The Birmingham age-herald. [volume], September 14, 1913, EDITORIAL SECTION, Page 32, Image 32

About The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950

Image provided by: University of Alabama Libraries, Tuscaloosa, AL

                
WHEN RANK WEEDS WERE GROWING ON IMPOSING HIGHLAND AVENUE
• By MRS. J. B. REID
Every' resident of Birmingham who
claims early citizenship in his family
can recall when a thickly overgrown
woodland, with winding paths led to the
few settlements on the north side of
Red mountain, covering the , territory
that Is now' an ornament to a fashion
able neighborhood. We wonder if the
man who cut down the first tree In
clearing the survey for Highland ave
nue would not stand In amazement at
the transformation in so few' years. As
the foot of the mountain sloped grad
ually northward, this avenue seemed to
be the line between valley and hillside,
and the survey of w'hat has become
Birmingham’s most popular pleasure re
sort seemed to have circled most grace
fully around the elevatiori, making a
belt that now frames n gorgeous land
scape of beautiful homes.
Every visitor to the city is whirled
around this popular boulevard to see
the combined work of nature and art,
for w'herever one seemed to be weak the
other prevailed. We can recall when
the woods were hunted for chinquapins,
chestnuts and 'possums, and not until
the "dummy line" found its way did it
mean much more to the community, but
when this piece of enterprise sent its
whistle through the air it awakened
civilization and homes grew gradually
where only thistles were. If the At
lantic ocean had stealthily stolen its
way to the hillside of Jefferson county
...
it could not have made a greater com
munity furor than the building of Lake
view.
Those little canoes that were paddled
in the deep water of the lake became as
notorious to the Romulus and Remus
of Birmingham as the sinking of the
Titanic. For a long time all Birming
ham had to show' on the surface was
Highland avenue, Lake view and corner
lots, and all this time the little, dummy
did its best, puffing and screeching it
pulled the jieople to and fro—there Avas
no end of it, really, for it circled, and
the one side of the circumference was
the "long route," passing the unborn
Five Points, and the "short route"
whose notoriety began with tin* Hawes
home, and sad to say. there arc no end
of "Hawes Homes" in Birmingham to
day. There the first bloody murder of
Birmingham was known, but the germ
lias gotten loose, and far and near arc
spots to be seen where the ghost of
murder hovers.
The transportation to the Highlands
was further facilitated by the mule car.
that traversed Twentieth street and
turned around just above "Perason’s
Hill." The hill w'as always there, but
it became Pearson's later on as the city
grew'. Here and there could be seen
houses started at distances apart. For
a long time Colonel Tomlinson’s and Mr.
Sterrets' home stood almost alone, save
those of Governor Johnston. General
•Johnston. Gen. E. W. Rucker’s Captain
Ward and Mr. Dwyer. Beyond Mr.
Tomlinson for a long time was a thick
grove. Then Mrs. Quigley built the
home later purchased by Gen. Fred Fer
guson, and one by one the neighborhood
grew until it reached the home of Capt.
A Beautiful Section We Drive I (trough
Highland avenue's first church
A RARE VIEW OF LAKEVIEW
| This photograph from Colonel Oxford’s scrap book shows the Lakeview hotel in the background, one of
Birmingham's famous institutions in the early days
Jack Johnston’s and Mr. YY. A. Cheno
weth’s. ,
The avenue was a busy scene, and al
ways was traversed as a pleasure re
sort after it was opened. Before the
bicycle came the horse and carriage.
The bicycle became popular and s was
almost as much of a fad as the automo
bile, for man- and woman. When the
automobile arrived on the seen:? of ac
tion it found a beautiful driveway to
the Country club, that mounted <»n a
picturesque slope, seems to look down
upon once historic Lakey lew '‘like a
tale that was told.”
The recent real estate deals have
ERDMAN WAS SAVED
FROM PENITENTIARY
BY STEEPLE SHADOW
Shrewd Lawyer and Wise
Astronomer Win Ac
quittal by Means of
a Photograph
Frank Erdman of Omaha, Neb., was
some time ago Saved from the peni
tentiary by a shadow, says the New
York World. Assisting the shadow
was an ingenious lawyer and a learned
professor of astronomy, and while the
jury which tried Erdman was unable
to appreciate the ninety of the astro
nomical alibi presented for Erdman the
supreme court of Nebraska recognized
the exact nature of the science and
ordered a retrial of the case, which
ended in the abandonment of the
charges against the prisoner and his
subsequent dismissal.
Erdman was accused of having
placed an Infernal machine containing
26 sticks of dynamite upon tin* porch
of Thomas Dennison of Omaha with the
intention of blowing Dennison and his
family into the hereafter.
The infernal machine was discovered
“Fairmont," the Latest Highland Avenue Apartment. Designed by a
Woman
on Dennison's porcli at 2:50 o’clock
Sunday afternoon. May 22, 1910. Erd
nian was arrested two hours later. Ho
was positively identified by tw*» young
girls as the man they saw. within one
block of Dennison’s home, carrying the
identical suitcase in which the infernal
machine was discovered, 20 minutes
before the finding of the machine on
Dennison’s porch. Three other wit
nesses also positively identified Erd
man as having been seen walking be
fore the two girls.
