The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-05-29
STEEL OFFICIALS
 SEE LOCAL PLANT
Robinson and Thorp Delighted
 With Birmingham
TALK OF WORK AT GARY
MT. Robinson, Who Had Not Been Here for Eighteen Years, Mar
 veIed at the Great Strides
 Birmingham Has Made.

l. w. Robinson and G. G. Thorp of Chicago, high officials of constituent com panies of the United States Steel corpor- auon, who arrived in Birmingham Tues day. returned north yesterday at noon. MT. Robinson is first vice president and MT. Ihorp is second vice president of the Illinois Steel, and MT. Thorp is first vice and MT. Robinson is second vice president of the Indiana Steel company, Which is building the town of Gary, Ind, with the most stupendous steel plant in the world. Both of these gentlemen are operating officials and are known to be among the ablest connected with the United States Steel corporation. MT. 1 Thorp, as first vice president of the Ind ; ana Steel, is in charge of the construction work at Gary, where S10O, O,OO0,0oO is being expended. AS man prominent in the ! iron and steel trade, but not connected 1 with any of the corporations, remarked yesterday, MT. Thorp has on his hands the work of greatest magnitude perhaps on this continent, with the exception of the Panama canal He is only 40 years of lage.
 MT. Robinson is some years Mr. Thorp's senior, and as first vice president of the lllnols Steel is potential man in the great steel organization. He is one of the steel veterans, so to speak, and in working equipment is one of the best all round men in the industrial world.
 Accompanied by President George G. crawford and Vice President F. H.. .Crockard of the Tennessee company. MT. -Hobinson and MT. Thorp inspected the steel and furnace plants at Ensley, visited the Bessemer division, looked over red ana brown ore and coal properties and wound up their inspection yesterday morning with a trip to the dolomte quarry at Ketona
 In view of the high reputation of the 1 two visitors more than ordinary inn portance is attached to their comments on the Birmingham district and the united States Steels Tennessee com pAnles properties in particular. Both ex- pressed themselves to a representative or ; ne Age-Herald yesterday as being great iy pleased with what they had seen. It was MT Thorp's first visit to the district anu 'n was the first time in IS years that MT. Robinson had been here. l when asked what he tt ught of the district MT Robinson said We'll to be- gin with l will say that the city of Br- iningham itself is enough to make a yis- 1 itor open his eyes. I was here inst IS years ago. You had no Ensey then and not very much of a town Of course I have been hearing of Birmneha,n,s rand progress in recent years and was familiar
 "-th the large industrial development taking place here, but the city today is revelation to me. I had no idea of finding. such a solid business town or such city elegance. All this seems ma-- vicious to me-that so much has been done in comparatively so short a time ] Now as to the district and especially the Tennessee company, in which we take, naturally, lively interest, we are most favorably impressed. The capitalists 1 who formed the syndicate that acquired the Tennessee company about two years and half ago found they had A great property and began to develop it on strong and modern lines. I wish to give them full credit for the excellent start they made. Their coming was a good thing for the district. But the entrance of the United States Steel corporation was even bigger thing for Birminy- ham. As has been remarked, the Ten nessee company has now changed hands for the last time. The Steel corpora ton is here to stay and develop
 ''The new steel plant at Ensley is a model in design and construction Mir. Thorp and are delighted with it and we are expecting it to make great records in production.
 MT. Crawford and MT. Crockard have kept us busy. We have certainly seen a lot during our short visit, and we leave more than satisfied with the way things are going here"
 MT. Thorp, who was standing by while MT. Robinson was being interviewed as- sented to every thing that was said He thought the steel mill was right up-to- date and was fine example of scientific construction.
 MT Thorp said that the work at Gary was progressing satisfactorily and that the great plant there would be ready for operation by the first of January next.