The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1909-05-16
Marble Works and Cotton
Mills Are Big Industries
OFFICIALS ARE HUSTLERS
City Owns Light and Water Plant
Which Turns $500 Surplus
Into City Treasury
Every Year.
BY WALTER HARPER.

thing l saw when l stepped from the
train in Sylacauga this morning was a
modern water wagon sprinkling the
street. Here is a progressive town." 1
decided
found Mayor S. P. Mcdonald and
County Commissioner e. A Hammett out
on the edge of the town building d good
road. They had their coats off. More
evidence of enterprise.
In Mayor McDonald's private office, in
the rear of the First National bank, Of
which he Is president, Mr. Mcdonald told
me that Sylacaugas annual Industrial pay
roll exceeds 1925, O00
Sylacauga owns and operates it's own
water and light plant, and has an excel
lent sewerage system. The electric light
and water plant turns surplus of about
$500 back into the town treasury every
year. The water is from n large spring
in the edge of the town, and is pure and
wholesome. The two plants were built
in 1905 at a cost of $4,000.
The Alabama Marble company is one
of the largest concerns in the town. 1t
has $4,000 capital and has a monthly
pay roll of 1900. The quality of the
marble is very fine and has attracted at
tention in all parts of the world The
plant is equipped with every modern APP
pliance for handling the product. Henry
Evans of New York is president and John
S. Sewell is general manager.
Another enterprise of importance is the
Central mills, of which Gov. B. B. Conner
is president This is said to be the largest
mill in the country making hosiery yarn
exclusively. 1t has $4,000 spindles and con-
sumes about 5000 bales of cotton annually.
]. A. Shinn is acting manager.
The Marble City Yarn mills is also an
important small industry. 1t has 1000
spindles. D. L. Lewis is owner. These
two mills consume more than half the
cotton handled in the Sylacauga market,
The Alabama High Grade Brick COM
pany has capacity of $1,000 hard brick
per day. 1t is one of the best equipped
plants of the kind in the state. F. M.
Van Deusen is president and r. T. Van
Deusen is secretary and treasurer.
Sylacauga has a $4,000 cotton oil plant,
managed by w. A Burns.
The Sylacauga Lumber company, capt.
talized at $4,000, manufactures boxes for
the yarn mills and gives employment to
a large number of men. w. o. Peace is
owner and general manager.
The lumber and turpentine interests in
this section of Taladega county is no
small item and adds greatly to the indus
trial prosperity of the town and sec
ton.
The Fourth District Agricultural school
is located here. The commencement ex-
ercises are now in progress The term
just closing has been the most successful
since the organization of the school Prof
G. H. Thigpen is president. The Syla-
cauga city schools have been combined
with the agricultural school up to this
time, but under a new ruling of the de-
partment of education they are being
separated. The town is preparing to erect
a $4,000 building. This will probably be
ready for the next term.
The local Masons and Odd Fellows are
preparing for the erection of $4,000 tenn
pie Brick and stone will be used in
the construction, and the building will
be on a modern design.
Sylacauga has four large standard
warehouses, with a total capacity Of
1900 bales of cotton. This Is the av-
erage amount of cotton handled here dur
ing the year.
There are two banks, one newspaper
three railroads and machine shop
The officers of the First National bank
are S. P. Mcdonald, president, and F.
M. Mcdonald, cashier.
The officers of the Merchants and
Planters bank are j. w. Brown presi-
dent, and H. K. Stoclxley, cashier
The railroads touching here are the
Louisville and Nashville, the Central Of
Georgia and the Sylacauga and We
tumpka. This latter road is being built
by John L. Kaul of Birmingham and
opens up an important new timber and
agricultural section
Sylacauga is q miles from Talladega
and is In the midst of one of the finest
agricultural sections of this part of the
state.
The several small industries here, com
bined with the agricultural interests,
make Sylacauga quite an important bust
ness center The business section of the
town is built up with large and substan-
tial business structures, and the resident
sections have handsome and up-to-date
residences. Building has been unusually
active for the past year.
The Alabama marble plant, located two
miles from town, is really a revelation
to every visitor. Here is an inexhaust-
ibe supply of as fine marble as can be
found in the world. 1t has the quality
of life and durability that is rarely
found on the west side of the Atlantic
ocean, The plant for quarry1ng and fin
ishingN is equipped with all the newest
and best machinery.
I saw columns, slabs and blocks under
the polshers and In the lathes for the
Birmingham Chamber of Commerce build
ing. Superintendent w. H. Rung tells
me that this order is being pushed as
rapidly as possible. Another large or
der is being hurried for big contract at
Youngstown. o.
The process of saving, cutting and pol
fishing the marble Is most interesting
The plant covers several acres of ground
and employs a small army of men.
This industry was not affected by the
recent panic. Indeed the capacity has
been almost doubled during the past year
and still further enlargement is now be-
ing planned.
Though the quarry has been worked
systematically for several years only the
outcroppings have been touched. Tests
that have been recently made reveal an
inexhaustible supply that has never been
touched.
The finest marble is yet to be I'M
covered
Sylacauga has a population of more
than 1000 people. 1t Is known as the
MARBLE City but it has not the pro-
verbal marble heart"
It's people are not only enterprising and
thrifty but they are kind to the stranger
within their gates. They are proud Of
their growing little city and they have a
right to be-