The age-herald., 1899-11-14
ALABAMA IRON IN
 EUROPEAN MARKETS
Mir. Steiner Talks Interestingly on the Subject.
HAS JUST RETURNED HOME
Birmingham Well Advertised in England and on the Continent Need Of the VanHoose Canal Foreeably
 Impressed-Wa aterway

slgfrled Steiner has returned from Eu- rope, where he spent the summer and early fall Mr. Steiner is looking vel, and re- ports having had a good time while in the old country. He says Birmingham is well advertised in the European countries and that Alabama iron is much in demand. Speaking on this subject, MT. Steiner said: ''Some time ago a Belgian syndicate to- gether with Krupp, the gun manufacturer of Essen, Germany made proposition to the Tennessee Coal Iron and Railroad com pany to buy their output of iron for the next five years at the then ruling prices, which were about SIS per ton. The. prop os5tion Was rejected. Owing to that propo- sition and the great demand in Europe for American iron, Tennessee Coal, Iron and Railroad stock advanced very rapidly.
 "Iron is a great question in Europe. The operating of mines in Germany and Bel gium, as well as in England, has become very expensive, owing to uhe scarcity Of ore and the great cost of getting it out.
 
 abroad, and one gentleman met in Paris, and who has been here and is acquainted with the resources of this district, stated to me that it Is only a question of time when Europe will have to look to this sec tion for her raw materials, that is, pig iron, and that if we make steel successfully they want that product as well.
 Birmingham in London
 'I heard a great deal about Birmingham while in London, and attended vaudeville show at the Alhambra where, in the course Of an act, were scenes of gold production in South Africa and iron production in Alabama. They struck me forciby.
 "I saw Alabama pig iron in Pilsen, Bo- henlia, used by large foundry, gun and machine works. the celebrated Schfota, the biggest iron master in the Austrian empire, . and manufacturer for ahe government. This very concern manufactured and de- livered cannons, shell and other munitions of war to the Spanish government, at the request of the Austrian government, during
 
 fracture of which Alabama iron was con stunned.
 "In the construction of buildings, where heretofore entirely of stone, I noticed iron and steel were now being used as extensive ly as in this country The demands from this source, together witlh the building of ships of every character, both naval and mer- chant, every shipyard abroad being crowd ed with orders, Will bring about a continued increased demand for iron and steel which will last ten years or more, and which Eu- rope, with her exhausted resources, is abso- lutely unable to supply.
 The vaaIIeose Canal "As to the idea of importing iron prod ucts in future, as has been the case in the past, it is forever hearafter out of the question. We are not now, however, in po- sftion to supply this demand with our pres ent transportation facilities; and since my visit abroad, having devoted my time there to an intelligent study of this matter, I am now crazy on the subject of the VanIIoose ceiidl JULES prOJect IluSL dilu VIII De real ized. It is an absolute necessity. have heard some call the father of the project cranky on the subject. If he is cranky, I, am crazy about it. It would pay tine people of Jefferson county to donate half their fortune, of whatsoever kind and description to make the canal reality. With this done, Europe will be the Eldorado for this section. Her markets would then be open to us, transportation being the only thing now in the way"