The Birmingham age-herald., 1920-11-28

HuSe selI-pIopelleu SCeeI DdTSe finest in the United States, and 1t was | never viewed to greater advantage han in the slightly cloudy weather which marked the trip up river.
 The visitors boarded the barge be- tore breakfast, but were invited into he dining room. where a sumptuous neal was served. With the crisp air and the added appetizer of boat trip, dinner and supper proved to be even more tempting to the hungry visitors and the stewards served meals which | would make the best metropolitan hotels and cafes envious.
 HER CARGO
 The Birmingham brought a fine car go of miscellaneous freight on the tfip up river, large number of firms he- | ing among the consignees. The freight is unloaded at the river bank and the goods, if in small shipments, are delfv- cred at freight depot in Birmingham. If in car lots. the car is switched to the warehouse or store of the owner without any additional switching charge. The goods are brought to the door of the consignee and there is a saving of 20 per cent over the all-ran rate.
 Included ir the cargo were sugar. br.n salt, pulp board. rice, saws, rope, cotton seed meal, shorts, lard. hams, bacon, nitrate of soda, coffee. furniture and other products.
 Points at which cargoes were unloaded were Mobile. Demopols, Tuscaloosa, Payne's Bend, Gorgas. Sipsey, Cordova and the largest volume for Birmingham
 ,Conssnees in Birmingham included Earle Brothers, Birmingham Ice and Cold Storage company, Western Grain company. Wood-Frutticher Grocery com. pany, Collins & Co.,. B. F. Roden Gro- cery company, Parker Drug compaky, Tennessee Coal, Iron and Railroad com }pany, peBardeeben Coal company, Tyler Grocery company. McI.aster-van Hoose Grocery company and Winona Coal com lpany.
 Among those receiving freight at othe, river points on the first trip of the Bir- mingham were the following: Tuscaloosa. Tuscaloosa Produce company, Burchfieid Bros. Marshall, Jordan & Keith. B. r. Baker & Sons. Maxwell Brothers & Al- len, Allen & Jemison Co Cargoes for Demopolis went to s. Funkenstein and J. c. Webb. FIRST STAGE
 After successful trip down the Mis- sissipp from St Louis, the Birmingham steamed out of New Orleans Sunday night, November IA. Due to a storm In the gulf, the boat was aground 56 hours but left Mobile Sunday night, November N. for the trip up stream It had un- loaded its cargo at Demopolis and was en route to Tuescaloosa Tuesday night
 A dense fog delayed the boat A houra between Tuscaloosa and Demopolis, anc 1t did not arrive at the former city uI.ti 7 late Thursday afternoon. Therefore the cargo was not unloaded until Frida, morning.
 RETURN TRIP
 According to announcement made yes terday by General Manager DeBardele ben, the Birmingham will leave Cordovs Tuesday morning on the return trip ts Mobile and New Orleans In the caxg. will be 800 tons of nails from the Ameri can Steal and Wire company. Eleyer cars of this will be unloaded at Mobile for domestic use there and the other two cars will go to New Orleans. There will be 400 to 800 tons otsship deck beams fol Mobile from the Chickasaw plant a Fairfield and from 400 to 500 tons of tim. Der for export will be taken on at ths plant of the Henderson Lumber com pany at Fox, near Tuescaloosa. The des tination of this timber Is Liverpool. Al Mobile cargo for New Orleans will bs , taken aboard equal to the discharge, cargo. In addition, there will be quit. a bit of miscellaneous freight taken or and discharged at the different towns along the river.
 SUCCESS
 The success which has attended tho first trip of the Birmingham convince ce. , me that the future of river traffic nr the Warrior is assured said MT. De ; Bardeieben yesterday. Now for thu , first time we will have the proper facili- ties for the quick and safe dispatch ui freight on the river The people are be- coming better acquainted with the advan tages incident to the use of the river anl 1ciy, acc to Every week new customers are beginAins to use the river.
 We arc already assured of enougt business both upstream and down ts make the operation of the Birmingham a complete success. We are still in posi-. ] ton to handle more freight. and with the addition of new equipment which vii arrive this month, and more which il coming Tn the early spring, the Warrior is destined to become one of the great : freight carriers of the nation.
 , People all over Alabama and even i. adjoining states are coming to know oi the saving and are taking advantage ol the traffic. Next week we will have three traffic men of great experience 1T this line of work who will visit a nun, Der of cities in Alabama and adjoining states to acquaint the shippers with ths advantages of using the river. A neN day is dawning for river traffic in Ala bama. and l am glad to see that even kthose who were skeptical at first ar< now becoming converts.
 Il, THREE MORE BARGES
 We will soon have three moro boats similar to the Birmingham in use on the Warrior The Tuscaloosa will be her. by Christmas and the Mobile will be ready in March. The Gulfport will come soon after.
 Three new towboats arc also nearly ready. The Cordova will be finished al 1Jeffersonvills, Ind, by December l. 1t is built of steel and is equipped with the ! same kind of machinery as the Birming- ham, Work Is progressing rapidly on the Demopolis and the Montgomery, both of which will be like the Cordova. Tn addition to the boats mentioned above, we have six gas-operated steel self-propelling bargest, three other tow boats. 47 barges and F more barges soon to come. All of this equipment will be ready by spring and tha people may ex- pect to see the Warrior greatly increase it's business then. In addition, better loading. unloading and warehouse faclii- ties are being provided at almost every port along the river. as we'll as at Mo- bile and New Orleans"
 COST $275,000
 The Birmingham, which was built by the St. Louis Boat and Engineering com pany. cost s275O00. It was passed by the inspectors October IA, 1920, and accepted by the government one week later. It's gross tonnage Is 1.5s7 tons and 1t has n net tonnage of 1,45o. It's carrying ca