The interior journal. [volume] (Stanford, Ky.) 1905-1910, 1910-05-20
"A TRIP THRO' SOUTH TO
CONFEDERATE REUNION.
Clarence Coleman Writes Inter-.
estingly OF His Travels In
Southern Cities.
LOUISVILLE. May II.

contributor for the news columns OF the
cheapest and best" since a mere kid,
yet this is my first intrusion since the
change IN management; and | confess
1t Is with some hesItancy that ! break
the monotony OF protracted silence. /
have not as yet fairly recovered from
the shock of Ed Walton's quitting the
tripod-and am at loss to know what
he will do with his erstwhile busy self.
IL must be lonesome rest to Ed to
quit the strenuous life of a country
newspaper publisher. editor, business
manager, news-gatherer, collector, dew
il, ct al of the |. j., of which he had
been part and parcel for so many
years, or before the advent of the wri-
ter on this mundane sphere. We are
glad to be numbered among the friends
of the former editor, and they are le-
gion; and we wish him unbounded sue
cess in whatever avocation or profess
ion he may choose to follow.
As to the new management, COM
mendation would be superfluous. Mr..
Sauhey. while a young man, has long
been in the harness, and is an A news
paper man. His many years service
on the Journal at the State capital
proved his making" and ability in that
line. We wish the |. j. the same sue
cess under the new regime that at
tended il uninterruptedly for nearly
two score years under the Waltons. 1t
might be of interest to the new editor
to know that the writer learned his
letters from the big caption title page
and ads. of the INTERIOR JOURNAL; and
in fact we learned to read from the
old |. j
| wish to chronicle briefly a few
points regarding a recent Gulf-Coast
jaunt which carried the writer through
six of the Southern States, viz: Ken
lucky, Tennessee, Alabama, Mississ-
ippi. Louisiana and Florida. At $50
.. m. on the evening of April 23d, ac-
companied by my brother-in.law, W.
b Adams, a young and prosperous
druggist of Louisville. we boarded the
fast flying New Orleans limited L. &
N. train for Mobile, Ala, where we
were going to attend the Confederate
reunion. Midnight found US lunching
at Bowling Green. and Nashville was
reached about 2:30 a. m Shortly after
day break we were speeding through
''Ole Alabam," making Birmingham at
about $3.50. or in time for breakfast.
with population of about
loo, 900, is the metropolis of Alabama.
The growth of Birmingham has been
little less than phenomenal, and the
city is justly entitled to the appellation,
the "Pittsburg of the South" there
being no less than a score of iron and
coal mines and steel mills within the
boundaries of greater Bir-
mingham. The writer attended the
reunion at Birmingham
two years ago. and while there visited
a number of the big steel mills and
mines. There is bright future for
which is destined to be
one of the great cities and industrial
centers of the new South. Already the
city has two sky-scrapers that eclipse
anything that we have in Louisville, a
city of almost double the population of
the Alabama town.
Montgomery, the capital city of Ala
bama, and the first capital of the Con-
federacy. was reached in time for din
ner This is an up-to-date city of about
SIS, 600 souls and is growing rapidly. II
Is an important railroad center, and Is
located on the beautiful Alabama river,
which is navigable for large-sized river
craft. The exact spot where Jefferson
Davis stood while taking the oath of
Office as President of the Confederate
States of America in the Alabama State
capitol building then used as the c.
S. A. cspitol-is marked by a brass
star. The old capitol building is in a
fine state of preservation aud has been
remodeled with numerous additions
since the war between the States. and
is still the seat Of government and the
regular meeting place for the Solons.
The run from Montgomery to Mobile.
nearly 200 miles, takes the traveller
through the yellow pine belt and low
lands of Alabama. Tens of thousands
of acres of valuable yellow pine have
fallen to the woodlands axe within the
past few years. The turpentine indus
try in this region furnishes employment
to thousands, and is a source of profit
to the "pne orchard" owner. Thous-
ands of acres of "boxed" pines can be
seen from the car window in the Gulf
States of Alabama. Mississippi. Louis
lana and Florida This is also a great
industry in south Georgia and the Caro-
linas What DO mean by "boxed?"
Well. the pine tree is boxed" pretty
much as the sugar tree maple is tap
ped " Small tin cups are securely at
tached. The cups when filled with the
pine sap are emptied into barrels and
carried to a nearby still. where il Is
distilled into turpentine and put on the
market.
While the great pine forests have
been so ruthlessly slaughtered during
the past few years, vet the people are
awakening to the dilemma. and many
young pine orchards-that is what they
call them-are to be seen from the car
window. And what would the Ken
lucky cross-tie man think of a cross
tie orchard? Well, the L. & N. has
several such orchards along its lines in
southern Alabama; thousands of acres
set in catalpa or catawba trees. In the
orchards we passed the trees were small;
had only been transpIanted year or
50. but were growing off nicely. An
official of the l.. & NJ road. an old
freight conductor. told us thata good.
sound catalpa tie was good for 80 years.
while five years was the average life
l IL. Al. b,,k xuharo IL thu daafar IN,