The Birmingham age-herald., 1903-12-10
John SkeItOn Williams and Jas, A. Blair Talk of Districts
 Development
WILL BE GREATEST IRON
 SECTION OF THE WORLD
Mr. Blair Recalls Words of His Kins- man, Who Was Birmingham's Prophet 25 Years Aeo-Sea-
 board in Good Shape.

The Seaboard Air Line party, consisting of President John Skelton Williams, Vice President and General Manager J. M. Barr and Director James A Blair, who arrived in Birmingham from Montgomery Tuesday night, left last night at 80 o'clock for Pell City, whence they will proceed to inspect the East and West road today They will reach Atlanta tonight and after spending tomorrow In that city will return east.
 The party had breakfast in their car early yesterday morning and lost no time in starting out to observe the work on the seaboards terminals. In the after noon they visited Ensley and upon their return from the Steel City drove around Birmingham
 MT. Williams is no stranger to this city. He comes here frequently and on each recurring visit remarks the strides in Bir- mingham's growth. He said yesterday that he was more impressed than ever with the importance and solidIty of this district
 Eager to Get to Birmingham.
 Since my connection with the Sea- board' said Mir. Williams, "I have been eager to build into Birmingham and now my plans in this direction are nearing completion. The construction work con reoting Birmingham with our main line is progressing satisfactorily and before long we will be counting the days when our trains will be running into this city,"
 Mir Williams remarked that the Sea- board was in much stronger position today than at any previous time in it's | iuthr Inc fp I@nI f.1rr fr,,1 dent and It's earnings show a steady in- crease. The approximate earnings for the month of November, just tabulated. indicate an increase of nearly 5000 a day ever the same month last year.
 Mr. Blair a Prophet.
 MT. Blair, who. with Thomas F. Ryan and T. Jefferson Coolidge Jr.. recently became a director in the Seaboard, is a member of the banking concern of Blair & Go. of New York. He Is now a mem- Der of the executive committee of the Sea- board and member of the executive committee of the Frisco. He Is also 6 director of the Central of Georgia.
 MT. Blair said last night:
 "As I have stated to representatives of various newspapers within the past few days my trip Is for the purpose of fa- miliarizng myself with the Seaboard Air Line as to present and future needs. Dur ing the last eight days l have been through Florida, Georgia and Alabama and I have been agreeably surprised at the wonderful prosperity in the south.
 Tn my travels of more than 2000 miles in the states named and in the cities that l have visited I have seen nothing but prosperity. and it seems to me from what l can sec and with my talks with the people I have met that the south is in far better condition today than 1t ever ha ar 1h they are selling at good prices The cot- ton crop this year will bring Si5O04 more than last year. She difference : tween this year and last year in tn, movement of the crop is that the planter will receive a larger benefit from it on &C., count of the increased price. It is always the surplus that the producer receives over and above what 1t costs to produce which adds to the real wealth of the coun- try.
 Growth in Fourteen Years.
 My last visit to Birmingham was some thirteen or fourteen years ago. and of course the growth of this city since then has been wonderful. The magnificent buildings that have been erected in that time and the marked improvement in the general appearance of Birmingham makes a great impression on me. The future of Birmingham is indeed bright. My visit recalls what my kinsman, John l. Blair. who visited the Birmingham district some twenty-five years ago, said to me. He is connected with the iron and steel interest in Pennsylvania and 7 was one of the founders of the Lacka- wanna Steel and Iron company of Clan ton. He had great foreshadowing powers as to the outlook of any given section which possessed natural resources. Here is what he predicted about the district:
 "'The Birmingham section will become the largest iron and steel producing dis trict in the world.
 Tt seems to me from what have seen today that this prediction Is on its way to fulfllment. 1 was especially convinced of this in my visit to Ensley and the other suburbs of Birmingham.
 Birmingham Is Phenomenal.
 Surrounded by a 'norntaln of iron, coal and limestone. and having ali the fa- cilitles to produce iron and steel. Birming- ham is certainly phenomenal The ccm- ing age will be what Is known as the steel age. as steel and iron are rapidly super cedlng the use of wood And the iron and steel industry is but yet in it's infan- cy Last year we produced 1S.000. GOO tons of pig iron which is more than Germany and France produced. and several millions more than the production ot England. While prices for iron have receded and will probably not soon go back to where they were year ago. I believe that in the course of the next sixty days you will see a satisfactory advance which will result In quickenlng trade and continuation of a good iron market will mean continued in the Greater Birmingham district. In short the future of Birming- ham Is no longer matter of prophecy, or discussion, for it is absolutely assur-