The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1903-03-29
CADSDEN HAS
GREAT FUTURE
An Age-HeraId Man Tells Of
Wonderful Prosperity
LARGE BLAST FURNACES
The Vast Work of the Schulers ls
Well Observation-Disclosures Consol-
dated Coal and Iron Co.
Other Concerns.

Gadsden, March s.-(speeial)-There is
something about Gadsden which i'm
presses one more and more each sue
eessive visit. l have been here two days
and l find l am already as enthusiastic
| a believer in its future growth and pros
perity as its most sanguine citizen
1t may be that it is because l have
always been in Gadsden ON bright sunny
days, when everything is seen through
bright colored glasses so TO speak, that
l am impressed with this wonderful little
city. But when rides and walks
around and about here, and sees the eN-
licences of thrift and industry and pros
perity in every direction-sees the indus
tries in actual operation, those in course
of construction and plans discussed for
many other industrial institutions,
he has a faint conception of the truth OF
Capt w. II. Weler's statement yester-
day while conversing with several in
front of Captain Lays office; es, sir.
there are two great counties in Alabama"
he said holding two fingers high in air,
Jefferson first and Etowah second"
l went down to where the Schulers are
erecting their steel mills and furnaces.
Many hundred laborers at work eX-
cavating for the steel plants and erect
ing furnaces. Three stacks are already
completed. There will be four furnaces
each-or a daily total of 10000 tons. This
iron will all be consumed in the steel
mills-will go into the manufacture of
nails WIRE bolts, nuts. barbed wire and
other forms of merchantable steel.
These great industries are situated
about two and a half miles from Gads-
den, near Alabama City. The site is a
perfect one, bounded on the two extremes
by Black and Wills creeks The Schulers
will employ in all their plants when in
full operation. about 1000 hands. They are
pushing their work here as rapidly as
money and labor make it possible. Great
machines. which go into the equipment
of the steel mills, are even now being
unloaded and are only waiting for the
erection of the buildings to be placed
in position and operation.
That the Schulers mean business no
one can doubt. They have purchased
the street line between Gadsden ana
Alfalfa, and have bought many thousand
acres of coal and mineral lands in Eto-
wah and Cherokee counties. E. T.
Schiller is now a prominent resident of
Gadsden and is building a log cabin for
a summer home on the mountain, near
the Belleview hotel
But Gadsden has much more and win
have much more than the steel mills ana
furnaces of the Schulers.
| The Alabama Consolidated Coal and
| Iron company has recently added another
stack to its furnaces here and its eapac-
| ity will be about 800 tons day. The
capacity of the older stack is 20 tons
daily, making a total capacity of 500 tons
per day. These furnaces are under the
! supervision of M. w. Bush son of Col
7. G. Bush of Birmingham. Although
several years under thirty. and the
youngest furnace superintendent in the
country, Mr.. Bush is cassed at the TOP
In his profession, and is popular with the
citizens of Gadsden. The Consolidated
company at Gadsden have more than
1000 names on their pay roll
There is also charcoal furnace now
in operation here. This is the old fur
mace known as "Crawford's furnace" It
was recently purchased by the Southern
Car and Foundry company. and is now
being operated by them after a shut
down of ten years.
The stove works and tram car works
all started something over year ago by
local capital and local enterprise, are do
ing well and paying big dividends
But, to enumerate all that Gadsden has
ana Is doing would require more space
than is at my command. 1t is adding to
those plants already here and there does
not now appear to be any limit to its in
dustrial progress. l was told TODAY bv
those in position to know that Captain
j. M Elliott will soon build a furnace
and rolling mill here. He has recently
bought a large furnace In St Louis.
which will be moved to a site near
mere at once Work will also commence
on the rolling mill in short time
plant for the manufacture of bolts
nuts. railway spikes and fish plates is
also an assured institution soon to be put
in operation.
The Louisville and Nashville railroad
VIII soon have a direct road from Gads-
den to Birmingham, building from Gads-
Altoona nd
the Birmingham Mineral This new ex
tension Will open the celebrated GREASY
Cove ore fields which are among the
richest and most extensive in the state
| II VIII also open up the Blount county
! coal fields.
another industry projected for Gads-
den is a plant for the manufacture OF
| enamelled bath tubs. This will be tha
| only concern of this character south ar
| Cincinnati.
But, as before stated, 1t is impossible in
| the space of two or three columns to tell
all about Gadsden. One-must go there
and see and meet and talk with the Deo-
pie to appreciate the wonderful progress
| and development of the city, and the
| country hereabouts
1t seems to me from my observations
here that Gadsden and Etowah county
nave about all that is good. In Captain
| Lays exhibit in his office | saw snect-
|
other deposits. There is gold ore. and
silver ore, and iron ore, and phosphate
| and graphite and many kind of clavs
and stone, and lots of other things IN
known to me, but of great value in man.
ufacture of many products all picked
up or dug up at or near Gadsden The
soil around Gadsden, too, from a pro-
ductive point of view, is of the richest
of the state.
Concerning the history of Gadsden. her
people do not tell much. That the town
is historical, they know but they are too
| oIsy planning for her future glory to
ponder on the events of her past In
| iact you will never hear from a Gadsden-
ne When he is showing you around the
city the story of how a lone woman
saved the cavalry of Forrest Her house
sun standing on the banks of Black
Sieeh tut VIII, no doubt. soon he re-
placeo by the outward and onward pro-
sress OF the expanding city. Neither will
| YOU Know, II you do not ask that the firsl
steamboat that piled the Coosa was
nrousnt overland to Gadsden from We
lumpka, Alabama. and launched at Gads-
aen. known in those days as .DoubIa
| Springs" Die
But when Gadsden has grown rich from,
the efforts of her own intense and s,,nerh
| Enterprise. she will write her bistor,
Cities are like individuals. None ~ ,,s
study or tell Of the splendid achievements
| OF our ancestors while we are toiIers ~,
| the way but wait until the time cor,ae
when we can afford to be dreamers IN ~,
| valley. - tue