The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1864-05-27
VOL. YI,I7I.-.;;---..-]NO..:22 % I:

mand Of Com E. Farrand, has built two
iron-clad steam Observation-Disclosures. They
now lie at MOBILIZE and are not intended
to 80 outside at all. The ,iren-clad screw
gunboat Tennessee was also launched 40
this yard She was O. boat of considerable
beauty and speed, and carries four guns.
They are now building one of much lar
ger dimensions than the. others. One
side-wheeled iron.clad gunboat has been
at Montgomery; one 81 two on the Tom.
bigbee, and several old river boats over.
hauled and rugged up at Mobile, either
one Of which one Shot would Blow to atoms.
Besides the large government works st
Selma, there are a number Of smaller es-
Establishments, got up by wealthy men for
the purpose Of getting contracts with the
government, thereby keeping out Of the
army themselves. Among these are sew
eral foundries, a powder mill, cotton card
factory, three wagon and ambulance fac
tories, and some extensive sheds for tho
manufacture Of nitre. p" % H'e .''''l n@e
The government manufactures large
Quantities of clothing also, having two os-
adjustments for this purpose. .s''@ s''
The quartermaster and commissary
departments at Selma are also very active.
A considerable stock Of stores arc general.
~ on hand Id both Of these departme nts.
The conitnissary department. always has q
large quantity of rice and -four on hand =
The latter is baked up into army bread or
crackers, then shipped to Mobile or Mont
gomerya aai2SAoi ~ 'a yn-@ So a'i7s setsa6
Nearly all of the railroads Of lesser i'm >
portancein the South, have been taken up
to repair and patch up the more important
ones. .'t9W 's- saiqg4 ai'' ~ 4 iva
Selma is also the southern terminus OF
the Alabama and 'Tennessee River Rail-
road, which runs within nine miles of
jacksonville, in the northern part Of the
State. This railroad runs difeotlythfough
the richest mineral country in the Southg
Insfact the coal mines of Alabama supply
every arsenal, foundry, ganboat, and eve-
ry manufacturing establishment III tho
Qonfederacy, with this inaispeusableSma-'
terial for the manufacture Of munitions Of.
war; and this is the only place 10 tho
Contedsracy where coal abounds now ins
their reach.lga ~ 1se son u eae@ s-sa eriey'
The same also may be said with regard
to the iron min es of Alabama They pro-
duce an iuexhaustible supply of metal,
equal, it said, to the best in the world, aud
it has been proved I'd be of inestimabls
value in the manufacture of cartoons
Nearly one hundred tons of pig iron pass.
es over this road daily the most of which,
is re.shipped to the different armories aud
arsenals throughout the Confederacy, and
is rapidlynconyerted into missiles OF war.
The celebrated salt works of Alabama
are teuamiles west of this place, where the
largest part of the salt used ia Alabama,
Georgia aud Mississippi for the past tso
years, has been made. Salt wateris found
atsthese works at a depth Of from ten to
fifteen feet This business employs.
large number. of both blacks and whites;
besides being very profitable business,
the salt makers were exempt from militia.
ry duty, which made it very popular
The salt made at these works sold as high
as thirty dollars per bushel. esg l-a erssa