Erdman had no defense—except to
say that he was Innocent.
Discovers the Picture
In his search for an alibi Enlman's
lawyers visited the pastor of the
church where the two girls had been
confirmed. The pastor remembered the
time because a young friend had been
ThirdHomeGoing Up At
, MILNER HEIGHTS
Coolest Place in Birmingham
Some extremely artistic effects in shingles will be seen in the third house to be erect
ed at Milner Heights, work on which is to commence this week. The house will be built
by S. H. Burke of the passenger department of the Louisville and Nashville railroad,
and will represent an investment of close to $10,000.
The architect in drawing the plans has
kept in mind the topography of the property
and designed a bungalow effect that seems to
nestle into the great Red Mountain behind.
As a result, the house will be extremely ar
tistic and in perfect accord with its surround
ings.
This is the third residence at
Milner Heights and two others will
be started within the next 10 days.
Plans have already been completed
for one of these residences and will
probably be shown next week in our
advertising.
Bel ore Christmas at least a dozen houses
will be under course of construction in the
Eroperty, and in the early spring the Milner
and Company expects that at least 20 homes
will be completed by the purchasers of lots.
Now is the time to see Milner Heights. Still
better, it is the time to buy. We are war
ranted in advancing prices and expect to do
so very shortly. The first street will be com
pleted this week, and this has been our only
reason for not advancing prices 10 per cent to
20 per cent in the past.
*H°Vi3E AT /MLTiER. HEIGHTS*
* FOR /AR..3.H BVRKT *
*W.f.WARREAt ARCHITECT*
aBIR/AI/IC^H/VA ala. *
i -— - -- ■ —.—JJ_ -is ^
MILNER LAND CO.
1107-8 Empire Building Telephone Main 8038
present and. the afternoon being pleas
ant and bright, had induced the class
to stand on the front steps of the
church and pose for n picture. Ite was
, sure of the date because upon tlie back
of a copy of the photograph which was
given him he had written the date,
“May 22. 1910.’’
The lawyer borrowed the photograph
and for days he pored over it, seeking
some clew.
“Clearly defined in the picture made
in front of the church was a shadow of
the steeple of the building/' said Col
onel. Reiser. “That point had a fascin
ation for me and a hundred times my
ey,es rested upon it.
“So I took the picture to Father Wil
liam Rigge. astronomer at Creighton uni
versity, and explained my dilemma. ‘Make
it talk, Father/ fI said.
“That’s very easy/' said the scientist.
Tlie next day the lawyer returned to
the university for his answer.
“That picture was made within one
minute of 3:21%, afternoon. May 22, 1910/’
stated Father Rigge.
Here, then was the alibi—more perfect
than tlie evidence. The two girls, the
witnesses against Krdman, were in the
church at 2:50, when the infernal ma
chine was discovered. They had not left
the church until about 3:30 Instead of
2:30. as they were to testify. They, the
pastor and the other three witnesses
were one hour behind *ime. The infernal
machine had been discovered and was at
the police station long before the girls
left the church.
The state decided to drop the case, Erd
man had been saved by the shadow of
a church steeple.
Shadow Gives Lawyer Idea
Erdman was charged with having placed
an infernal machine upon Dennison's
porch before 2:50 o’clock Sunday after
noon, May 22, 1910. The principal wit
nesses, two girls, testified that they saw
the accused near the Dennison home Just
before that time. These two girls had
been to chuch a mile away. After the
servlcevS they posed for a photographer.
A prominent shadow In the picture gave
the attorney the idea of consulting an
astronomer in the hope of finding from
the position of the shadow the exact time
at which the $>late had been exposed.
Should this prove to be after 2:50 o’clock
i the testimony of tlie witness would be
invalid. Said Colonel Yeiser:
“With the help of a surveyor we meas
ured the distances the shadow had fallen
down, eastward and northward. The data
obtained fournished four different meth
ods of compuetation. The principle is a
very simple one to those who understand
trigonometry and astronomy.
“The close agreement of the four meth
ods which I employed showed that no
appreciable error had been made in any
of them.
“In the fourth method the ^attitude,
which had been taken as unknown, dif
fered only 4 2-3 miles from the truth. If
the ti|no had been given the longitude
would have been found within about the
same range.
“The. data used In the problem were
that the shadow had fallen 14.22 feet
down, 13.10 feet eastward and 3.43 feet
northward. The horizontal distance
was found to be 13.52 by measurement
rind 13.54 by computation. An error
of one-tenth of a foot in the shortest
horizontal side would have changed
the time 1 minute 54 seconds. The
same error in the altitude would have
caused a difference of 1 minute 15 sec
onds. The omission of the correction
for refraction would have produced a
difference of 2 or 3 seconds. The lat
itude was 41 degrees 6 minutes 42 sec
onds N. and the longitude C hours 23
minutes 48 seconds W. The sun was 3
minutes 33 seconds fast, and the time
used central time.
