The Birmingham age-herald., 1914-10-28
BIRMINGHAM MADE A FINE IMPRESSION Visitors Enthusiastic Over
 What They Saw VISIT TO ENSLEY
Plants Marvel to Us AL" Says Simon-Farquhar Visits City After Forty-Five Years-No Need
 to Fear for Future Here

The directors and officers of the Nh . tional Chamber of Commerce who ,,o5. the trip to Ensley and Fairfield and '"e pants there were very enthusiastic over what they saw. Birmingham in keherai also made most pleasing in, . presslon. Some of the expressions heard yesterday were as follows: As soon as our party landed in Rir- mingham this morning a reporter asked me what thought about Birmingban and l laughingly told him to give me chance to see it. said Leon S. Simon or New Orleans. "The hospitable Bir- iningham people have certainly given us tho privilege of seeing 1t today. and all Of us are enthusiastic over what we saw
 "fhe plant of the Tennessee com peny,' declared Mr. Simon, was a mar vel 10 us all. l for one had never seen snch plant before and I was particu- iarly Impressed with the fact that while It Is commonly believed that such n plant isTrun by men who are unkempt and dirty and in large part maimcd. We saw just the opposite. Everything was as orderly, clean and efficient as could be imagined, and the workmen so well protected that it would be dif- fcult for an accident to happen to them. The welfare work being carried on was especially impressive to those of us who take an interest in such mat ters.
 Our trip through your magnifice1s residential section, and particularly
 that or the side of Red Mountain was as beautiful as it was surprising, for one naturally supposes the residences l in an iron city are scared with smoke 1 from the furnaces. This district is so beautiful that I think 1t would be | | mistake to call Birmingham the Pitts l burg of the south, because it. would create wrong impression of your love- | ly city. Your mountain slopes studded with residences reminds one of series | of swiss villas with their wonderful setting and panoramic view. 1 As one of the directors of the na ! tionai chamber from the south I was very much pleased with the impression | Birmingham made upon my fellow di-
 rectors, and 1t only added to the strong
 impression made upon them not alone
 of the wonderful future which is h
 store for the south but of it's marve!-
 ous accomplishments already achieved"
 Here 45 Years Ago A. B. Farquhar, dean of the party,
 had not visited Birmingham for many
 years and its progress was a revela- 1 ton to him.
 q first visited Birmingham A years
 ago. said MT. Farqubar. 'Th re was
 no town here at all then, merely a few
 small houses, and the county struck
 me as the most poverty stricken in Ala .
 bama. It is now beyond question the
 most beautiful and prosperous city in l the state, indeed l might add in the | entire country.
 'Its close proximity to the sea and l it's almost unlimited supply of iron ore
 limestone and coal, all contiguous, should make it one of the largest man.
 ufacturing cities in the world. l What pleased me most. however, was the admirable welfare work ot | your industrial plants. the bath houses playgrounds, emergency hospital etc.
 and your beautiful residences in their
 romantic and lovely environment. Bir-
 ninsham is not only the Pittsburg o1 1 the south, but one of the most attrac 1 tive resident cities in the entire coun- l try.
 1 "I cannot say enough of the hos pitality and courtesy of your people We have simply been overwhelmed with kindness'
 l No Need to Fear for Future | All of the members of our party | are amazed at the evidences of progress l in and around Birmingham which thoy | have seen today" declared John H l F'ahey of Boston, president of the na- | ticnal chamber. "The developments O the last 10 years here have been sur prisiTg and are exceeded in no city in the United States which we have l had the privilege of visiting l "Thc growth of -Birminghams grea coal and iron industry has been truly | remarkable. and the expansion of the | city at the same time has been very | consistent. The business district oi | Birmingham as well as the fine resi- dential section is very impressive. In
 decd, the whole app pearance of the city | with It's broad and well kept streets could hardly be improved upon. l Surely the people of Birmingham 1 looking back upon the record of th' last 10 years have no reason for any
 thing but confidence in the future c1 1 the city.'