The age-herald., 1899-07-23
36 FURNACES IN STATE
 AND T ARE IN BLAST
ALL FOR NM. j.. BRYAN
 AND CHICAGO PLATFORM

 that state to Ensley. making the fifth fur mace there-the largest plant in the world.
 Raw material is plentiful, and no trouble Is anticipated in that direction, but the large exportation of negroes to Kansas and Illinois, now going on, 1t is feared, will have some momentary effect, but this diff feulty Is readily offset by the large labor res ources in adjacent sections which can be quickly trained to take the places of those leaving This is done not without great inconvenience however.
 Some improvement has been felt of late in the export business. There has been no appreciable increase in the quantity of coke produced. This district easily makes more coke than any other section of the south. It is the same with the cast iron pipe production. Anniston and Bessemer placing the Birmingham district easily in the lead and arrangements are being made to increase the plants. The export trade in cast iron pipe has come to be d considera- ble feature of that business.
 Miners of steam coal believe that that article is not selling as high as the demands seem to warrant, and the profits are conse- quently less because of the forced increase of miners wages, in sympathy with those granted by the iron companies.
 "The manufacture of steel in large quan- titles will be commenced not later than October, and it is the opinion that it will mark a new era in the iron business of this district. The first output has already been sold to Pittsburg parties
 "With practically unlimited quantities of coal. iron, lime, dolomite. etc, all so close together. with cheap labor and with in- creasing business, the future of BirminS- ham is one of undeniable strength, as a factor in the iron world. and is bound 10 make its importance felt in other markets of the same products
 Natural gas was discovered in the heart of Birmingham last week. and If 1t proves to be a permanent flow. it will prove a big drawing card for new capital and energy.
 Good Word for Birmingham
 The following special dispatch to the St Louis Republic from New York gives the very f1atterng and very optimistic views Of one of St. Louis most prominent mahu- factuers in regard to Birmingham pres ent prosperity:
 Next to St. Louis" said MT. George J. Kobusch at the Imperial today, "the most prosperous city in the country is probaol Birmingham Ala, and it would not sur prise me to see a great deal Of our sur plus capital go there'
 MT Kobusch is the president of the St Louis Car company and member-elect of the board of election commissioners of that city. He is d successful business man ana is not restricted in his views of the future. MT. Kobusch sees rich opportunities Tor American enterprise in Russia, but, get ting closer home, he says the boom in Blr-
 
 has come to stay.
 I've know what the situation is in St. Lous," he added, but in Birmingham la bor is even scarcer My company adYer- tied for men in every newspaper in St. Louis for two days in succession. We needed 450 mon and got but forty. In Bir- mingham everybody is employed in the same manner, and the town is enjoying the full measure of prosperity Iron properties abandoned after the panic of 1893 have been reclaimed and new mills are being erected. In addition to scattering enterprises rep resenting an outlay of ,000, the Ten nessee Coal and Iron company is erecting a plant to cost $60000c0, which will give employment to 6500 men. Wages have nat urally been affected and have advanced from 10 to 30 per cent. The operating com~ panies cannot furnish houses for their men, and 1t was a funny sight, when l visited the city recently, to see nearly 1,OOO peTsons-mil men and their families camped out in tents, awaiting the construc- tion of frame houses. Most of the iron companies have orders ahead and the boom has a permanent appearance"