Allowed for Errors
“In older not to claim too great an
accuracy lor the result I thought I
would leave a reasonable margin of
uncertainty by maintaining the time
3.21Vi to be within a minute of the
truth. •
“Two years later, on the anniversary,
Mayy 22, 1912, with a photographer I
visited the scene with the Intention of
taking new pictures and comparing
them with the original. Three ex
posures were made. The first was at
8:20H. a minute before the computed
time; the second at 2;21H, exactly on
time, and the third at 3:22H, a min
ute after the compute!) moment. How
closely the middle picture reproduced
the exact position of the shadow as
it appears on the original photograph
of two years before can be seen by ac
tual comparison. In both the lower
left-hand corner of the shadow Is ex
actly In the middle of the same weath
erboard. It Is somewhat below this
point In the picture taken a minute be
fore, and as much above It In the one
taken a minute later. The computed
time was therefore certainly correct
to th« mlnuts."
proven the increased valuation that was \
once in acres, then lots, until now the
worth by the foot is beyond measure.
The country bordering the limits of
Highland avenue has been centered
with interest and the nest of profitable
investments ever since the locality was
surveyed.
The beautiful homes that have taken
the place of weeds and ditches, the ter
raced lawns all send d substantial mes
sage to the world of the changes cre
ated by time and money, and the possi
bility of building a city of thousands
of busy inhabitants from a chaos of
rock and weeds.
The South Highland Presbyterian
church, the first to be built on the av
enue, has a splendid location on Twen
ty-first street, and recently on the oppo
site side has been erected a Jewish
synagogue that is a magnificent orna
ment to any city. Then across on
Twenty-first street is being rapidly
completed 'be Fairmont apartments, be
sides bei«g a splendid structure, add
ing picturesque value to the scene,
there are some striking features con
nected with its creation that ■ worth
while. We hear so much of the activi
ties of woman in trying to do things,
when we find one that really succeeds
at big things we are Interested In see
ing for ourselves. So we visited the
apartments for that purpose, and W'o
sawr such a combination of architecture
and so much detail work that we hes
itated to ask the real question. “Did a
woman really design this building?’’
The apswer, “Yes.” caused us to think
more of the greatness of the combina
tion of head and hand. Miss Josephim
Chapman of New York designed the
building and drew' the plans, and a lo
cal architect, D. O. Whlldep, has ad
mirably executed them. Miss Chapman
p now busily engaged in Rome designs
or the Interior decoration of the
White House for Mrs. Woodrow Wil
ton. We had another piece of news that
vas of interest of which we asked and
ound it true—the contract for building
vas awarded two negro men, brothers.
iVindhams-—and their service has been
borough and satisfactory. These two
terns emphasize the value of 3kill no
natter in whose hands it is invested.
Skill, combined with conscientious la
>or, is what accomplishments of work
'equires and what good business de
nan ds.
This apartment, with several others
grouped around it., all handsome In de
ilgh. stands alone in point of interest
:o that extent. It is of circular front
ige with the advantage of the corner,
tnd overlooks Birmingham, peeping
sven into the smoke and works of Ens
ey. Three stories high, it ha3 sixteen
ipartments, all have outside windows,
ind when the roof garden ts finished,
we could not refrain from exclaiming,
'they can play ball with the Jefferson
bounty Bank building!”
One does not realize from a glance
l he real i*eautiful environments of
Highland avenue, and the advantage of
looking from the elevated windows
gives the opportunity for constant
unazement at the gorgeous views from
i vast country enclosing a city with «i
population of near 250,000 inhabitants.
Half of them top busy to realize that
where once grew the acorns and pine
now stands an avenue that is a credit
to Alabama and dream to those who
did not know of Its extent.
There is an old adage, "fools build
houses and wise men live in them,” but
the wise men built the avenue that
progress and above all splendid homes
—homes that are serenaded by the
zhurch chimes and decorated with beau
tiful lawns and growing plants.
One of the early homes on Highland avenue
Why Wait
Authoritative
Corset
Fashion'
is established by the distri
bution of
to all merchants in your city.
NOTE
That with a Warner an
nouncement corset, fash
ion is.established.
That it means you can buy
the latest Parisian design,
cut and made in this coun
try to suit the American
woman’s figure—as early
as the Parisian woman can
buy hers.
When a Warner Corset ap
pears it is a standardized
style—when fitted it fash
, ionably shapes the figure
—when worn it is comfort
able, when you discard a
Warner, you discard it be
cause you want another
Warner—a fresh corset or
a new Warner shape. It
has held its shape. It is
as comfortable as the day ’
you first put it on. This
is the Warner story:
To Shape Fashionably, To
Fit Comfortably and 5
Not to Rust, Break
or Tear.
Ask to See the New Styles
Sold Everywhere
$1.00 to $8.00
I Every Pair Guaranteed |
* "»■■ 111 ■" i i ■ h