The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-02-04
UNIQUE MISCELLANEY OF
 UNCOMMON INDUSTRIES
By LILY ". LYKEs

1 week and half of. time is usually spent | in completing one limb as the work it. self is slow, but between r and l5 are under construction all the time, and the | life of these anatomy endorsements ranges from five to seven years
 The Birmingham district uses the Bir- mngham artificial limb to the exclusion of the outside article and before many months the plant will be given a larger opportunity 10 manufacture, as at present the capacity is taxed and the growing orders demand larger facilities.
 American Bolt Company
 Many times one can remember a certain array of spikes that resembled an in yerted comb stopping his progress down the railroad tracks in rural districts. but no connection was made between that hindranee and the American Bolt com pany at East Birmingham, where many hundreds of these are. made weekly for the protection of cattle against locomo- tive engines in all parts of the coun- try. This is one of the largest of the local smaller industries, employing about 1iJ men, having their own railroad tracks cooperage machinery for the extra heavy barrel and keg tops for the shipping of their products and using Birmingham made Hardie-Tynes engine as the motive power for the entire outfit of belt ma chnery From the roof of this plant, the
 
 into the bolts, nuts and washers can be seen, for il all lies in the Birmingham district. Ensley and Bessemer convert the ore from Red mountain into bar iron for the hungry grasp of the big machines at the American shop, to be later freight ed as tons and tons of vari-styled mus and bolts and cattle guards. Until one sees the stock room of this factory, it is hardly possible to imagine the hundreds Of sizes of nuts and bolts made, grad uating from the tiniest to the massive corrugated rounds of iron used in the great steel bridges and other gigantic constructions. With the full development of the fuel oil of the Fayette county field that is expected to supercede the Louis jana wells the manufacture of these necessities will be accomplished without the interstate importation of anything but box cars
 Frog and Switch Plant
 So situated as to permit sight of natures green in the spring across the adjacent meadows yet belted with rail- roads that put it's production in marts Of the trade centers. the Kilby Frog and Switch company stands about three blocks to the east at the end of the North Bir- mingham car line. Again the Ensley rail enters into the composition of Birmingham commodity, in the make up of the frogs and switches for railroads made there. The payroll includes between 100 and 15O men. which is adequate to operate at the full capacity now being used.
 The Birmingham frog and switch is more extensively used from Washington to this city and south of Chattanooga than elsewhere. as the Pennsylvania mills which produce their own rail, thereby cutting the middlemans profit on steel rail or iron. place their output very thoroughly in the other parts of the country. But luckily. the Birmingham brand is of exceptional quality and these railroad parts are very much needed. so the Kilby company has become an integral part of this citys accumulation of industries.
 Great Southern Automobile
 Only two years of age and housed in long brick building that tops knoll rising direct from the sidewalk Birming- hams motor car factory, the Great South ern Automobile company, strictly a home firm, constructs models with the passing of each year that are excelled by no other make of cars of the 50 and 3o horsepower type. The most up to date machinery for assembling and finishing the structural parts, along with the pres ent force of 50 skilled workingmen, is busy many hours a day perfecting pro posed innovations and the cast already in use. The 1912 speciality from this plant will be the 90 horsepower foredoor .fVe passenger tourer with self starter at tached and this is to be followed with car adapted for twofolk mission Wlth interchangeable arrangements that it can serve as a roadster, garden truck or diary wagon for the out of town dweller and rural householder. The price of the Birmingham automobile is being rated on a descending scale, as each car utll- itv is met, while the gradual cementing of the factory organization, the expert
 nd rOmnl0ted d. iustment of the construction departments will be factors in the ultimate upbuild- ing of this popular line of transit ve- hicles.