The age-herald., 1900-12-31
Review of Industrial Progress of
 a TWeIVenOnth A YEAR OF PEACE AND PLENTY Development Has Been the Watch word, and the Results Are Re.
 fIected in Every Line of
 Trade-SummarY

and rapid and at the beginning or the twentieth century the Magic iCty of the south stands at the head of southern cities in industrial development and expansion. In the decade which closes today Birming- ham has risen from an almost insignificant town to a city of worldwide reputation and has grown from small producer of raw materials and pig iron to manufac- turing community of such proportions as to attract the attention of the commercial world. The magnificent growth of the city and district and the expansion of their trade is shown in the figures which follow for the last two years of the closing cen tury.
 Remarkable as the growth has been in the past ten years, the prospects for the succeeding ten years are bright for even a much greater growth. The city is just entering upon the steel age. In the past it has lived on coal and iron During the last year or two steel-making has been added, and following upon the heels of that industry have come numerous other indus tries that consume steel, and still others are projected and will come within short period.
 The census of last June shows popula- tion of 1400OO persons in Jefferson County, an increase of nearly 6O,OOO over the popu- lation of ten years ago. If the same rate of increase is maintained for the next ten years Jefferson County will have 225, 900 population in 1910.
 In 1890 the city of Birmingham contained about two-sevenths of the entire popula- ton of Jefferson County, and according to the census of 1900 about the same propor- tlon of the countys population reside in- side the contracted limits of the city.
 Idle Plants Started Up During the year the following idle plants were put in operation: Southern Bolt Works. Baxter Stove Works, sold to a new com pany and converted into soil pipe foun- dry.
 Williamson furnace. Trustville furnace. Bessemer rolling mill. Several smaller concerns were put in operation during the year. New Industries. During the year the following new plants were either completed or built and put in operation
 Ensey steel mill. Dimmick Pipe Works. Alabama Steel and Wire Company. Birmingham Cement Company Copeland Brick Company. Grasseli Chemical Company. Martin Cracker Company. Austin Bryan Manufacturing Company. Wood Dickerson Company. American Etiquette Company. Home!Telephone Company. The Semet-Solvay Company is duplica- ting its by-product plant of 12O coke ovens at Ensley at a cost of $500, 900.
 The Southern Car and Foundry Com pany located pressed steel and wood car works near Ensey, to cost $1OOO,O0O The Fulton and Means Boiler Company built new foundry and boiler works at | North Birmingham. cement company, with 5000 bar res daily capacity, was located at North Birmingham and will be ready to go n operation in few weeks. water works system was built at Pratt City at cost of about $25,OOO The Birmingham Railway, Light and Power Company spent many thousand dollars in adding to the power house at Powell avenue and Eighteenth street. The Mary Platt furnace was overhauled | and repaired and put in condition to go in blast
 New coal washers were erected by the | Sloss-S Sheffield Steel and Iron Company, | the Republic Iron and Steel Company and | others.
 l Four hundred coke ovens were built by | the Republic Iron and Steel Company, one hundred by the Tutwiler Coal, Coke and Iron Company, one hundred by the Trus- vile Furnace, Mining and Manufacturing Company, 25O by the Alabama Consolidated Coal and Iron Company, and the Semet- Solvay Company is building 120 by-product ovens
 The Tennessee Goal, Iron and Railroad Company added a new blast furnace to it's plant at Ensley, and the Republic Iron and Steel Company built one at Thomas. Both are in operation.
 Over $1O0000 were spent in street im- provements by the city and a city hall to cost $2OO00O and three new school buildings to cost $50,000 were authorized. Work on the city hall was begun in December. The school buildings will be ready for the next session of the city schools.
 A large number of new coal and ore mines were opened during the year.
 The Birmingham Railway, Light and Power Company began operating cleo tric cars on the Highland avenue line and the
 
 spent many thousand dollars improving and extending its system.
 All of the manufacturing plants in opera tion on January 1 are in operation at pres ent.
 Altogether the year 1900 was a prosperous one for Birmingham, and the Birmingham district Every one of these industries are in better condition than ever before and are prepared to do even better in 1901.
 New Buildings.
 Birmingham's building record in 1900 was very good, and the number of houses erect ed and their cost largely exceeds that of 1899. Among the principal structures built