The Birmingham age-herald., 1907-06-25
We'll Known Men Talk on Iron Industry's Progress
WRIT TEN SOLELY ON MERIT
"hlstery of Iron Making In Aabama' Will Contain Only Accounts of Men Whose Achievements
 Justify Place In History,

ins in Alabama, which has been recently undertaken by Miss Armes, under the auspices of the Commercial club does not appear te be fully eemprehended by a number of people, said Truman II. AL drieh, chairman of the committee on pulp lleation of the book, yesterday
 1T wish to state emphatiealiy 1t Is not an advertising scheme, It Is not oom- inerelal venture. There Is no graft in It for anyone concerned, If man offers $500 to have his narne recorded In 1t, and his work does not Justify such mention, no mention will be made. On the other hand, If a man entitled to credit does not feel in q position to subscribe one dol- lar towards the labor of preparing, writ Ing, and having published this great work, that cuts no figure. No sir, he does not have to give a 2-cent stampl
 Facts speak for themselves, and the object of this history Is first and last to record faetsi to give credit to whom credit is duei to begin at the beginning with the history of iron making in this state and follow 1t up direct to the pres ent day. The most careful discrimination Is to be given every detail of the work 1 have appointed on the committee such men as Henry F. DeBardeleben, George B. Mccormack, David Roberts, Gen. Louis V. Clark, Gen. Rufus N Rhodes, Ross Smith, A. H. Woodward and young Morris Bush, now acting president of the Shelby Iron company.
 MT James Bowron, just before leav Ing on his European tour, placed at Miss Armes' disposal the papers and records on iron-making that he has kept in sys- tematic form for twenty-five years. Ills scrapbooks contain information that is h. valuable for this history. MT. s. ". Johns, MT. w. T. Underwood, MT. Ersline Ramsay and MT. David Roberts are gath ering data and material for the history. So is MT. George B. Mccormack. So am I-everyone of us, In fact
 For the full and accurate record of the iron history has never yet been writ ten, and 1t never will be if it Is not done now. As MT. G. B. Mccormack says, in- ventions of the greatest economic value and importance In the mining world have Oll6lHdlGu IlGul lci0 III <AldDdLlds DGl other states are getting the credit.
 Its getting next to impossible to gather the facts about the first workers and the early plants in the state even now. How many living today know the history of Tannehill?
 "The picturesque aspect of the pioneer days, of what James M. Swank calls the old and dying ways that staid with our fathers so long, why, all that's worth a book in itself And all that is going to be recorded"
 Miss Armes has been receiving letters from all over the state. The most wide spread interest is shown in the prospec- tive book, and though the work is big undertaking, 1t will be accomplished within six months. It will be issued by the Houghton Mifflin Publishing com pany of Boston, and all business details are in the hands of Truman Y. Aldrich.
 A number of prominent me.i, although not connected with the history, are much interested in it as a public enterprise of importance to the state, and working to the end that it shall be an accomplished fact, among them Robert Jemison, Jr., Walker Percy, General Clark. General Rhodes, A. L. Fulenwider, Sterling Wood, president of the Commercial club Ross Smith, Hill Ferguson, Wilson Brown, Mayor Ward and several others.
 The following letter pertaining to the late John T. Milner from MT. J. w. Du- Bose has been received:
 Miss Ethel Armes:
 "The public announcement of your pro- ject to prepare so invaluable a work In the interest of our state as a history of the iron industry, must be allowed to jus- tify me, I trust in this volunteer effort to interest you.
 q am sure the private papers of the late Col. John T. Miner must contain two speeches made by him, and both of which were published in The Age-Herald. The earlier speech was delivered at Cullman and the other at Birmingham. In the lat ter speech the orator gave an account of the origin of the Louisville and Nash vile railroad system and shows his own initial part in the fact. This is most interesting particular In the history of Birmingham and all that the town stands for. It has been Ignored so far as I know.
 q presume in Colonel Miners papers may be found a bound volume of papers containing his report on the survey of the road from Birmingham to Decatur.
 "All told, Mllner Is the central figure in the movements to open the iron indus tries of Jefferson county
 'In the Senate (Ala) Journal of 1898 you will find a very valuable paper from him.
 ''In the private papers of the late Col. D s. Troy you will no doubt find an elab- crate account from him of the initial of the coke industry in Alabama. This is a fundamental that cannot be well ignored in your great work. The paper was pub lished in the Montgomery Advertiser"
 w. T. Underwood, writing to Miss Armes from Williamsburg, Ky, observed:
 "To Mr H. F. DeBardeleben, MT. T. H. Aldrch, Colonel Soss, MT. T. T. Hiflman and a few others; encouraged by Presi- dent Milton H. Smith of the Louisville and Nashville railroad, is the credit of beginning the wonderful development of that district principally due.'
 Yes" remarked MT. George B. McCor- mack MT. Underwood knows, only" Mir. Mccormack paused, ines liable to leave out w. T. Underwood, if we don't take care. Speaking of Mir. Milton F. Smith too much can't be said about hls work in the develonment of this state,