The age-herald., 1902-03-02
History of the Transforma- tiOn of LimerOCk Heights Known asthe"ChOCtaW Gallery" at Den1opo- lis Into High Grade Commodity
 Scene of Many
 Indian Baf-
 ties.

I making use of the rock. Both he and MT. Cairns secured samples of the rock, the later first writing to MT. Gesner Will 1 Hams on February 10, 1900 Shortly after | the receipt of this letter MT Cairns vis- ited Demopolis. Later MT. Cornard vis- ited the place. But before either could secure options local capitalists secured them They were sold to a New York firm, which in turn sold them to Mir. | Cairns. In September of that year the first work of building the factory was begun. This was pushed forward energeticaly. But not until October of last year was the company able to make the first trial The result of this was satisfactory, and in December the machinery was in such condition as to permit regular work | both night and day. Then it was the people knew over what they had slept and began to talk even mere than ever of the historic "Choctaw Gallery"
 History Is Romantic. The history of the bluffs Of the "Choc- taw Gallery" is contained in the history of Demopolis. This rlace is now litle city with several thousand inhabitants and many industries. It is in Marengo County on the banks of tre Toubigbeo River and amidst the richest of the ia rcous "Blacll Belt of Alabama.
 The history of the town dates far l back into the agone times when Her nando DeSoto marched through this coun- l try and discovered the Mississippi River. Indian lore asserts that the Spaniard made many felicitous remarks about the position. Of the place which now contains Demopols. As the story goes, DeSoto passed through what is now the city | park in 1540, when he fought the great battles of Maubelia, in which he met the mighty Indian chief, Tuscaloosa, and Ieslew 6oeo of his braves at one encounter | Whether or not this be true, it is true that the cit of Demopois was founded by the French These pioneers were men who had followed the eagles of Napoleon I but they displayed blissful ignorance Of that skill required to subjugate the na- tives of this country. The details of their invasion require the touch of d Hugo or Scott to portray in their bloody reality. The typewriter or a reporter who deals solely with facts can no more than tell the plain hurting truth Of battles.
 I When Napoleon was sent to St. Helena many of the men of noble estate and lin- cage whose fortunes had been the for tunes of the wizard of power came to this country. At Philadelphia they fcrmed societies and secured allottments | per acre from the government. To one division of the society an allotment ly ing in Alabama was granted.
 French Begin Fight.
 Three hundred and forty of these allot- tees started from Philadelphia for their new home in the latter part of 1S17 In May of ISIS they reached Mobile, where they narrowly escaped being shipwrecked. | From that point they were sent up the river in a barge owned by Adkin Lewis, then collector of port. Upon reaching the white bluffs a decision was made to settle Thus the township of Demopolis was first begun. The name was sug- gested by one Count Reel, It means '"The City of the People"
 
 was augmented with trouble about the land grants. The Philadelphia Vine and Olive Company and other American com panies lay claim to the lands. But the French held on valiantly. All the time they were fighting almost daily with the Indians. The latter would go upon the bluffs, lay fiat upon their stomachs and shoot the whites as they would sail up the river. In this way the heights secured the name of "Choctaw Gallery" which has clung to them even until this day
 This little glimpse into the history of the town and it's people is written merely to give an idea of the people who first began cursing the bluffs and first failed to see opportunity for profit
 Only Portland Plant South.
 The plant here is said to be the only portland cement plant South of Virginia; |and one of the few in the world where all the ingredients essential to the manufac- ture of cement are to be obtained from enc quarry or pit 1t is an English com rsny holding ircorporo tion papers grant ed in London. J. Topham Richardson and P. Eyland, the President and Sec retary. respectively. of the company,
 
 both live in London. The general man. ager, MT. Cairns, resides here.
 The company employs 13O men and has pay roll running from $3OOO to $4OOo per month. It owns 100 houses for work men. It's plant here cost more than $780, GOO and has capacity of 800 barrels of cement per day. It makes only one brand and will have for market the South and the West Indes.
 The story of the causes leading to the location here were told by the general manager as follows: My attention was attracted by the report of the State Geologist Immedl- , ately began an investigation which led me to come here. While here I found by sending the rock to our plant in Utah that better cement could be made in Alabama than there. After little trouble I secured the property and we i began the work of building our plant. The first trial run of the machinery was