The Birmingham age-herald., 1903-11-22
SHEFFIELD PASSES EXPERIMENTAL ERA Business Outlook the HeaIthiest
 in Its History NEW ELECTRICAL PLANT The Harnessng of the Mussel Shoals Is Contemplated and Company Has Been Organized and Tenn
 porary Officers Elected.
NEW ELECTRICAL PLANT

Sheffield, November 0-(Speeial) )-The great electric power plant which the Sheffield company is now erecting will be one of the largest and most modern in the south. It is located immediately on the banks of the Tennessee river, un- | der the bluffs The work will be com pleted in January, and Che mission of the plant is to light the city. supply power to the electric car line and water for | Sheffield and the great manufacturing ] concerns. In fact, 1t will furnish power | enough to do even double the present service. The company is building for the future, as well as for the present. The Great Water Power. l Speaking of power, il most interesting feature about Sheffield, and natural force, which adds to the strength of the city's position, is the Mussel Shoals pow CT, of which so much has recently been said and written. As is well known 10 most of your readers, the Mussel Shoals Power company is a chartered company. which promises greater things still for the future of Sheffield Its local officers or temporary organization, is as fol- lows:
 C. B. Ashe, president J. K. Coleman secretary and treasurer; w. H. Blair Thomas R. Roulhac and w. T. Londley directors.
 This focal management, however has an agreement of sale with some of the strongest financeers of the east. and is ready to turn the property over to them as soon as arrangements are completed.
 1.T T.1.s. op the water power of the Tennessee river for electrical transmission to towns, cities and manufacturing and mining plants within q radius Of slXty-flve miles. The site selected is ideal for very cheap development of d0000-horse power, at a point about eight miles rom Sheffield. Complete surveys have been made for this enterprise and plans drawn by A. r. Walker, hydraulic engineer of Atlanta. and advised by Major Burbank of New York, consulting engineer of the Niagara Power company It is confidently be- lieved that this plant will be constructed next spring.
 Surely, the good Lord has done much for Sheffield, and it seems that mans work here has just begun
 City of Sheffield.
 Sheffield enjoys the blessing of good tllN government now, though II IS labOr- ing under the burden of the early boom days, when values were inflated here and the city, like the people were attempting to get rich too fast Tax values were based upon fictitious or speculative ideas and there was the municipalitys mis- take. However. everything here now is on solid rock basis. and errors like that will not be repeated. The city is grow ing in population and wealth more rap idly than ever The experimental stage is past.
 Hon. John C. Harris is mayor of the city; J. k. Coleman, city clerk; Claude Seals, treasurer, and the aldermen are w. J. Galloway. H. Goldman, w R. Hill, G. w. Hanln, F. M, Hagler, r. J. King, J. R. Hammond and C. J. Worley It requires police force of only four men to patrol the city, which speaks well for the morals of the place. Eight sa- looms are among the enterprises of Shef- field. Each pays $500 city license, but it is an opinion generally expressed that this rate is to he raised 5000 each, be- ginning with next year.
 The city public schools are under the direction of a board of education. elected by the city council, of which board Dr. c. B. Ashe is president Superintendent Daniel Harmon and twelve teachers have charge of the 400 white and about @ colored children Tine schools run nine months. They have three buildings one very handsome stone and brick str,lc- ture. Besides the revenues derived from the state and county these schools re- ceive 25 per cent of all revenues collect ed by the city.
 A Cosmopolitan Town.
 Sheffield is rather cosmopolitan--per- haps more so than any other city of like size in the state. Being entirely new town, its citizenship is composed of peo- pie from all points of the compass. and all new corners are welcomed here-no questions being asked as to where they hail from, or to what political party they belong. And, yet the social atmosphere in Sheffield is excellent Here are churches of every denomination, with handsome buildings and strong minister's Then, there are social clubs, and the se- cret societies flourish.
 The Sheffield hotel under the ownership of the Sheffield Hotel company and the management of MT. H. ]. Hunt, is one of the largest and most moderny arranged hotels in the state, and is well patron- zed and successfully managed
 Two newspapers weekly represent the city in an able journalistic way. These are the Standard, by Editor Ragland, and the Reaper, by Editor Comstack. In its earlier, experimental age, Sheffield boasted of a daily. but the enterprise was launched too early and did not sue ceed.
 Colbert County.
 Colbert though one of the youngest counties in the state, is one of the wealth. fest and most progressive, as is evi- denced by the fact that she has con- structed nearly 100 miles of macadamized roads. at cost of about s2o00O0, and that the waterways of the county are sub stantially bridged, As farming county. Colbert stands well up among her sister counties.
 Personal and Otherwise.
 Among the progressive citizens of Sheffield Is Mir Claude Seals. formerly of Birmingham, who, by the way, is treasurer of the city. MT. Seals is large ly interested here. Besides his owner ship of Seven-Mile Island. in the Ten nessee river, where he has stock farm and other enterprises he owns much val uable central business property in this city, and is just now engaged in laying the foundation for a handsome three story stone and brick building on Mont gomery avenue which is to be one of the handsomest buildings in the city. He is a great helieyer in the future of Shelf field.
 Birmingham and Sheffield are certainly close akin and seem to have common interest In fact. Birmingham men have largely invested here. as well as there. and quite a number of active young men from your city constitute part of this citizenship. Thus, you see, why