The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1908-09-21
WOODMEN Of WORLD
HAVE NEW SCHEME
Members of Order Will be Sent
To Healing Springs
REMINDER OF WAR TIMES
Old Pontoon Boat Sunk In Pearl River
During the War Has Been Brought
to the Surface and Is
Well Preserved.
OF WAR TIMES

The Woodmen Of the World have a great
scheme for prolonging life to their thou
sands of members in this state and it
may be that in a short while they will
be able to do away with the trouble
some assessment to raise funds to settle
death benefits, as there will be no deaths
that is not for years to come.
1t was discovered not long since that
the many bold and magnificent springs
that boil up out OF the everlasting hills
and hollows of Amite county, in the vi
cinity Of Gloster, contain the most won
derful medisinal and curative properties
This discovery created a great deal of
enthusiasm around Gloster and the Wood
men of the World there determined to
put their knowledge to good use. Going
quietly to work they made careful and
scientific investigation of the claims that
were made for the springs. The investi-
CATION was entirely satisfactory and the
members of the great order purchased
all the lands contiguous to the Yazoo and
Mississippi Valley railroad.
A movement has now been started to
establish a mammoth sanitarium for the
good of the Order of the Woodman of
the World, and it is stated that the
proposition is being taken hold of in a
way that betokens great and immediate
success.
The Woodmen of Gloster declare this
locality where the springs are located the
Hot Springs of Mississippi" and are
convinced that ere long those twisted up
with rheumatic pains will be able to
find just as prompt relief there, as at
the Arkansas resort.
The Woodmen of the World is one of
the very strongest fraternal orders in
Mississippi, and If the members take
stock like it is believed they will do on
the assurances of their Gloster brethren,
the sanitarium will soon be an assured
fact.
A reminder of war times and the stir
ring days of the COS appeared in jack
son today, and has been viewed by scores
of people, especially of the older citi-
zens who were here then and some of
whom may have taken advantage of its
assistance in getting out of town on
short notice.
During the war, when Grants army
was knocking at the doors of Jackson,
the Confederate forces evacuated the
town and burned the bridge that let them
across the Pearl. The federal army
Y ankee army, as 1t was called then-built
a pontoon bridge on which It crossed to
the Rankin side of the river, and for
several years after the war this pontoon
bridge was all that spanned the Pearl
at this point. In course of time an
other bridge was built and the pontoon
bridge gave way and the boats were sup
posed to have fioated off down stream.
However, it now appears that at least
one of them went to the bottom of the
river. There it filled with sand and has
remained more than 40 years. The chan
mel of the river has changed somewhat
of late and in securing out a new course
this old pontoon boat was brought to
the surface and now sees the light of day
for the first time since about 1866. 1t is
30 feet long, four feet wide, three feet
deep and well preserved.
representative of one of the biggest
manufacturers of road building machinery
in the United States was in Jackson to-
day and made arrangements with the
management of the State Fair to give
q practical demonstration of the work
that is done by these machines the first
days of the fair, October % and 20, and 1t
is hoped that boards of supervisors in
every county in the state will have at
least two delegates to attend this dem
onstration as 1t is believed that it will
give great impetus to Improvement of the
highways of the state than anything that
could be suggested. But for the demon
stration made here by the Illinois Cen
trail railroad several years ago it is
doubtful If a county in the state would
even now be out from under the old
slipshod methods of working public roads
with shovels and hoes.