The Democrat-sentinel. [volume] (Logan, Ohio) 1906-1935, 1908-01-23
LETTER FROM
HARRY BROWN

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THE DEMOCRAT -SENTINEL-I will
endeavor to tell you something
about the city of Bessemer, Ala.
where / have lived for the pas
two years.
Bessemer is situated in Jefferson
county, IL miles south of Birming'
ham, in the heart of the indus
trial section of Alabama. Having
an average altitude of eight hun
dred feet above sea level, it enjoys
a climate that knows the extremes
of neither heat nor cold. While
not laid out until 1885 it has
leaped into prominence and has
come to stay.
Five railroad lines enter the
city, giving it transportation fa-
cilities to every point in the United
States. 1t is very healthy city,
the white death rate being only
10 to a thousand.
1t is well-paved, we'll lighted
orderly city. The sidewalks are
all constructed of furnace Stag and
cement. The electric lights are
furnished from Birmingham. The
Birmingham Ry. Light and Power
Co. operate two traction lines be-
tween Birmingham and Bessemer
and run cars on each line every
thirty minutes. The fare is fifteen
cents.
Bessemer has population of
fifteen thousand in the corporate
limits and almost as many more in
radias of two miles from the
center of the city.
There are, within two miles of
the Bessemer Court house, eight
blast furnaces, one rolling mill,
five foundries, one fire brick
works, fourteen hundred coke
ovens, one fertilizer mandatory
and smaller industries such as saw
mills, cornice works, bottling fac
tories, ice factory, etc.
In addition there is large pipe
foundry that makes cast iron water
pipe in sizes from three inches to
six feet in diameter. They also
make special castings of all kinds
and sizes. The out put of this
plant is shipped all over the coun-
try. Just recently they have sup
piled large amount of pipe to
Los Angeles, CAL, Denver, Col,
and New Orleans, La. The pig
iron melted at this works alone
will reach the enormous amount
of seventy-tive thousand tons per
year. They employ about seven
hundred and fifty men, and under
the management of Mr.. V. Fergu-
son, formerly from the Hooking
Valley, have averaged twenty-five
days running, per month, for the
past seven years.
There are two good public
schools for whites) besides sever
al private schools. There are sew
eral negro schools but, as rule,
they are not we'll attended. The
negro children are usually put to
work as soon as they can get any
thing to do, and if they can make
enough the keep the family, the
old folks do nothing.
There is fine public library,
churches of almost all denomina-
tions and various secret organiza-
tions, among which the X. of P.
takes the lead.
The Drug stores and Dry Goods
stores here are up-to-date and we'll
kept. The grocery stores and
meat markets are very poor and
will not compare with the stores in
the same line of business in Lo-
gan.
There is not saloon in the city
now, the county having gone dry
January 1, 1908. This fact is
having a very marked effect on
the criminal docket and the police
court. there have been fewer ar
rests in the ten days since January
l, than ever before in the same
length of time since the city was
Incorporated. II. S. BRowN.