The Birmingham age-herald., 1918-05-04
Long Train of Automobiles Loaded With Visitors Spends Entire Day on
 Journey to Plants
UNPREPARED TO
 FIND DEVELOPMENT
 ON SUCH BIG SCALE
Visited Ensley, Edgewater, Bayview and Fairfield and Concluded With
 Highlands Trip

One hundred and twenty-five members of the American Electrochemical society were shown some of the high lights of the Birmin gham district yesterday on an automobile trip which extended all the way from Cliff road on the crest of Red Mountain to Edgewater mine, where the the surface.
 They were accompanied by a large party of Birmingham citizens, and each of the local men found it a pleasure to show such visitors what there is in this district. The pleasure was especially keen because the visitors were so keen. Their observations on everything were appreciative and furthermore they knew what they were talking about.
 When men such as these visit big in- dustrial plant they get lot more out of it than the layman.
 As the water was turned on car of red hot coke at the by-product plant a cloud of steam mingled with what was apparently yellow smoke floated upward.
 Look at the tricene gas said one of them. Tt certainly gives man a good case of sunburn, too, if it gets next his face"
 FIRST STOP AT ENSLEY
 The party after having breakfast at the Tutwiler left at o'clock, drove through the yards Of the Ensley blast furnace plant of the Tennessee company, and then left their automobiles for a trip through the steel plant They were under the leadership of Arthur c. Crowder, president of the Chamber of Comerce, and Karl Landgrebe. assistant general superintendent of the Ensley works.
 As the visitors entered the yards of the ed on the ground. This white line was to guide them and extended indoors and out throughout the whole trip.
 These people certainly know how tc handle crowd in systematic manner. was the comment frequently heard.
 Then came a trip to Bayview. Many of the party, including the ladies, were taken in the big launches for trips around the lake and at noon a fine barbecue Wal served at the lakeside with big guar bottle of ice cold butermilk at eacf plate. A negro orchestra sang ant played while the barbecue was served After dinner Governor Emmet ONea delivered a short address to the visitors which was full of patriotism and il which he pointed out the importance O developing southern resources as an ait to winning the war and in order to mee the new industrial problems which ars to arise after the war.
 The long train of automobiles theI went to EdgeWater mine and paid specia attention to the commissary. The party then made the trip to Wcstfied, the new model community for negroes, which is being built near the Fairfield works. The visitors were greatly impressed witt the magnitude of the shipbuilding indus try, now under construction. consid- erable portion of the steel framework toi the various units is up and the plant begins to show what an enormous indus try it is to be.
 SEE WIRE-MAkING PROCESS
 Next they were taken to the American Steel and Wire company plant and all showed great interest in the processes of making wire, nails, barbed wire. wire fencing, and the chemists were also inn pressed with use that is being made oi waste wire, This is put into sulphuric acid yats, and the resultant mixture is then evaporated and purified and ferro- sulphate, or what is known to the lay man as copperaS, is the result. Then came a trip through Fairfield where so much new building is under way, and back to the city for trip over the Highlands. ending at the Birming- ham Country club. where tea was served under the auspices of the ladies enter tainment committee.
 The New York and eastern members oi the party seemed to be especially i'm pressed with what they had seen in Bir- mingham and. in fact. along their whole trip. They knew, of course, that big de velopment work had been done here, but seemed totally unprepared to find things on such a scale and along with it resi- dence section which they freely said was not surpassed in the United States. Following the informal affair at tn. Country club they returned to the city and to their special train, for briei rest before the dinner which was ten dered them at the Tutwiler at o'clock