The age-herald., 1898-07-28
THEY PAID THEIR
 OWN EXPENSES
The Illinois Steel People May Yet
 Build Wire Mill Here.
THEY CAME, SAW AND LEFT
To Meet Again in the Near Future Colonel A. M. Shook Makes a Statement About the Negotiations Be-
 tween the Two Parties.

The story of the coming and the going of the Illinois Steel company magnates in yesterdays Age-Herald seems to have left some people under the impression that
 the magnates might become offended at its semi-humorous features of being wined and dined.
 Colonel A. M. Shook of the Tennessee | Coal Iron and Railroad company and of | the new steel mill plant. in discussing the | matter last night made the following | statement
 'I want to say word about an un- | fortunate account in The Age-Herald this | morning." said Colonel Shook, with reference to the distinguished visitors who were here two days ago looking into the
 mineral resources of this district. "As a matter of fact these gentlemen came here at their own expense, provided their own transportation and furnished their own supplies of every character and were not wined and dined by the people of Birmingham or by any of the Tennes- see companay's people. But on the con trary those who were fortunate enough to accompany them on their trip around this district were practically their guests.
 With reference to the object of their visit it is but justice to them to say that as long as there was any probability or our steel mill being erected here MT. John w. Gates, president of the Illinois Steel company, and managing director or the American Wire Rod company, was Tn COIL stant communication with President Bax- ter, of the Tennessee company, with reier- ence to the establishment of a big steei mill here for manufacturing wire rods.
 ''Negotiations were necessarily delayed on account of the long time required to arrange the organization of our steel plant in New York.
 'The day that it was an assured fact the steel plant would be built here MT. Coates and one or two other interested members met President Baxter in New York ana began negotiations for the possible erec- tion of a steel rod mill in this city in con- nection with our steel mill.
 After almost an entire day had been spent discussing the matter without arrlv- ing at any definite agreement, 1t was ml,- tualy decided that the meeting should ad- iourn to meet here on last Monday, MT. Coates agreeing to bring a number or in- terested parties with hiLss
 "Upon their arrival here Monday morns ing the negotiations were aCain resumeo and a large part of the day wa consumed in the discussion of many questions at were pertinent and necessary to settle b..7 fore actual negotiations could be said to have really begun. This was kept up dur ing almost the entire day, and the party being compelled to leave IOT thoS night, it was agreed that all discussion should be suspended for the present, the understanding being that it should be call- ed up again by either party some time in the near future. either in Birmingham, Chicago or New York.
 "We regret exceedingly that the impress sion should have gone out either that the parties were the objects of our charity or of the city's charity, or that there was any abrupt termination of their visit here"