Birmingham state herald. (Birmingham, Ala.) 1895-1897, 1897-07-23
BIRM|NGHAM'S GREAT DAY
Passed and Gone Is the Good
Old Iron Age, and
NOW COMES AGE OF STEEL
First 3 : Yesterday Afternoon Unqua'dsdIy
: Successful.
MAJ SpRoMNENT CITIZENS WENT OUT
a SSaw the Steel as 1t Came From the
Cupola Into the Mold-'ris
True Advance Guard
: of Prosperity.
NOW COMES AGE OF STEEL
3 Yesterday Afternoon Urqua.ifadIy
Successful.
SPRoMlNENT CITIZENS WENT OUT

Steel pure- and as good as ever run
from cupalo into a mold, was made in
! Birmingham yesteld day afternoon.
The iron age has passed and The long
looked for age of steel las come.
| The chrysalls has cpertd and from its
| hidden interior has come forth the but
llarfy of prosperity, is wings golden
hued and it's life sufficiently strong to
| last for unheard of ages.
| Magic was The name long ago given 70
| Birmingham wh-n but a poor, worn out
| farm it sprang inao existence. Ccal, iron
ore, and limestone, .he lhree component
paris of iron, were found within rife Shot,
as it were, of Birmingham present c n
ter, and as 9oon as tlae word heard of
| it capital ficcked here from every quar-
| ter of the globe.
In a naghl, as it were Birmingham was
| build;d on paper. This capitalists came
| saw, and were conquered by the peerless
| mineral deposits actually bursting forth
| from the mountain sides and peeping OUT
| from the bosom of the earth.
Th9 old worn out farm was laid off
into streets and avenues, ehe blocks cut
up into lols, and then came the boom.
For time The land agents and specula-
tors made fortunes Magnificent buildings
arose on all sides, furnaces went up here
and there at available places and Bir-
mingham became Lhe worlds rival in
iron making. Many skeptic6 predicted
that the bubble would soon burs. and
Birming ham, like Cahaba, the one-time
capital and pride of the state, would
crumble into dust, her furnaces decay
with rust and Dihe people alter no the
four winds of the earth.
Partially this phophscy was verified,
but only an infinitessimal portion of It,
The bubble bunsted, but not until lands
In the business center reached lhe fabu-
lous price of $3.50 and s1,5OO per front
| foot. Many men who made fortunes lost
| them, but JhCsis who were cautious and
had faith in the Magic City held on with
| bulldog tenacity, and their faith has been
rewarded.
| After short era of Inactivity and pros
| tration the city again raised it's droop-
| Ing head and, Phoenix like, has sprung
| into a newer and better life-a life which
will grow stronger with age and soon
again the capital of the world will be
knocking at the outer gates for admis-
sion.
ONE WHO HAD FAITH.
The age of iron has outlived itself and
the age for which all were looking has
arrived. Among the many industries
which came to Birmingham in her prim-
eval days was the Birmingham Rolling
Mill company. In July, 1880, the plant
started with capital stock of $25O,000.
After the experimental stage had been
passed, the plant began active operations
and has been employing hundreds of men
almost constantly ever since. For long
time the tonnage of the plant was 1000
to 5000 tons per annum. Now the capital
stock has reached the handsome sum of
100000 and the tonnage is from $4,000
to 1000 tons per annum. The plant uses
250 tons of coal and 200 tons of pig daily
and the force of hands on the pay roll
numbers 1900, with a monthly stipend of
from $35 900 to $4,000.
The company long years ago, when
having the plant erected, foresaw a new
III.
and the machinery placed in the works
was made to meet the looked for change.
Four years ago the steel question was
agitated. Up to that time the steel ingots
| used in the mill had been purchased from
| northern and western manufacturers and
| even today can be found this article on
| the grounds of the plant.
THE INITIAL STEPS.
When the Henderson steel works
turned out their products at North Bir-
mingham, the Birmingham Rolling Mill
company, feeling a deep interest in the
welfare of the city, secured and used
them. The ever alert president and SUI
perntendent of the company saw the
Age of Steel not far away and in
short time President Caldwell and Super
intendent Dwyer went to Pittsburg, Du-
Quesue Chicago and other steel making
cities and made a careful and thorough
investigation. They became convinced
| that Birmingham was destined to be-
| come the steer center d1lu 50 lIOiodS my
| imbued were they with this conviction
| that the directors of the company were
| called together and the matter DIS
cussed.
''steel must be made in Birmingham"
| was the unanimous decision, and barely
four months ago the State Herald an
nounced to its readers that steel plant
would be erected here and that within six
months steel would be made.
The most capable artisans were Sc cured,
f1,a machinery nllrchaSfd
and soon the mill was completed On
June 7 the fires We're lighted to dry out
The interior of the cupola, and yesterday
charge was put in. 1t was l o'clock in
the afternoon and soon the furnace was
heated to 5000 degrees Fahrenheit. AT
G o. clock the run was made and
PURE STEEL
was produced from Alabama iron, made
not 300 yards from the steel mill.
The occasion was gala one, for hum
dreds of Birminghams most repres nta-
tive citizens had gathered to witness the
run. which was destined to prove an era
in the history of the Magic City. When
the experts pronounced their verdict Of
SUCCESS there was great rejoicing and an
old-fashioned hand shaking. 1t was a
time for rejoicing for those who were
present were made to realize that their
faith In Birmingham was soon to be r.
warded.
The most gratifying fact to those pres
ent was the fact that the steel was made
from
ALABAMA IRON,
the pigs being low silicon products of the
Alice furnaces, a plant belonging to the
Tennessee Coal, Iron and Railway com
pany, which is situated in hailing dis
tance of the cupolas. The component
parts were 65 per cent. low silicon iron
and S5 per cent. scraps.
superintendent Dwycr. after the run.
was seen, by Stat- Herald repouer and
nfter hearty hand shake, rema rked that
his dearest hopes had been rea allied. Ev-