The Birmingham age-herald., 1907-04-05
WORK ON FURNACES
 IS PROGRESSING Departments Will Be Entirely
 Rebuilt NEW REVERSING ENGINE Young White Boy Employed for First Day In Ensley Steel Plant Is Severely Cut By a Negro,
 Who Escapes.
NEW REVERSING ENGINE

Ensley, April 4.-(Special )-Work on the new furnaces and converting mill at the steel plant is progressing rapidly, and the Tennessee company has let contracts for some very extensive Improvements to be made in the rolling departments, as the output of the open hearth depart ment will be more than doubled when the new furnaces are completed.
 While 1t is believd that the present blooming mill can handle the expected in crease in the number of ingots, the pres ent rail mill was not so arranged as to meet the necessary requirements, and 1t will undergo complete changes from the hot saws to the blooming mill shears in fact, an entirely new mill will be built The present re-heating furnaces will be torn away and new ones built between where they are now located and the blooming mill shears
 All the tables and roll trains will be replaced with more modern equipment. A large reversing engine, similar to the one now in use in the blooming mill will be installed, and will probably be connected with the set of the first rough
 
 the heating furnaces now stand, and the second roughng, strand and finishing rolls will be located about where the present rolls stand.
 It is understood that a goodly portion of this new work has been let to the United Engineering company, and that there is time limit of five months for the new mill to be installed in opera tion.
 The finishing mill will also undergo some vast improvements, it being said that 7O-foot extension will be added to the building. and more. strengthening and drill presses installed.
 Negro Cuts White Boy.
 A young white boy. who had only been employed at the steel works one day, got into a dispute with Cleveland Carter, q negro gas maker at the plant, over a shovel, and the negro became enraged and cut him very severely four times.
 The most painful wound was deep gash of several inches extending from his shoulder blade down the back the others being small gashes between the shoulder blades. Fortunately the knife did not go deep enough to penetrate either lung, and no serious results are feared. The negro QaSned out or the steer pant, closely pursued by number of the em- ployes, but outdistanced them and made his escape.
 Sheriff Higdons bloodhounds were sent for, but so many worlSmen had passed over the ground that the dogs could not get the fugitive's trail, and at a late hour tonight he was still at large.
 Excitement among the employees ran high and the negro would probably have been roughly handled if he had been caught.
 "A Fighting Chance"
 At a meeting of the Thread of the Story club, which was entertained this after noon by Mrs. Alex Poss at her beautiful home on Avenue F, when the reader for the evening took up the reading of "A Fighting Chance" by Robert w. Cham bers which book was commenced at the last meeting of the club, a few of the members made strenuous objections to it's being continued, and quite a lively dis cussion ensued. Objections were finally sustained, and a committee named to se- feet a new book, which will be com menced at the next meeting.
 The most pleasing feature of the even ing was the serving of a delightful two course luncheon by the hostess. Mrs. E. B. Pennington and Mrs. John England of Birmingham and Mrs. Leo Broda were the guests of the club.