The Birmingham age-herald., 1904-02-28
HOW THE VULCAN IDEA
 STARTED AND DEVELOPED

Since the colossal statue of Vulcan has attracted such wide attention it's genesis and the development of the idea is of in- tefest. In reply 10 numerous questi.rs s cor cerning the conception Of the statue and of how the suggestion came to be taken up by the Commercial club, James A MacKnight has written sketch, from which the following is taken:
 ''No one, perhaps, can explain exactly how or when or why an idea enters his mind. In this case the process was a gradual and evolutionary one. Last spring when a. party of merchants from Cincinnati were visiting the city MT. Gib- son of the Commercial club requested the writer to accompany him with them to the great steel works at Ensley. and to other points in the district. These mammoth enterprises made deep im- pression on every one in the party. and after seeing them I was more deeply convinced than ever of the importance of having Alabama present at St. Louis with an adequate representation of her tremendous natural wealth and resources Articles on the subject over my signature were published in the newspapers of Bir- mingham. and were copied throughout the state.
 "One day in conversation with MT. Gib- son, believe it was In May last. he used about these words: as
 ''It seems now that no appropriation for St. Louis will be made by the state, and unless something very striking and unique could be done to bring an exhibit of our resources to the front do not be- lleve money could be raised for the pur- pose by popular subscription.
 Tn reply to this remark of MT Gibson I said:
 I have plan which will enable the state commission to raise all the money needed for the exhibit. and which will attract the attention of the entire world if carried out
 "The Vulcan plan in a crude form was submitted to MT. Gibson by me a lew days later, and he took 1t up with the state commission of which he was mem- ber Mr. Gibson subsequently, informed me that it did not sem possible to get unanimous action on the project. Several members of the commission thought 1t capital idea, while others regarded it as impractical and visionary.
 Late in the summer the state com mission practically abandoned all hope of making an exhibit at St. Louis, but that they would play their last card at the short session of the legislature in September. The said session passed away and nothing was done, but in the mean time the Vulcan plan made some head way.
 About this time word came that an important meeting of the state commits sion was to be held at Montgomery. Dele gates went from Birmingham to attend this meeting, but their mission was fruit less.
 .At a. meeting of the Commercial club an executive committee was appointed to take the necessary preliminary steps to ascertain if the plan was feasible from the standpoints of time, expense and me- chanical and artistic possibility. Under instructions of this committee I made the first trip to St. Louis on October 18th last and found that the officials of the exposition were willing and anxious to do anything in their power to facilitate an exhibit of Alabama's products. Twice the space in the Mines Palace had been applied for but allotments had not been made, and Alabama was taken care of.
 My work there was. greatly facili- tated by the fact that several of the leadings officers of the exposition were men whom.I had known for many years I had written for Mir Skiffs newspaper out west when a boy, and his chief as- 
 Herald in New York. Secretary Stevens had been city editor of the old St. Louis Times, and I had worked for him as a reporter These men did all they could to aid our project, and to make our path easy They all declared that the iron man would make one of the striking features of the exposition. and expressed the hope that he would land in time for the show
 "On returnig to Birmingham full re- port of the situation was made by me to the Commercial club, and on my urgent representation, a committee consisting of F. M. Jackson. Cupepper Exum, J. B. Gibson and F. W. Dixon, accompanied me back to St Louis where they were as favorably impressed as I had been, not only with the exposition but with the merits of the Vulcan as a drawing card" On our return to Birmingham I was directed to proceed to New York at once to make arrangements if possible