The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-05-31

, Birmingham and l could talk all night
 about my good impressions of the town
 and then not be through Every one l
 have met here Is the kind Of person that one likes to meet. But outside of your
 hospitality which can't be excelled, and coming down stricsly to business, this
 town and this territory is a wonder. My
 department handles the coal question and the Birmingham district will keep us busy You may rest assured that the Illinois Central railroad will do it's best here, too.
 This city of Birmingham-the Magic City l believe you call it-really appears
 to a newcomer as a city built by magic.
 But no magiclan's wand can make it vanish, for Birmingham is here for all ways, the only difference being that in the
 future 1t will have grown to great propor
 tons. There is a good, steady hustle to
 this town that speaks well for the town and it's people,
 Chief Engineer A. s. Baldwin of the
 Illinois Central, despite the strain upon
 himself and his department in building
 railroad through, around and over Ala
 bama's rugged mountains, has sufficient strength left to speak of good word for
 Alabama's largest city. His words were: ''I used to live in Birmingham several years ago. But while 1 have been away for a long while the impression Birmng-
 ham made upon me during my residence
 
 bearing to grow brighter each day, rather i, than dinner. Birmingham struck me as being splendid town then and now it has grown so much better that no words are left in the English language capable of expressing my sentiments. The town has developed at a tremend-
 ous rate since then in every way. 1 thought then that the town was a great one, but now I realize that with all the
 
 ] then that it is still wearing infant s clothes compared to the mantle of great ness being woven for it. The old hospital : ity of the town is still with 1t. and It Is
 appreciated. Birmingham forever, is all I can say"
 ''I thought I would find Birmingham q
 smutty, industrial smoky town said F. ! C.. Rendell, superintendent of transporta- ton of the Mobile and Ohio railroad yes terday. but to my surprise you have the most bedutiful residence sections have ever witnessed.
 "I was carried this afternoon through the Highland section and for artistic taste of construction, beautiful scenic effects and delightful homes, Birmingham takes the cake.
 Few cities have such well-cleaned | smooth pavements, such nicely cleaned and well-kept sidewalks. I know what
  opens a new field of admiration for me" Within ten years Birmingham will be a city of 300, 900 people," said H. McCourt, general superintendent of the Illinois Central, with headquarters at Memphis 'I say that after looking over your city
 and talking with your progressive citi- zens.
 I've all know what your resources are, but when it becomes evident that you have not even begun to pick the earth and now that you are entering into a rev era of development, think that esti- mate is conservative. Memphis bases her strength on com- inercial and mercantile activity, but Bir- | mingham's is founded on the solid rock | of resource This is destined to become | the greatest town In the south, and that within few years"
 ! O. w Longstreet, general freight age I of the Illinois Central, of Memphis, sad : l q would have to take day off to tell | you what I think of Birmingham J. F. Titus. assistant to President J. T. Harahan of the Illinois Central, re- | marked:
 "In asking my opinion of Birmingham. you have asked me question hard to | answer on account of my fitness of good | thoughts for the city. A few minutes would not suffice to explain. for the saying of one good thing could only be followed by many more, each of which would be trailed by countless others. But in nutshell this is splendid city with splendid opportunities. It has tremendous resources, which means perpetual life for it. and the populace appears to be of the | kind that will make the best of it. A genial, hospitable people with big lot of business activity in their systems is | the kind you have, and this is the Kind l that make great city.
 "It would only be natural for me to | say that the entrance of my road into | Birmingham is a great thing for the | town, but outside of my railroad connee- | ton with Birmingham, and as plain American. I think it is great thing. ] Mutual development is bound to follow 1 for both road, city and district. and in | this progress the Illinois Central will do | it's utmost to shove Birmingham another | notch higher. hope to have the pleas | ure of visiting Birmingham many more 1 times"
 <, G. H. Groce, superintendent of tee- | graph of the Illinois Central, lived in Bir- | mingham 20 years ago. and his remarks | were:
 q lived here In 1887, and it would take | a book to tell what I think of the de- | velopment since then. soft spot for | Birmingham has always been in my | heart, but cutting out the affection, this 1 district is a vertable promised land. The 1 mineral wealth means eternal life, and | with the hustling people in the town you l are bound to make the best of these op-
 portunities"
 q C Cameron general freight agent of | all Illinois Central lines, said ! T have seen a great deal of Birming 1 ham recently, and am familiar. of course. 1 with traffic conditions here. The value | of this district as a traffic center cannot l well be overestimated. Birmingham has | a great future and is destined to grow at | rapid rate"
 is based upon it's coal lands primarily, and dependent upon not it's own iron. ! but that derived from territory lying a <, thousand miles away. Now the three i great centers of the worlds iron and coal ! industry, Great Britain, Germany and