The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1904-04-04
Birmingham and a Railroad
BY JOHN wITHERspooN DuBosE.

really had no meaning unless the sixty
seven miles gap was filled. Sloss had
come to be. near the meeting. insthe Elk
change hotel, and had brought with him
Albert Fink, big German. who spoke
very doubtful English. but who was the
general manager of one of the best pay
ing railroads in the United States-the
Louisville and Nashville.
Albert Fink agreed to advise the direc-
tory of the Louisville and Nashville, then
a single short line, to lease the South and
North road. which had come to embrace
the entire line from Montgomery to De-
catur, and complete the gap of sixty
seven miles. There were seven directors
Victor Newcombe being president
A committee was sent from Alabama
by the South and North road to meet the
directory of the Louisville and Nashville
In Louisville and the conference took
place in one of the parlors of the Gait
house. This committee from Alabama
was f. NJ. Gilmer. Boiling Hall, e. X.
Mitchell and John 7. Miner. Miner car
ried all the figures essential to the state
ment of the case The directory of the
Louisville and Nashville seemed evenly
divided. half for the lease and half
against. as to six, with President New
comb wavering. At this juncture Col.
Sam Tate of Memphis, a tall man, walk
heavy stick, which he carried for GER
tain lameness, and said no trade should
be made unless he WAS paid in cash $780,
900 in satisfaction of his contract as con-
structor on the gap Now Tate was al
ready insolent At this Newcomb sprang
up, tall man. advanced facing Tate and
said he would stand no highway rob
berry The game seemed up Fink rang
for whisky and water. the refreshment
On me and uIlipt followed
Miner telegraphed to Colonel Sloss to
hasten to Louisville. Sloss overcame the
difficulties with Newcomb. the lease was
made, the gap filed, Tate got his money
and the city of Birmingham became pos
sble.
In these incidents began the growth of
the Louisville and Nashville system.
When this lease of the South and North
road was made, there was not single VII
lage between Birmingham and Decatur,
along the line. After the trains began TO
run through from Decatur to Montgom-
cry, Albert Fink took passage for the
first time over the line he had done so
much to build. Miner met him at the
Montgomery terminus only to be grossly
snubbed. The road seemed total failure.
There were a few "hoies,'' called coal
mines, in Jefferson county. There was
little or no iron, the agriculture support
ed the smallest traffic. Many tons from
Red mountain ore had been carried into
the west, where ii was unanimously con-
demned as utterly without value. "Milner,
you fool" said the downcast Fink, ''you
have ruined me and my road. Your d
road don't pay for the axle grease!
f. NJ. Gilmer and John T. Miner had
gone to Richmond soon after the Con-
federate government moved there TO Of
fer to assist the government In finishing
the South and North road up to Oxmoor
and build there two small charcoal fur
naces to supply the Selma arsenal with
iron. 1t was this iron that. comprised the
plate on the ram Tennessee, that Far
ragut could not sink and that made guns
| that never burst. The Oxmoor furnaces
| were the only furnaces In Jefferson coun-
ty, and were turning out twenty-five tons
day each in the seventies Col. d. S.
Troy was president of the company and
he saw that charcoal iron could not be
made to pay expenses. Experts up north
had declared Alabama coal would not
| coke The difficulty was to raise the
money to build the coke ovens and to test
| the furnaces with 1t. Finally at a meet
| ing OF the directors of the South and
| North division of the Louisville and Nash
| vile at Montgomery, President James
| w. Sloss persuaded them to agree to
| haul coke made iron from Oxmoor into
! Ohio and Indiana and accept as payment
| of freight charges In full. stock in the
| furnace company That arrangement hav-
! ing been made, Colonel Troy succeeded
| In raising the necessary cash to build
! the coke ovens and overhaul the plant
| The coke proved highly successful.
| But for the assistance so rendered by
| the railroad. no test of Alabama coke
would have been made and no more fur
| naces built for long time.