The Montgomery advertiser., 1906-04-15
MONTGOMERY NEEDS LINE TO ALEXANDER CITY


 who founded this pretty little city in the hills of Tallapoosa. The fire be- gan in a bakery on the main street at l o'clock on that summer. afternoon. The town was without hre- fighting facilities and before nightfall all of the business district and a portion of the residence section of the town had been swept away. The flames con sumed thlrty-eight business houses: eighteen % o of 'Ws wood: 0te two ii livery stables and stock yards, the Methodist Church and ten residences. The approximate loss by fire was s45o.ooo. on which there
 A net loss of approximately s3oo.ooo is a severe blow to the people oI la small town but these people had coul- age and sublime faith in their coun.ay W and themselves. Let us see what they have accomplished in four years. Io- day there are forty-ave, brick stores in Alexanded City, two well equippeo brick livery staples sns sriek sne s'1eh rsiway tion, a ss, GOO city hall and court house. owned by the city; Methodist congre- gation is just completing prick Baptist consregation has razed its old frame church building to make way for rA a sio.ooo brick house of worship on which the construction work has
 There Is an adage which says that "A burned child Greads the hre.' AL exander City has bcen burned and Alex ander City will neysr be bscS Surned aea aSan sfans and these new brick and stone build ings impress the visitor with the sub stantiaTity of the city. Alexander City providing for brick and stone build ings It was a provision against fu- ture connagrations. They have a fire limit law here in Alexander City and rnes ment. naxs Moreover they have q fns wa terworks plant and Incidentally mod ern electric lighting plant. These public utilities are owned and they are utilities that grew directly out of the great fire on that June af- ternoon four years ago.
 City of Brick and Stone.
 Twenty-four hours after the fire. and when Alexander City was desoiates A. P. Fuquay. public spirited citizen of the town and it's leading insurance agent, was apealing to the people 10 pass fire Hint law and to rebuild Al exander City of brick and stone. The agitation met with decided opposition, The people did not believe they were able to rebuild of the cheapest mate rial much less of brick 5,rs and stone, sn Tqs Ms held to his scheme. H7 had mass meet ings. He talked the fire limit law night and day. He dogged the steps of the city ofciais. ;ha ne, The e imr nrovtaes ,dw that no building other than of brick shall be constructed within an area of thirty acres. It Is rigidly enforced.
 ted MT. Fuquay Mayor of Alexander City. During his. administration the city acquired its fire department. its plant. The water comes from deep we'll. There is a modern pumping sta tion and a stand pipe l15 feet nign which holds 10000 gallons Of water. Mr
 properties. %,ep de He went to work to secure
 Ssss reis ey of n frs man hss 1Ss after. He got the insurance. rate for
 Alexander City It is in the tnird nrt.f,an aiass class that few cities of the size or Alexander City It in.
 Proud of Public Utilities. Mayor welch of Alexander City has
 pubiic utilities and its people.
 we issued $2o.000 of six per cent. l bonds" he said. With this money we
 gaTe memts. u we sUpis seIi them water and lights | at lower rates than the. big cities ana we have fire protection"
 | City. three fertilizer factories. big | cotton seed oil mill and knitting plant | which ships its product to Massachu- | setts and Pennsylvania.
 | The sorest spot in the side of Alex ander City is the Alexander City Cot | ton Mills. Here is one of the finest | cotton mill buildings in the State. con- l structed six years ago and never op- | erated. Just why the cotton mill pro I feet was abandoned Is not known to the | Alexander City people and they speak | with bitterness of It's promoters. The | mill was projected by the Lewis broth | CTS of Talladega county. company | was organized and Alexander City peo- | ple took their share of the stock. An | immense brick building, covering more | than half of an acre was constructed south of the town. '
 | In later years the property passed | into the hands of Riley and Company, | of Boston. Machinery was shipped to | Alexander City and shipped back to | Boston Not a wheel, loom or spin | dle has ever turned inside the building. | Alexander City people sold their stock | for whatever they could get and the | great building stands on a plateau, the | home of bats and birds. Some day 1t | will hum with activity for it is too