Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1899-06-01
MOUNTAINEERING CHANCES SOUTH.

More money has been made in the
southern states in the last 20 years
than will be made in the next 80 years
in Cuba, Porto Rico or the Philippines,
anu the chances for money making in
the south have only commenced. The
at Birmingham, Ala, and that city will
shortly make the worlds price of steel.
The south's industrial evolution, which
began with the development Of its iron
interests, rapidly spread to all Of the
collateral iron industries, including
machine-shops ana foundries, stove
factories, steel plants, and hardware
factories. The 1900 new industries
which have sprung up during the past
year include fertilizer and phosphate
works, wood working factories, furni-
ture, vehicle, agricultural and miscel-
laneous works; textile, -four and cotton
seed oil mills; gas and water works,
telephone systems; electric light and
power, and ice and cold-storage plants;
canneries and hundreds Of miscellan-
eous plants. Nearly every southern
state has increased it's railroad mileage
during the past year, and every south
ern harbor has largely increased its ex-
port trade.
Alabama has shipped 1000 tons Of
iron day, month after month, and the
ports of New Orleans, Norfolk, Balti-
more, Pensacola, Brunswick and Mo-
bile are shipping American products
direct and by the shortest route to
many foreign countries. The develop
ment of the iron industry in the south
is in it's infancy, and in the manufac-
ture of textiles that section of the
country has not begun to take the place
it will fill, although last year over $780,
900 spindles were ADDED to the equip
ment of southern mills, in which So
100000 sought new investment. Near
ly s1,0OO,000 went into the cotton-seed
mills-for American cotton oil finds a
market in every civilized cOuntry-and
$5,000,000 is being put in the iron and
steel industries of Alabama, and mil
lions into those of Tennessee and Vir-
ginia. Rich in natural resources, with
splendid water-powers still unde-
veloped and almost unknown, welcom-
ing the investor from the north, the
south is having wonderful awaken
ing and it requires no cunning eye to
perceive that it is on the road to I'M
measured and unreasonable wealth.
Gen. Wilson, the secretary of agricul-
ture, has just called attention 10 the
fact that the agricultural wealth OF the
south would be vastly increased If its
products were diversified; that, favored
as it is by conditions Of climate and
soil, it can find an enormous market IN
the north for it's early yegeta bles,
spring lamb, young chickens, and other
commodities which, in this luxurious
day, find ready sale in every city. The
canning industry can find no better 10
cation than in many of the southern
states, where fruits are raised in the
greatest abundance and at the lowest
cost. fruit culture and the culture Of
nuts find their best opportunities in the
southern states. There is everything,
in fact, in the south to sustain large
population in comfort and with less
hardship than must be encountered in
almost any other section of the world.
# you seek new fields of opportunity,
20 south, young man.-Leslie's Week
v,