Virginian-pilot. (Norfolk, Va.) 1898-1911, 1899-01-01
Railroad Magnates Talk En-
couragingly for New Year.
IRON INDUSTRY FAIR INDEX
Furnaces or tho South Running Fun
Capacity-Largo Amounts of Cnp-
isal Invested In tho Industry nj
versthed Farming ia Praa,abie
Says Comm Missioner BIornbcck-
i. Economic Conditions Good.

bdltimore, Nd, december 30.-One of
the best indications of the economic
the railroad situation. The showing
made by the railroads of the South
during the past year is most encour-
aging for 1898 has been notable for the
construction of new railroads there,
nearly every State having q record of
considerable new mileage of standard
guage. the aggregate in the South rep
resenting fully 1895 miles. Contracts
have been let. moreover. or construc-
ton is under way of other railroads to
an equal extent, If not greater than
that of 1898. These facts. significant
though they be, are intensified by the
results OF observations of men close to
the everyday. operations OF the roads.
"A short while since the Manufacture
ers' Record addressed letters to presi-
dents, passenger and freight agents
and others closely identified with the
details of railroad work and eminently
qualified to express Judgment upon the
manifestations, In reply n number of
letters have been received. and eX-
THE IRON INDUSTRY.
w. w. Finley, second vice president
Southern Railway Company, Wash
ngton. d. c.:
THE iron industry is generally con-
its decline business becomes slack;
with it's prosperity all other lines of in
dustry invariably respond promptly.
The fact that the pig iron furnaces of
Alabama, Tennessee, Kentucky and
Virginia are running to their full ca
pacity, with orders SO far ahead that
they do not seem warranted in even
stopping for usual repairs, demon
strates that the South is at the height
of prosperity, and that IL is the section
to which men desiring to engage in al
most any line of business can do so
with reasonable assurance of success,
providing they bring knowledge and
energy into the venture.
SUCCESSFUL MANUFACTURING.
1.-The successful manufacture of basic
steel in July. 1897, in the Birmingham
district from the phosphoric iron of the
South marked a. new epoch In the iron
industry Of the South. for 1t placed her
In advance in ability to furnish the
cheapest possible raw material for the
use of the steel industry. This success
has happily led up to the investment
of large amounts of additional CAPT.
tai, and especially now being employ
ed in the erection of an extensive basic
steel plant at Ensley, near Birming-
ham, Ala Before that plant has been
completed, capital is investing quite
freely in steel manufacturing plants
designed to consume the manufactured
steel and to forge and weld 1t into
structural steel and into other steel
products Thus the advance from the
experimental stage in the Birmingham
district only q few months ago has
gone on to q successful twelve-month
demonstration of the economic posi-
billities in the manufacture of steel at
Birmingham, and to the next stage of
the investment of millions of dollars
It'd, iaI Mo tntc al fhnrntn
What this foretells of the future of
steel manufacture in the South can
hardly be realized. so great are the
possibilities in that development
IMPROVEMENTS EVERYWHERE.
From an industrial and commercial
standpoint the entire territory tribu-
tary to the Southern Railway shows
marked increase generally. 1t is safely
predicted that the number of industrial
enterprises will be increased and many
of those already established enlarged,
and that the commerce of the South
promises well for those engaged there
in. While it is possibly true that low
priced cotton has been n drawback,
in many localities that has been fully
overcome by a. more than usual diver
slfcation of crops. the farmers raising
their own corn. pork, hay and other
farm supplies, and in many cases hav-
ing a surplus to SELL Where this has
been the case the evil results of cheap
raw cotton as a one and single crop
has been to large extent overcome.
The movement for diversified agricul-
ture is growing fast, and it is clear
that the 1899 Southern crops of wheat.
corn. rye, hogs cattle. sheep and other
products will be greatly increased over
former years. Advance in agriculture
in the South is keeping in line with the
great development of manufactures,
in, hn IF nj =
ton mills. furniture factories. other
woodworking plants. machine shops,
etc.
"It is not necessary to refer in de-
tail to these new industries. 1t is suffi-
cient to say that the growth of cotton.
leather. hardwood and lumber manu-
features still continues with unabated
has now extended to steel production
Coal and coke production has responded
to the advance in the iron business; sc
that Southern coal mines promise to
make 1899 the banner year"
DIVERSIFIED FARMING PAYS.
f. a. Hornbeck. land commissioner
Kansas City, Pittsburg and Gulf Rail-
road Company. Kansas City. Mo-:
I'm western Arkansas and Louisiana
and eastern Texas the past two years
have witnessed q general increase in
values ana marvellous dsVelopment in
manufacturing and In trade consequent
to the building OF the X. c.. P. and G.
r. r. through the territory described
The farmers of this district, imm,-
grants from the North. as well az resi-
dents OF long standing. have realized
that while cotton has its uses to the
farmer as a farming product. at the
same time diversified farming Is the
solution of his problem In life. Near
Sloan Springs and Fort Smith, Ark.
the fact that profits in strawberry cull
ture frequently run from $500 to s2dt
net per acre has opened the eyes 81
many farmers who were welded to tie
old cotton idol 4
&C aralI,. Linz tl,..=..-<i,...x u