The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1910-03-31
Steel City Is Close to Real In
dustrial Heart of Biz
mingham District
NO VACANT HOUSES
FOUND IN WHOLE CITY
Real Estate Is in Healthy, Conserya-
tive Condition and Dealers Do Not
Want to Create Anything Like
Boom In That Section
BY WALTER HARPER

1ndef the roar ana snap OF the nedVy
machinery OF the steel mill and fur
naces, the steam shovel at Corey, the
bs wing of engineers laying off a new
steel plant to the southwest, the hiss of
the hosting engine at numerous mines.
the people of Ensley are giving voice to
chorus of prosperity.
Enslev is close to the heart of indus
trial activity in the Birmingham district
and through her the Greater City feels
the pulse of an industrial awakening that
may astonish even those who believe they
are most familiar with conditions.
A man high up in the construction de-
partment of the United States Steel cor
poration who arrived a few days ago to
assist in the preliminary work of build
ing the new wire plant of the Ameri-
can Steel and Wire company, said to a
business man of Ensley, You people do
not seem to realize the great things that
are in store for this city and district.
Developments are bound to follow the
large extensions of the Steel corporation,
developments that possibly no man can
fully appreciate until they are upon us.
Figures and estimates are not satisfying
and are hard to comprehend
Mcdowell Talks
NJ. H Mcdowell, member of the Br-
mingham City Council, and one of the
prominent business men of Ensley, said ::
"Of course all eyes are turned toward
the stumpy field where Corey is to be
built and where millions of dollars are to
be expended in the erection of new and
vastly important industries. Hundreds of
men are already at work out there and
hundreds more will be put to work in the
next few weeks.
There is a feature about the building
of Corey that is quite important to my
mind This will be the limit of residen-
tial development toward the west and
south for perhaps many years to come.
All the land to the west and south of
Corey has been taken up by the Steel
corporation for industrial purposes. When
Corey is built and developed the devel-
opment will turn east and north again.
The movement of filling up will extend
back through Ensley and toward Br-
mingham. OF course, steady developments
will continue all over the district, as for
the past several years, but the spreading
out to the south and west will stop at
Corey"
Cemetery Improvements
J. B. Simms, vice president and gen.
eral manager of the Oakland Cemetery
company declared that the intention of
the company is to make of the old Oak
land burying ground the most beautiful
and attractive in the greater city. He
said: I'VE have about % acres now avail
able and the company, which is regular
ly incorporated. is spending considerable
money in the work of laying out lots and
identifying the grounds. We will spend
$4,000 or $4,000 before we are done.
THE cemetery will be operated on the
perpetual care system and every modern
idea has been adopted in the scheme. This
section of the greater city is developing
very rapidly and there is need for a
first class burying ground"
High Cost of Living
D. J. Hummer attorney, said: There
is but one thing in the way of great
prosperity among all classes of people in
Ensley and the entire district. 1t is the
high cost of living. A great bulk of
the money that is earned by the laboring
man is spent necessarily for food and
other necessaries of life. But this condi-
ton is not peculiar to Ensley or the Biz
mingham district. l suppose we are do
ing as well or better than many other
sections"
sheldon the Washwoman
] Fl. Sheldon, the busy washerwoman
of the Steel City. said: "Wthin five years
from now the territory included in the
original boundaries of Ensley will have a
population of $4,000 with proportionate
increase in the number of people hang
ing around the edges.
"By the way. have you seen my new
laundry? We opened for business about
one year ago now and there is nothing
in the way of improved machinery and
other utilities for washing clothes that
has not been installed. We have recently
had to buy new machines and employ
more help to keep UP with the work.
We claim the neatest and best equipped
laundry in the city of Birmingham"
Business Is Conservative
James A. Dupuy, ex-councilman of the
CITY of Ensley, said: Business in all
lines is good. Real estate movement is
conservative. We are trying to hold this
condition Conservatism is safe. We do
not want any boom In real estate activ-
ity Things are just as we would have
them in this section"
Postofice Receipts
Postmaster ]. X. Thomas strained his
vest buttons with just one extra pound
of power as he gave the information that
the business of the postoffice had been
better and larger for the past four weeks
than ever before in the history of Ems
ley. Taking the business in the postoffice
as n guide" said Mr.. Thomas "Ensley
is doing more business than ever before.
The outlook is very encouraging. ] have
here in my hand the final plans for the
new postofice building to be erected on
Nineteenth street and Avenue G. The
lot has already been bought These
plans are being sent to answer the last
request of the department. Work will
probably begin within the next six
months The building will cost 100000"
New Paved streets
Two good features will come as a re-
suit of the building Of the new city of
Corey" said ]. M. Perkins. "One will be
the paving of Avenue e out to and
through the new town. This will give
an excellent driveway of two miles from
the center of Ensley straight through
Corey to the main entrance of the new
steel plant. There is also a movement
on foot to connect the paving with the
pike road through to Birmingham.
''The other feature of Importance will