The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-09-26
SHEFFIELD CITY IF MANY ADVANTAGE Working Hard for Better Rail-
 road Facilities RISE AZ TER BOOM COLLAPSE People Are Now Aggressive, Nature Has Seen Kind and City Bids
 Fair to Take It's De-
 served Place.
RISE AZ TER BOOM COLLAPSE
BY HUGH W. ROBERTS.

oHelieiu, september 1o.-(Specfal.)-1t Is said that when Andrew Jackson at the head of his ri1emen reached many years ago, this eetion of the country. he made the remark:
 Here is the garden spot of the world"
 The great leader foresaw a great city and a greater development.
 When in 1884 the old Habbler plantation had been transformed into a modern boom town. 1t was believed from one sec tion of the state to another that the dream of Andrew Jackson was material. l. izing. It then appeared even to the con- servative mind that Sheffield was bound. to become one. of the south's greatest cities There 1t sat on the banks of the navigable, Tennessee, holding in its palm furnaces, machine shops, pipe works, railroad manufacturing plants. stately buildings, a street car system, paved walks, fine roads and thrifty people just come from every part of the coun- try. And but yesterday. 1t seemed the site of Sheffield was the plantation-one of the richest in the state-of the Hab bier family. And in 1886 Habbler. for two corner lots, paid as much money as he had received for his entire territory,
 After the Panic.
 In 1888 came a panic. The bottom fell out of Sheffield. It's people rushed else where to escape the impending doom. Buildings became vacant The freight trains, bearing light loads, scurried through the county. The smoke of the furnace was seen no more. The specu- lator had got his money and disappeared It looked as if Sheffield like Rome, had entered upon the period of decay.
 At this time, shrewd business men in- vested in real estate.
 In 1895, affairs woke up. The hum of industry was again heard. No utoplan dreams were pictured. We can sue ceed," it was said. If we workl"
 And the people got wise. Affairs re- stunned the normal and have remained normal And Sheffield, while 1t will never 1t is probable reach the proportions of Jackson's prophecy, will always be n thriving little city of good schools, good climate, good health, good business and good prospects.
 Excellent Street Car System.
 For city of it's size, there Is no better street car system in the world than in Sheffield. And nowhere do its cars touch a railroad track. There are no death traps in Sheffield, and in this respect, it's people are more civilized than those of Birmingham. They have viaducts every where. Here car goes under a bridge provided for the trains Here the car goes over the bridge and the train under. And at the crossings no Death, with It's scythe, stands guard. At the head of the street car system here is McClary, for merly in charge of the Birmingham sys- tenn.
 The school system of Sheffield is good. There are two newspapers. the Standard. weekly. and the Tri-City Daily, the former edited by E. M. Ragland. and the latter by M. s. Hansbrough. There are five or six modern furnaces, pipe works plant, the Southern railroad shops, and half a dozen other industries, the payrolls of which are healthy There are two banks. the Peoples and the Sheffield na- tional, The city is full of churches.
 Poor Railroad Facilities.
 Sheffield has always been handicapped by lack of railway facilities. this fact no doubt going long way in explaining why the city has never realized big pro- portions to which, judging from the lay- ish endowment of nature, it seems enti- tied. With the exception of the Northern Alabama, branch of the Southern, no passenger train touches Sheffield. line of the Southern running from Memphis through northern Alabama to Chatta- nooga passes through Tuscuunbia, and to this little city, those desiring to leave Sheffield are compelled to go. This train connects at Decatur with the Louisville and Nashville. and in this way, Birming- ham is reached. By the Northern Ala bama, 1t requires half a day to make the Journey from Sheffield to Birmingham
 H. B. Urquhart, president of the Shef- field National bank and Sheffield Commer- cial club, and who was formerly cashier of the American Trust of Birmingham, Is working with tooth and nail to bring prosperity and development to Sheffield. He states that tho southern has agreed to- run It's line from Memphis through shef- field. He states that the Commercial club is working to an end that the Louisville and Nashville will connect It's line from Columbia, Tenn, to it's line out Nf Bir- mingham. In this way, Sheffield will be in touch, with the world When railroad facilities are secured, it is believed that Sheffield will become one of the leading little cities of northern Alabama.
 Cheap Iron Manufactured.
 Sheffield, Mir Urquhart declares, can manufacture iron at $1 per ton cheaper than Birmingham, and by means of the river, can get 1t to market at cheaper rates. He points out too, that in the Tennessee river there is the second great est hndeveloped water power in the world, Mussel shoals. He points out that Sena- tor Bankhead is working at the present time for large appropriation by means of which to develop the latent power of the shoals. When this is done" he says. there will be enough power to turn the industrial wheels of the entire state of Alabama
 The citizens of Sheffield point with pride to the big stack of the Sloss Shef. field Co.,, which for continuous operation has broken the record of the world. This is the Hattie" stack of 15O tons per day capacity. This furnace, with the exception of 20 days, has been operated continuously for six years, turning out during that time an average of 200 tons per day.
 It was noticed, however, that around the Sheffeld< furnaces there are stacked at the present time many tons of pig iron This, with the present resuscitation of the market. will no doubt be disposed of immediately.
 The Soil ls Rich.
 The soil of Colbert county is rich, and all products of the more southern countie, of the state are grown here. The Ten nessee river is broad, powerful and navi- gable. Under the soil are deposits of minerals and stones. The scenery is as beautiful as that around the Warrior in Tuscaloosa.
 It is garden spot. and that 1t Is not great is one of the puzzles which master minds have not yet solved. The marvel fs fkok al ov-A