The Montgomery advertiser., 1902-02-16
COL. JOHN F. STEELE AND
 SOMETHING OF HIS CAREER.
The Man Who Surveyed the Early Railroads of Ala bama, Named Birmingham and Planned the
 Notifications Around Chattanooga.

organized a corps with Major Thomas H. Hobbs as assistant engineer. and ob tained 8 practical route through sec. ton conside3ed impossible. The under taking of crossing Sand Mountain was a feat never before tried. Sand Noun tain extends from Decatur to Chatta- nooga, and diverts the course of the Tennessee River. causing it to flow due North through Tennessee and Kentucky into the Ohio River, instead of the nat urai course south into the Gulf of Mex ico. All the other engineers said that this difficult engineering feat could not be accomplished, but Colonel Steele per- severed. add succeeded. this road is now Nashville and Birmingham.
 At Elyton the citizens banQueted the engineering party and Colonel Steele in a short speech, assured the people that When built. you will see q city spring up here as If by magic, The Birming- ham of America. His prophetic speech has now been more than realized. Col onel Steele feels convinced that when the Elyton Land Company was organ ized and a new town laid off some ot the stockholders recalling to memory his speech adopted the name which the Magic City" now bears.
 Colonel Steele recalls in memory the history of roadbuilding in this section and brings up an interesting fact now almost forgotten. In the early 40s road was built from Tuscumbia to Decatur. a distance of fortv-five miles. This was being preceded by main road and a branch road at Quincy. Mass. The builders knew so little about the con structon of a railroad that it was soon turned into mule road, stringers were used. a flat bar being put onto a string er,, and with tandem team of mules in front, the passengers thought 1t a magnificent way to travel. The teams were changed during the trip. and the forty-fve miles was covered In day.
 No one was more ardent Southerner during the war than Colonel Steele. He served as First Lieutenant of Engineers and planned and executed all the fortih- cations around Chattanooga, which were given up by General Bragg after the bat tie of Missionary Ridge,
 In 1S45 Colonel Steele was taken by his father to the Hermitage on a visit to Gen. Andrew Jackson. This was just & few weeks before the death of Jack son, but he impressed the visitors with all the vigor of his nature. Extending his hand and placing his flpgers in the open palm of the boy. the General showed right hand, which were stiff. and said History has misrepresented this oc currence." There had been a heavy fal of rain. and the British officer had muddied his boots. and ordered Jackson to scrape the mud off of them, not tc black them. as his history recorded Jackson refused and the officer struck him with his sword, causing a stiffenins of the second and third fingers of thu right hand for life. General Jackson as- sured his visitor that it was an historica inaccuracy that he was ordered to black the Generals boots. Colonel Steele's re- collection of General Jackson Is very vivid. and he remembers him particu' larly for his vigor of speech. especially when he expressed & wish that he could meet the British officer who struck him
 Colonel Steele is as ardent Democrat as was "Old Hickory" and has always 8te~eu stne,s gsWe sne him "T6 'I ba Denocra
 from principle. although he made al his money from Whigs." ". M. Bunting.