The age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1897-1902, 1899-10-03
IN HOTEL LOBBIES
AND ELSEWHERE

| emma. which must De almost entirely It.
built within the next twenty-five years.
| said Hon. William L.. Chambers, late chief
| justice of Samoa. Iron and steel will be
| required in enormous quantities. and it will
be. our own fault If the United States does
| supply the demand; and Since Alabama can
! produce steel and iron at lower cost than
| any other section of the country, this state
is most interested. In those great cities of
the Far East the most pretentious houses
are built two stories in height. Fear of
earthquake shocks, together with total
| lack of progressive spirit, has brought
| about the failure to build good houses.
The result is squalid cities spread over large
areas. A city that should be confined 20
| -four or five square miles covers actually
| twenty-five square miles. The progress of
| material development now begun will re-
/ quire tall buildings with iron and steel
| frames, constructed with a view to con-
| traction, expansion and vibration. Those
| people will come to know that such build
| ings are safer than their squatty little
| huts. A Buffalo firm has built two splendid
office buildings in Yokohama, one eight
and the other ten stories high, and they
have taught the natives a needed lesson.
Earthquake shocks that did not disturb the
American-built structures demolished the
weak native buildings. The natives wher-
ever that sort of building is erected will be
quick to perceive its advantages. More
over, Americans have railroad concessions
in China extending to 10000 miles;
and American structural steel will
be required to build numberless
bridges; for China is remarkably
the government is to foster foreign trade,
and if we are first in the undeveloped east
ern countries, We can easily maintain our
position. 1t would be the height OF folly
TO disregard the splendid opportunities Of
fered our trade. The mineral development
of Alabama Is as yet in its infancy. The
immediate future offers vast possibilities.
To disregard the signs of the times would
be sort of madness that is not likely to
afIlict our people,
Congressman Stallings spent several
days in Birmingham last week, presuma-
bly, in the furtherance of his cause as a
candidate for the democratic gubernatorial
nomination. That which may be accepted
in part as one result of his visit is a letter,
signed by about ninety citizens, asking him
to come to Birmingham land address the
citizens of this county on the political is
sues in the approaching election" Lead
ing men amongst those whose names are
signed to the letter are A o. Lane, A. G.
Smith and James Weatherly. The invita-
ton would seem to make it clear that there
is desire that Mr.. Stallings be heard by
the people of the premier county of the
state; but neither he nor any other can
didate for governor has yet publicly de-
clared the intention to enter the contest
with Mr. Tomlinson for the delegation from
Mr. Tomlinsons home county. Jefferson's
thirty delegates to the state convention un-
doubtedly constitute a tempting prize in the
chances of politics. Undoubtedly Mr..
Stalings will accept the invitation sent to
him, seeing that it is generally SO in
fiuentally signed. The contest for
the gubernatorial nomination will be-
come warm enough aftV the meeting of
the state democratic executive committee
in Birmingham this day week, a call for
which was issued by Chairman Lowe yes
terday.
when Frederick Warde, the actor, ar
rived at the Morris hotel late Sunday night
he was eating chewing gum TO beat all the
bands and during the entire time he stood
about the hotel office he kept up his eat
ing" said lobby lounger. Mr.. Warde's
manner of eating gum is rather peculiar
amongst gum-eaters. He wears the SUBJ
stance out between his front teeth, which
he uses with extraordinary celebrity, SEEM
ing to be reluctant to cease long enough
to speak a word. 1t was somewhat disap-
pointing to see man of heroic mold like
MIR. Warde eating chewing gum"
Charles Smith, the we'll known con-
tractor, was in Birmingham Sunday on his
way from Mississippi to Mt. Pleasant,
Tenn, where he has a contract with a
phosphate company which requires the
employment of 100 mules. Mr.. Smith says
that the activity in the phosphate beds is
remarkable, a hundred carloads of phos-
phate rock being sent out of there daily
Most of the phosphate is shipped over
the Louisville and Nashville railroad to
Pensacola, from which port it is sent to
France. Mr. Smith and his brother, Wal
ter Smith, have two railroad contracts in
Mississippi, one with the Illinois Central
and the other with the Alabama and
Vicksburg. They have also opened, twenty
miles from Jackson, the only stone quarry
in that state. All the output of this
quarry, four hundred tons day, is sup
piled under contract to the United States
government for levee improvements on the
Mississippi river. The brothers Smith have
therefore about all the work they can at
tend to at the moment.
Editor ]. II. Ketchum of the Oneonta
News-Dspatch was in Birmingham yester-
day. He used to be called the kid of the
state press, but he has outgrown that af-
ter nineteen years of good work Mr..
Ketchum has been always popular with the
press.
Kenneth Robertson has finished his work
in repairing the Hattie Ensley furnace at
| Sheffield and the Philadelphia furnace at
! Florence, and has returned to Birming-
| ham.