The age-herald., 1900-03-19
IN HOTEL HOBBIES
 AND ELSEWHERE


 tending from Bessemer to East Lake, and covering almost the entire valley. It is doubtful if the most ardent believer in the bright future of this city and the mineral destiny. We are scarcely at the beginning of our greatness as it will rapidly develop year by year. As has been said, The world is ourst' There will be no more wild speculative booming, but a steady and at the same time, wonderful growth. Our un- equaled natural riches and position, togeth- CT with the worlds necessities, will hasten the growth of the greater Birmingham. The first place is assured to Birmingham. The city has already reached that stage when ordinary secretion will hasten greater in- dustries and greater population. But all the towns now in the district will grow. some of them to be large cities, and new centres of population and industry will be quickly developed, new mines and quarries opened, and all this region will be great hive of mans industry and the depository of well-earned riches. As to minerals, de- posts hundred miles or farther away will be in practical effect at Birminghams door, so great will be the railroad facilities; whilst the market for our products will be the wide worldr' Assuredly if there be any man having the gift of prophecy concern ing the Birmingham district that man is n noU nary developments here during Birming- hams comparatively few years of existence are tine fulfillment of his prophecies spoken nearly generation ago.
 There is great cave of unknown di- mensions out in the vicinity of North Lake, near the city," said Abe Kaufman. "Ap- parently it is many miles in length, and is Alabama, if not in the south. I shouldn't be surprised if a thorough exploration of it developed the fact that it is greater than Mammoth cave. The entrance to this local cave is low and narrow and persons enter ing it need to go on all-fours for distance of some forty feet, and then they come into a large chamber remarkably rich in stalactites. In company with some com panions I traversed the cave for about a half a mile We took lights with us and several balls of ordinary wrapping twine. Fastening one end of the twine at the cave entrance We proceeded on our course, un- tl1. we might have safe guidance back, some- what after the method adopted by Theseus in the use of Ariadne's gift of the cew of thread to find his way out of the Cretan labyrinth when he went to slay the Mino- taur. When one ball of twine gave out. we attached to the string another ball, and so kept going. We entered a number of large chambers in which the stalactite formations were of extraordinary extent and richness In the course of our explorations we crossed two creeks that flowed through or across the cave, as one wishes to express it. The cave was wonderfully impressive. But un- fortunately our investigations came to a sudden end by the giving out of our sup ply of twine. and so we reluctantly re- turned to daylight. What we saw con- vinced us that the cave Is of vast extent and as its existence has been known a long time, probably fifty or seventy-fiye years, it is remarkab ble that no intelligent or adequate attempt has been made to ex- plore it thoroughly. There is a tradition that one man explored the cave many years ago to the distance of six miles; but there seems to be no record to that effect. If this wonder is as great as it appears to be, it's proper exploration would result in at tracting visitors from all over America and even from Europe
 Episcopalians and many admirers out side of the Episcopal church in Alabama and elsewhere have taken abundant and praiseworthy advantage of the 84th anni- versary of the birthday of Rt. Rev. R. H. Winner, Episcopal bishop of Alabama, to pay adniring and lowing tribute to the Winner has been the head of his diocese nearly forty years, and he enjoys to a notable degree the affections of all hds people. His long life has been distin- guished for deep piety, benevoence, charitableness; gentleness, justice and mercy: and lhe is come to that time in a noble career when it may justly be spoken of him in the religious sense that he is the Great Old Man of Alabama. He has never grown weary in doing good and he will continue to do good until the time shall come when he shall rest him with the burden of his years as peaceful couch, and so fall asleep.
 'Bount county is forging ahead in de- velopment at rapid rate" said a travel ing salesman in the lobby last night q hear that a land company Will proceed soon to the developmen of p 900 acres of