One of the most interesting features of Florence, is the Cypress Creek dam, on the land of Mr. F. M. Perry. There is a great opportunity for the development of sufficient electric power to supply the needs of Florence, and taking the figures of a prominent surveyor at Florence, it is estimated that this dam will furnish something like 12,000 horse power daily. The owner is reluctant to make any statement as to the possibilities, but prefers to let those interested investigate. We print herein a picture of the old dam that was in use before the war, and the present owner started to rebuild it some time ago, but before it was completed, a heavy rise washed away a part of it and he has made no further progress. The creek makes a big bend, and while it is some three miles around, by tunnelling through some 600 feet, it will give a fall of thirty feet, and by building a dam at the site of the present dam, or rather by finishing the one partly constructed, elevating it ten feet, it will back the water of Cypress Creek to a point where a tunnel of 300 feet will give a forty foot fall, and will discharge at the point shown in the second picture of the old cotton factory that was destroyed during the war, and which was never rebuilt. There is something like 1,000 acres of land with this privilege and to sum the whole thing up, taking the estimate made by City Engineer Major A. G. Negley, as a basis, an expenditure of $2,000 to finish the dam, $6,000 for the tunnel and $2,000 for the turbine would give electricity to furnish power enough to meet all the demands of Florence and the surrounding country. [Illustration] [Illustration] Before the war there were three dams practically in sight of each other that furnished the power for a grist mill and two cotton factories. For further information, address the owner, F. M. Perry, Florence, Alabama. * * * * * [Illustration] The Manual Training Department of the Alabama State Normal under the supervision of Prof. F. T. Nisbet, is one of the most interesting parts of Florence. Mr. Nisbet is a graduate of Atheneum and Mechanics Institute, Rochester, N. Y., and was at the head of manual training in the city schools of Yonkers, N. Y. He introduced manual training in the University of Alabama where he taught for two years at the summer school for teachers. It enables a pupil to demonstrate their ideas, and tends to develop the ability to express their thoughts in many ways. The Manual Training Department in Florence ranks with the very best in the country. * * * * * ASHCRAFT COTTON FACTORY.