The Birmingham age-herald., 1915-05-02

ject the expendency of cutting a canal of that kind. The experiment so success fully carried out whereby through canal system which connects Lake Oke- chobee in Florida with the coast there is to be reclaimed vast amount of won- derfully rich soil in southern Florida may have hastened the consideration of a like project for Louisiana. These Flor ida canals, or some of them, are ultimate ly to make navigation by small craft from the Atlantic coast to the gulf coast commercially practicable
 One of the most impressive features of the agricultural statistics collected by the Washington authorities in recent years tells of the great growth of Louisiana as a corn-producing state, and if the rate of increase maintained foy the past five or six years is continued, Louisiana is to stand with two or three other states as the greatest corn producer in the union.
 The Promoter of Goldfield
 The name of Charles D. Taylor will be additionally associated with the estab- fishing of the great mining camp at Gold field, New, and there are among the truthful romances associated with the dis covery and development of the precious metal mines in the far west none that has greater fascination than the story of the career of MT. Taylor. His friends, of whom he has many in this city and some of whom he is now visiting here. have always surmised that MT. Tayior has been convinced that there are yet to be made discoveries and yet to be achiev- ed developments of gold mines in remote British North America which. sooner or later, will compare with any of the gold producing properties of the Enited States or of Alaska. It used to be said of MT. Taylor that after he discovered two rich gold properties in what is now the Gold field district which he did before other discoveries there were made, he was of fered by Charles M. Schwab $1 GOO for these properties. For reason which he has never disclosed, he did not sell to Mr.. Schwab instead he gave title> to his properties to others. He had pledged his word to sell his properties for s1,2000 600, but there was no documentary proof of that agreement.
 In a little while deher properties were there discovered which tended greatly to enhance the value of MT. Taylors He would not, however, break his pledge, and he delivered the title to his proper ties to the purchasers for the amount originally agreed upon. Possibly had MT. Taylor sold these properties to Mir. Schwab the career of the president of the Bethelehem Steel company would 1t may be that MT. Schwab would not be now contemplating with content enor- nous war orders whicei l( has recet;Gd. For there was at one time a surmise that MT. Schwab was thinking strongly of occupying himself with gold mining prop ositions.
 Return of Theodore N. Vail
 Sometime in the winter Theodore N. Vail was persuaded that he was perhaps paying the penalty through some impair ment of health for the very great mental and physical labor to which he submit ted for the purpose of bringing up the telegraph and telephone properties to the point where they would be recognized as having fully accepted their opportunities. When Mir. Vail became president of the company he had reached a time of life when men who have achieved greatly look to comfortable retirement. He might have retired to the enjoyment of his large experimental farm in Vermont, but he was convinced that there were very great opportunities for the corporation, knowing well that from all parts of the United States there came urgent demand for the extension of the telephone sys- tenn.
 MT. Vail has now returned after a prolonged sojourn at Jelxyll Island, much improved in health, but his friends ob- serve that he finds 1t necessary to use cane. not as a toy, but for support. Apparently the injury to his knee has not been fully mastered. While Mir. Vail was at Jekyll Island he was in close touch with the corporation. and was in- tensely interested in the final work which was necessary before the long distance telephone between New York and San Francisco could be made com mercially practical.
 MT. Vail. while recognizing the great value of the inventions perfected by J. J. Carty. among them the phantom cir cuit for long distance service. neverthe- less Is understood to regard MT. Carty'sl highest achievement as having been conl-| passed in the field of organization. Grad-i ually and more snd more emphatically