmingham at SIS D. m. | A most enjoyable trip was had and the | ladies expressed an unusual interest in | all industries visited. The ladies, may God bless them, formed | an important part of the party, and en- l livened the party by their sweet presence. l After supper at the Morris a reception l and banquet was held in the Commercial | club rooms.
 AT THE COMMERCIAL CLUB. | The reception rooms of the Conner | cial club were filled last night at the 1 public reception accorded the rivers and | harbors committee. Representative cit i izens in all walks of life were present | to lend aid to the project of slack water | naviga tion for Birmingham and this dis. 1 trict.
 | President M V. Joseph, of the Commer- I cial club, presided with grace and dignity, | In his opening remarks and speech or in- | troduction President Joseph spoke as fol- | lows:
 | Ladies and Gentlemen.
 l The occasion is of great moment to | Birmingham. It is related that Regulus
 while urging the conquest of Carthage,
 shook from his garments some samples
 of the gifts which nature had so bounti-
 fully bestowed upon that country, as an | incentive to his fellow citizens to per | severe in the subjugation of that Kingdom l whose riches would then be Romes.
 The natural wealth of the east was the | incentive to the exploits and expeditions | which resulted in the discovery of this | couutry; the natural wealth of any coun-
 try is the pusher-on of it's fortunes. We | have as our guests officially on this hap | py occasion gentlemen who are the ex- | ponents of the commercial Sagacfty and judgment of the house of representatives | of the United States, and who are also
 members of the important committee on | rivers and harborS
 Through this committee we hope to | come in touch with the great American | house of commons, whereby each member
 thereof may be made to feel the import | ance of the project we have in hand to | release to the world the Imprisoned | wealth. of this district, by means of wa | ter communication with natures high | ways. But 1 am intruding on the pre-
 serves of other appointees. But there l are none who cannot from this suggestion i appreciate the importance of this occa- l sion.
 Assuring you gentlemen of the com
 mittee, of the lively appreciation the | Birmingham Commercial club entertains 1 of your presence, have the honor to in | troduce Hon. F. V. Evans, mayor of Bir- | mingham who will on behalf of the city l of Birmingham extend her welcome to l you.
 Mayor Evans followed the president | and welcomed the delegation to our
 midst, as follows: | ADDRESS OF WELCOME.
 Ladies and Gentlemen:
 l If we have today opened your eyes to the natural wealth surrounding our beau- | tiful young city; if we have demonstrat- | ed to you that nature has stored away
 in these hills and mountains substances
 inviting to the strong arm of industry | and energy, and to the quickening inn | pulse of capital, we ask no higher en- | dowment at your hands than that you | report the story of your observations | and chant with us praises to the Most | High that God has so wonderfully bless | ed this people and those who come to | dwell amcHg us.
 | We welcome you here as representative | Americans who love all America-citi- zens not strangers in our midst. We | welcome you to city which less than | a decade ago was wrapped in her swad- 1 ding clothes, now boasting a population 1 of more than 50,000 souls. A city not fin- | ished, not matured. but strong and rich
 in the greatness of her possibilities. We | welcome you to the home of a people who | ever hail with delight the coming into | their midst of men and women who ap- | preciate anything and everything that | speaks of possibilities for present and | future American greatness. | True this is a city ct smoke from the l stacks of an hundred industries, yet | city of sunshine in a lAnd of fruits and | flowers; city of schools and churches | a city of culture and reltnement-a typi- | cal American city.
 We beg that you make yourselves at
 home with us and earnestly trust that | when you leave us you will carry with l you pleasing ren'smbrances of your brief
 stay in this. the greatest city of the | Great New South.
 l Again we bid you welcome. l President Joseph, in introducing MT. 1 Bowron, said:
 In my opening remarks I used the | phrase Imprisoned wealth" of the dis | trict, and I may say I used 1t advisedly, | for the common phrase hidden wealth. | is not befitting; the natural wealth of the | district being but too apparent and dis coverable to admit of the use of term l carrying any element of uncertainty or | speculation. To more effectually release | our imprisoned, inexhaustable stores of | wealth, some cheap and inexpensive
 means of transportation must be provid- l cu. NIO cdn DSSt present. the necessity
 for an outlet to the tide-water for the l transporations of the heavy products of Jefferson county than MT. James Bowron | treasurer of the Tennessee Coal, Iron and l Railroad company, the gentleman whom
 I now have the pleasure to introduce. 1 MIR. BOWRON.
 | In his remarks, MT. James Bowron, the | speaker of the evening, made an eloquent | plea for slack water navigation He | showed wherein Birmingham had been | md c nf fifler xxrffh ] product of pig iron. With an adequate | open waterway to the gulf the advance 1 ment of Birmingham would be incompre- l hensible.
 | CONGRESSMAN HOOKER. | Chairman Hooker, of the rivers and l harbors committee, was called and made | an eloquent and timely speech upon the | relation of the different sections of the republic to each other Although this | district, with it's waterways, would rival l Pappcvlyc mia the peop1a of that state