The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1915-08-27
1000 on Two Special Trains
Go to Salter's Bluff and
Take Boats to Lock
SUPPER is SERVED
ON BANKS OF RIVER
All Forget Care and Give Them
selves Up TO Enjoyment of
Scenery, Music and
Dancing

Yesterday the merchants of Alabama
went trolling, rolling over the bowling.
over the bowling main"
The big entertainment feature of the
third annual convention or the Alabama
Merchants association, the trip down the
Warrior river to Lock II, was the fea-
ture of the day and the closing event
OF the three days convention which met
IN Birmingham Tuesday morning
Inc excursion was a complete success
IRON every viewpoint 1t was above all
an excursion, pleasure trip, chance
Tor the merchants of Alabama to forget
the war, the cotton situation, woman's
suffrage or anything else that might be
weighing on their minds. And they took
the chance, 1850 men of Them and were
happy.
There was not a single incident through
out the day to mar the excursion The
special train. in two sections, left the
Louisville and Nashville station promptly
at II and 1910 o'clock yesterday noon,
loaded to the last coach with joyful mer-
chants. Salters Bluff, where the boats
We're boarded, was reached about 2:30 and
| by O'Clock the first boats had swung
out into the river loaded to the brim
with sailormen' and steamed down stream
for the locks.
Supper at Locks
The little fleet of four steamers reached
the locks at $50 o'clock and here was
waiting for them as sumptuous a sup
per as ever passed the lips of a salt sea
sallorman. And the merchants did not
| fail to do 1t justice Chairman Hodges
and his special committee to arrange for
the supper had gone to Tuscaloosa the
day before and brought the food up the
river yesterday morning so that every
thing was ready and supper served when
the excursionists arrived.
One boat was locked through the locks
to show the merchants how 1t was done
and about o'clock the return trip was
started back up the river with as pretty
moonlight night as ever graced a south
ern sky.
1t was a real river trip The spell
OF the moonlit water grasped both old
and young. some it made spoony, to some
it gave a tendency to sing, to others
to talk, to others to dance, others to
just sit still and drink in the natural
scenic beauty of Gods country spread
about them on every side.
A negro orchestra was on every boat
and furnished music throughout the trip
They were real negro orchestras. That s
all that need be said. To the man who
wasn't there perhaps it would be suffi-
cient just to state that the following are
the given opponents of the situation:
A wide expanse of water-a great river
under a southern sky.
A river boat slowly plodding along. the
beat of her engines and paddle wheels
nonotonously eehoing back from the
wooded shores.
AS beautiful moonlight as ever shone
lighting up the whole scene with subtle
yellow splendor.
Along the passing river shores noun
tain peaks and natural scenery which ha
been likened to that of the great Hudson
valley.
Negro orchestra filling the soft night
air with their enchanting southern mel
odies.
And on the boats a crowd of men and
women, boys and girls. with nothing to
do but just sit still and take it all in
Now, perhaps. the man who wasn't there
can judge for himself and feel duly sorry
that at least for yesterday he wasn't an
Alabama merchant.
The crowd got back to Birmingham
at midnight. The trip was over and so
was what is considered to have been the
most momentous convention ever held
by the A. NJ A. Today some of the del
egates are leaving for their homes, but
many OF them expect to stay In the
city until Saturday or Sunday, trans
acting business and further sightseeing.
While the entertainment features of
yesterdays trip were uppermost, every
where the delegates were to be heard
discussing the wonderful river they had
| seen and the wonderful dam and locks
which made It, 1t is the first time tina t
the great majority of the delegates have
ever seen Lock II. which was completed
but few months ago by the United
States government, and is said to be the
| largest river lock in the world.
The great development that has brough.
the Warrior river nearly $50 miles up