The age-herald., 1899-04-30

entertaining lne casual SlBnlSeef WnO nap pens to be in the city and for those who ! are especially interested in geological, in dustrial and other scientific studies, the Birmingham district is among the very best in the country. Representatives from the big iron and steel concerns of the ! northern states are constantly coming to Birmingham to study the plans and meth ods pursued by the manufacturers here, and very often visitors from the iron dis tricts of England are seen around Birming- ham for the same purpose
 But it is the casual visitor who comes to Birmingham during the Festival, the Car nival, or on some other occasion, that wants to know how to spend the few spare hours he has, in seeing the most mpor- tant and interesting sights in the great Birmingham district about which he heard so much.
 One of the first things which such visi- tor wants to know, is about the hotel ac- commodations. There are four hotels in all the Morris the Florence, the Metropol- itan and the Opera House. They are all within easy distance of the depot, the far thest one, the Florence, being only a block and half away.
 What One Sees on the Streets
 The building Of Birmingham will not strike very favorably, the visitor who is &C., customed to the great skyscrapers of the north, for Birmingham's energies up to this time have been in expanding longitudinaly and not perpendieuarly There are however, in the city a number of buildings four, five and six stories high, which are built on the most modern principles and are splendidly equipped. Height will come with time The government building on Second and Nineteenth the county court house on Third avenue and IWenty-ilrst street, the county jail imme- diately behind it, are all magnificent struc- lures, and gre well worth the trouble of seeing them. Sc are the four big public school buildings.
 Try not to see the city hall, however, if you can avoid doing so. It will leave bad impression. Birmingham will try to do better before another festival season rolls round
 The various churches of the city are ex- eremely well built and are among the handsomest in the south.
 There are several things which will strike the visitor to Birmingham at once. The magnificent electric cars which run in all directions through the city; the entire ab- senee of all telephone wires in all the busi- ness portions of the city, they having re- gently been put underground; the splendid maeadamiZe1 streets which are found all over the city; and the comparatively small number of trees on the side walks This Is not because the citizens do not appre- ciate pretty city. but because the trees haven't yet had time to grow. The visitor Will also be struck with the numerous buildings that are being erected. both. business houses and residences. %
 The Aud t5rium
 The Auditorium, which. by the way is one of the laudable enterprises of Birming- ram, Is the building where the music fes- tivals will be held, and two of the great balls of the carnival. Tho building is sit uated in Third avenue and Seventeenth street The big sacred concert which is o be given Sunday night May s, between the festival and the carnival celebrations will take place in O'Briens opera house, corner First avenue and Nineteenth street.
 At the Commercial club, on Twenty y-ii1st street between Second and Third avenues the visitors can obtain information con oerning anything in the Birmingham dis trict about which he wishes to know
 The public library is in the High school building, on Iwenty-frst street, just north of Sixth avenue.
 Tie "streets' of Birmingham run almost due north and south, First" street being West of the city near Elyton. They ale numbered consecutively toward the east for five of six miles-past Woodawn. Tie "avenues" of Birmingham run east and west, parallel with the railroad tracks lhdl run lHIOuSn dIu Uu tie Slue Ol tHc Union depot. That portion of the city ly- ing north of the tracks is called the "Northside," and the avenues are named Morris, " First" Second" Third" and so one consecutively On the "Southside," the avenues are called "Powell' A "B,' "C,'' and so in order.
 Capital park, where the great fireworks display will take place, is situated at tie head of Twentieth street, just north of Sixth avenue.
 Of course the casual visitor will be com pelled to take in all these facts in a glance, visiting only those places in which he IS especially interested
 But the most interesting sights in the district are not to be found in the city limits of Birmingham One must get out into the surrounding country on some of the numerous street car lines They cover t..e valley from Bessemer on the west, to East Lake on the east, distance of nearly twenty miles, almost like net work. Car fare to all points to and from the city, Is only cents, with the exception of Besse- mer, 15 cents; Ensley, 10 cents, and Pratt City, 10 cents.
 Industrial Hive at Ensley